Croatia Strike Deal With EU Over Arrest Warrant Problem

European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding and Croatia’s Minister of Justice Orsat Miljenić have announced a compromise in the “European Arrest Warrant” saga which has been going on between Croatia and the EU at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday.

“Abolition of restrictions will be forthcoming. Law changes will go into urgent procedure. The law will go into effect no later than 1 January 2014,” said Miljenić, who says Croatia will ammend its laws to fall in line with EAW laws.

The EU had earlier this month threatened Croatia with sanctions after the Croatian government refused to remove the limit on the application of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for crimes committed after August 2002. A few days before joining the European Union, Croatia passed the law on judicial cooperation, of which the EAW is part and which limits its application to crimes committed after August 2002.  The EU legislation breach was highlighted by the case of Joisp Perkovic, who is wanted by Germany for his role in the murder of a Croatian dissident in 1983.

Reding said that the EU will be looking over the whole process in the coming months, and said that Miljenić had explained the long history around the decision in Croatia regarding EAW laws.