European Arrest Warrant

Reding urges Croatia to align its EAW law with EU legislation

11.09.2013 u 15:16

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Croatia must correct its law on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) or otherwise relations between it and the European Union will be burdened for years, European Commission Vice-President and Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding told the Italian news agency ANSA on Wednesday.

Changing the law two days before joining the European Union is not just a serious breach of the law but also a breach of the trust placed in Croatia by the other 27 member states and European institutions, Reding said.

She demanded that Croatia amend its EAW law to bring into accord with EU legislation.

The Commission has all the necessary instruments at its disposal to ensure that Croatia does so, Reding said, citing Article 39 of Croatia's EU accession treaty which provides for "appropriate measures", one of which could be suspension of financing from EU funds.