Rushed through Europe's institutions in the wake of 9/11, the European Arrest Warrant, a fast track extradition system, was meant to accommodate cross border cooperation in the fight against terror.
It quickly became the EU's flagship crimefighting tool, based on the principle of mutual recognition, which means that decisions in one EU member state will be carried out in all others.
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Matthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.
Matthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.