madam president no one can deny the positive impact the european arrest warrant has had on cross-border crime
it has so far contributed to the extradition of almost twelve zero drug smugglers child sex offenders rapists and terrorists and has avoided lengthy extradition procedures in the process
the speed of this tool has been invaluable given the freedom to cross borders and increases in cross-border crime
however what this tool was never intended for was to investigate and punish petty crimes such as the theft of a pig stealing a chocolate bar or exceeding a bank overdraft limit
what you see today is a rare occurrence here
nearly all political groups and all nationalities collected here are saying that now is the time to review re-evaluate and if necessary amend
proportionality protection and redress are the key to reforming this tool
we are now currently working on the european investigation order a partner to the european arrest warrant
it is essential that we do not make the same mistakes again
we must draft this new legislation with a clear working memory as to the flaws and obstacles of the european arrest warrant
there have been simply too many examples of substandard conditions for prisoners too many misplaced warrants and too great a lack of redress for those who have been victims of errors
i fear that we are moving forwards with the eio whilst its very foundations and the european arrest warrant on which it is based are decidedly shaky
we need to rebuild the trust in and value of this tool and reserve it for only the most serious of crimes whilst guaranteeing and maintaining the highest of standards in its use
