The extradition of those wanted for a crime in another EU state is made simpler in a new Bill just published.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, yesterday published the European Arrest Warrant Bill 2003. It will replace the current extradition arrangements between member-states starting on January 1st, 2004.
The proposed European legislation was formed after the September 11th attacks in the US. The Minister said: "The Bill represents a careful balance between the need for new effective measures to fight cross-border crime and terrorism and the need to protect and uphold the rights of arrested persons."
In this State, the High Court would decide on requests received. Specific timeframes for taking decisions by the courts would apply in order to expedite the process, he said.
The European arrest warrant applied to all offences having a penalty of 12 months' imprisonment or more. The Minister said there would be a wide and comprehensive range of safeguards to protect the interests of the arrested person.