Brussels, 28/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - Croatia has officially announced its intention to change its national law infringing European legislation on the European arrest warrant.
The spokesperson to the Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding, said on Wednesday 28 August that the European Commission had received a “constructive” reply from Croatia in the case between Zagreb and the European institution (see EUROPE 10907). The president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has received similar guarantees from the Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic. The Commission is in permanent touch with the Croatian authorities to ensure that these declarations are followed up with action.
Three days before it joined the EU on 1 July of this year, Croatia made changes to its law transposing the European arrest warrant by adopting a law under which crimes committed prior to August 2002 would not be covered by the arrest warrant. According to the Commission, this option is open only to member states which were in on the negotiations which drafted the European rules. Only Austria, France and Italy applied this derogation. During its negotiations to join the EU, Croatia is reported never to have raised the issue. (MB/transl.fl)