Q&A: European Arrest Warrant

The UK government wants to claw back some EU powers over justice and policing, but is likely to remain in the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system.

The EAW is widely seen to have speeded up extradition proceedings in the EU, but there is also pressure to fix shortcomings in the system.

What is the EAW?

How much faster are extradition proceedings now?

How many EAWs are issued and how many suspects handed over?

What are the arguments for EAWs?

What are the criticisms of EAWs?

Can a country refuse to execute an EAW?