Brussels, 03/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European arrest warrant, approved by the EU in 2002, has been under scrutiny by the Italian senate since 2 November, after a wait of five months within the "Justice" commission. The text discussed in the plenary confirms that of the Chamber of Deputies, states the Italian agency ANSA, adding that the President of the commission, Antonio Caruso, a member of Alleanza Nazionale (part of the government coalition), had presented proposed amendments which, if they are approved, will mean that the bill has to go before the Chamber again. The amendments aim to reduce the possibilities of extradition to another Member State of the EU to highly specific cases.
Still according to ANSA, Senator Giuseppe Ayala (Democratici di sinistra) criticised the bill during Tuesday's debate, for its "anti-European approach", but the under-secretary for Justice Iole Santelli replied that Italy "is not inclined to sacrifice individual principles".