LONDON- Britain shall not be participating in a European scheme fast-tracking criminal extradition after exiting the European Union, the government said in a mandate for negotiations on its long-term relationship with the bloc.
The European Arrest Warrant, introduced in 2004, replaced a lengthy extradition process between EU countries. This means a warrant issued by the judicial authority of one EU country to arrest a person and surrender them for prosecution is valid throughout the EU.
“The UK is not seeking to participate in the European Arrest Warrant as part of the future relationship. The agreement should instead provide for fast-track extradition arrangements.”
– Mandate published by British government
The EU previously warned that Brexit may mean that it was unable to participate, and Britain already talked about alternative arrangements for extradition.
Britain used the European Arrest Warrant system several thousands of times since creation, like in the instance of bringing back a man who tried to carry out a London attack in 2005 and then fled to Italy.
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.