At least ten European Union countries have informed the United Kingdom that they will no longer extradite their citizens. This has been possible since Brexit, but Belgium has no plans to change anything.
The UK government has acknowledged that Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden have said that they “resort to constitutional rules to stop the extradition of their citizens to the United Kingdom”. That reports The Independent Friday. Austria and the Czech Republic will extradite only their citizens who agree to this.
As a result, British courts have no other choice but to attempt to prosecute wanted persons from those countries in domestic courts. Foreign criminals can also be entered into INTERPOL’s database, which could lead to their arrest if they leave their home country.
Belgium continues to extradite criminals
The fact that European Union countries are now refusing to extradite criminals to the UK has something to do with Brexit. Previously, the country was able to benefit from the European detention order system, which ensures a smooth handover between member states.
Mechanisms for extradition are also included in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement that the European Union and the United Kingdom agreed on regarding Brexit. However, these are subject to the constitutions of the member states.
In a response to our editorial team, the Ministry of Justice stated that “Member States that do not wish to surrender their nationals must submit a specific declaration to do so.” Belgium has not made such a statement and does not intend to do so. “
