Croatia has been aware for several months of a mistake in the Croatian translation of regulations regarding the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), but that mistake has no implication for Croatia's position on the matter, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said in Brussels on Monday.
"The translation has not been obviously reviewed by experts in the way it should have been reviewed. Nevertheless, this does not impact our political position and agreements with the European Commission," the Croatian minister said in a response to questions from the press about the apparent mistake in the Croatian translation of regulations on the EAW.
The Croatian translation reads that restrictions in the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant can be adopted also after the Council makes a framework decision, while the original text reads that this could refer to only member-states that were part of the Union at the time of the adoption of the decision.
Pusic recalled that Slovenia and the Czech Republic had also tried to apply some restrictions in the EAW implementation, although those countries do not belong to the so-called old EU members. They entered the Union in 2004 and the decision was adopted in 2002.
Croatia's legislation reads that the EAW can be applied for crimes committed after 7 August 2002, when this framework decision entered into force.
However, the European Commission is claiming that the Croatian legislation is not in line with the EU decision.
Croatia is discussing the matter with the European Commission in a bid to reach a solution to the matter, the minister said adding that the resolution could be expected later this year.
