The Commission decided today, 19 May, to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Luxembourg (INR (2022)2018) and to Romania (INR (2021)2263), on the grounds that some provisions of the Framework decision on the European Arrest Warrant have not been correctly transposed as regards, for example, the time limits for taking a decision on the execution of a European arrest warrant or the surrender of a requested person.
The European arrest warrant constitutes a simplified cross-border judicial procedure for the surrender of a requested person for the purposes of prosecution or the execution of a custodial sentence or detention order. Operational since 1 January 2004, the European Arrest Warrant replaced the lengthy extradition procedures that previously existed between EU Member States.
The Commission sent letters of formal notice to 24 other Member States for failing to comply with the obligation to transpose the Framework Decision or the obligation to transpose certain provisions of the Framework Decision. Luxembourg and Romania now have two months to reply to the Commission. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion.
With its monthly package of infringement decisions, the European Commission (‘the Commission’) seeks to sue Member States that have failed to fulfil their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various EU sectors and policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of EU law for the benefit of citizens and businesses.