Europe

Ten EU states to halt extraditions to UK following Brexit

France, Germany and Poland say they will refuse to allow extradition of their nationals

The European Arrest Warrant was introduced in 2004 and obliges member states to arrest and transfer suspects to countries where they were wanted.
The European Arrest Warrant was introduced in 2004 and obliges member states to arrest and transfer suspects to countries where they were wanted.
Tue Mar 30 2021 - 06:41

Ten EU member states have said they will no longer extradite their nationals to the UK following Brexit, the British Home Office has said.

Countries including France, Germany and Poland have informed the UK of their refusal to allow the extradition of their nationals.

Two more — Austria and the Czech Republic — will only hand over suspects to the UK with their consent.

The European Arrest Warrant was introduced in 2004 and obliged member states to arrest and transfer suspects to countries where they were wanted.

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The letter, sent from the Home Office to the House of Lords EU committee dates from earlier this month and was first reported by The Times.

It said: “I can confirm a total of 10 EU Member States have notified of their intention to exercise an absolute bar on the extradition of own nationals. This includes Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

“In addition, Austria and Czechia have noted own nationals will only be extradited with their consent.

“Where Member States refuse the extradition of their nationals, the Agreement requires the State concerned to refer the case to its own prosecution authorities. In such cases the Agreement establishes an obligation to provide appropriate support to victims and witnesses.” – PA