EAW law

Amendments to Lex Perkovic added to parliament's agenda

27.09.2013 u 14:15

Bionic
Reading

The government-sponsored draft amendments to the law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with EU member countries - the so-called Lex Perkovic - have been added to the agenda of the ongoing parliament session on Friday.

The amendments will enable full application of the European Arrest Warrant, including application to crimes committed before 7 August 2002.

Three days prior to its joining the European Union, Croatia amended the law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with EU member countries, envisaging the application of the EAW only to crimes committed after 7 August 2002.

The amendments labelled Lex Perkovic caused a dispute with the European Commission which said that putting a time limit on the application of the EAW was a possibility only in the process of adopting the EU acquis communautaire. The Commission also said that Croatia could have asked for a time limit during its EU entry talks but it did not.

New amendments to Lex Perkovic, which are to go into force on 1 January 2014 at the latest, will be discussed in parliament next week.