Brussels, 25/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - Croatia and the Commission would appear to be on the verge of resolving the difficulties over the European arrest warrant, after Croatian Justice Minister Orsat Miljenic provided assurances that his country would fall into line with European law for 1 January 2014 “at the latest”. A bill will be submitted very shortly to parliament, the minister said - July 2014 having been the date previously set by Croatia. Miljenic met Viviane Reding in Brussels on Wednesday 25 September, the justice commissioner having begun consultation with the member states on 18 September on possible sanctions that could be imposed on the EU's newest member.
While welcoming this move, Reding reproached the Croatian authorities for abusing the Commission's confidence by amending the European arrest warrant rules, as determined in accession negotiations, only three days before the country officially joined the EU. On 28 June, the Croatian government passed amendments which rendered the European arrest warrant invalid for crimes committed before 2002, thereby making the warrant ineffective in Balkan war crimes. According to the Croatian media, the law change meant that a German request for the extradition of a former secret service agent who might hold sensitive information on the Croatian political class would not be processed. After fruitless exchanges of letters, the commissioner decided last week to invoke the safeguard clause for JHA policies contained in the accession treaty which could result in withdrawal of €80 million in European funding to prepare the country for entry to the Schengen area of closer institutional monitoring, similar to that which applies to Bulgaria and Romania.
The ALDE Group welcomed these developments. Group leader Guy Verhofstadt said the European arrest warrant was “an important element in guaranteeing our Europe without borders”. It is also one of the most effective instruments in combating cross-border crime. “Moreover it paves the way to Croatian accession to the Schengen area”, he added. The leader of the S&D Group, Hannes Swoboda, also welcomed the agreement. “Now both sides should work hand-in-hand for the quick implementation of the European arrest warrant and avoid any further threats”, he said.
Commissioner Reding will now wait for the commitments given by Miljenic to become reality. The process of consultation of the member states will remain open until 5 October and will only be closed if the Commission is satisfied the new law is in line with the European arrest warrant framework decision. (SP/transl.fl)