The United Kingdom could end up clashing with the European Union over a new proposed extradition treaty as trade talks resume this week.
The terms of the new treaty are set to be discussed during a crunch round of trade talks with Brussels set to start today.
The UK will request its courts hold more powers to decline EU extradition petitions than under the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system it must exit at the end of the year.
Warrants could be refused to prevent long waits for pre-trial detention, under the British proposal.
They could also be dismissed if the UK legal system estimates the cost of an arrest exceeds the severity of the crime.
The European Commission has demanded that EU courts have the power to dismiss UK extradition requests for people facing whole life sentences unless Britain conducts a review on the punishment either on request or, at the latest, 20 years after the verdict.
The Commission is also stating that judges could refuse extradition requests if they consider they are instigated by the person’s “sex, race, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, language, political opinions or sexual orientation.”
Prime Minister Johnson is set to attend the last round before appearing at a June “high level meeting” with EU leaders.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “In relation to the level-playing field the EU has insisted on including a set of novel and unbalanced proposals which would bind the UK to EU law or standards or impose control over our domestic legal regimes,
“As soon as the EU recognises that we will not conclude an agreement on that basis, we will be able to make progress.”
“The safety and security of our citizens is the government’s top priority, which is why we have said the agreement with the EU should provide for fast-track extradition arrangements,” a UK spokesman said.
British officials are seeking an agreement styled after the EU’s 2019 accords with Norway and Iceland, however, they would like safeguards that were not included in the EAW system.
An EU source said: “A lot of this is to do with procedural guarantees,
“Obviously the UK’s refusal to recognise the role of the European Court of Justice limits the level of ambition of our future partnership.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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