EU arrest warrant likely to provoke heated debate
The Czech parliament is preparing for a heated debate on the adoption of a European arrest warrant in this country. The measure is intended to help counteract terrorism and organised crime, and is also necessary for EU membership. Nevertheless, because the implementation of a European arrest warrant requires countries to change their own national legislation, some people fear that it will lead to a loss of sovereignty.
The introduction of a universal European arrest warrant has been official EU policy for some time. This warrant would be enforceable in any member country, regardless of where it was issued, and it is intended to counteract problems that may arise as a result of people having greater freedom of movement throughout the European Union. The warrant aims to prevent people from committing a crime in one country, and then avoiding arrest by escaping to another jurisdiction.
Although the introduction of a European warrant is one of the Czech Republic's EU membership requirements, many such as former Civic Democrat MP and previous Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Jiri Payne, are sceptical about its validity:
"In fact, I have a lot of questions about it. First, a European arrest warrant is an attempt to solve problems that we never would have had without European integration. And Europe is trying to solve [these problems] very, very late. After all, how long have the borders in the Shengen area been open? Up to now, no one has [dealt with this issue]. Second, I have a lot of questions about human rights, because we are giving very strong powers to European institutions. What control is there over these institutions?
The fear that the country may be giving up some of its sovereignty is indeed the biggest problem that many have with the introduction of an EU arrest warrant. In the run-up to the last parliamentary election, the then Chairman of the Civic Democrats, Vaclav Klaus, even suggested that it could lead to German police coming here to arrest Czech citizens on Czech territory.
Miloslav Ransdorf, Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party, is in favour of the warrant and believes that fears concerning sovereignty are unfounded:
"It is not a loss of Czech sovereignty, but shared sovereignty, and shared sovereignty is the very basis of the process of European integration. Organised crime is now a worldwide phenomenon. It is moving across borders so it is necessary to organise a defence against this crime - at least on a European level. So it is a very good step forward indeed."
Mr Payne, however, does not think an EU arrest warrant is necessary to fight organised crime and terrorism:
"I know that we have relatively strong cooperation in this area with the United States, and we can cooperate without being politically integrated. It needs only bilateral governmental agreements. If European countries are ready to cooperate, it's possible to prepare some European regulation, not just in the EU but common [to all of Europe], including Switzerland, Croatia, and all European countries. That would be helpful..."
Although the government is sponsoring a bill for the introduction of a European arrest warrant here, it is expected to have a rough ride through parliament. Because introducing the warrant would require a change to the Czech Charter of Rights and Liberties, the bill requires at least 120 votes from 200 parliamentary deputies to be passed. Even if the bill is accepted, it is likely that it could then face a challenge in the Constitutional Court before being ratified.
