This factsheet focuses on the European arrest warrant and EU Member States obligations to respect fundamental rights. EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights sometimes overlap. The publication clarifies where there are similar principles in different legislation and provides examples of case law. In collaboration, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights produced this short publication. It is designed to aid lawyers and policymakers in understanding and applying the jurisprudence in this area. The August 2025 version now contains recent case-law developments.

This factsheet focuses on the European arrest warrant and EU Member States obligations to respect fundamental rights. EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights sometimes overlap. The publication clarifies where there are similar principles in different legislation and provides examples of case law. In collaboration, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights produced this short publication. It is designed to aid lawyers and policymakers in understanding and applying the jurisprudence in this area. The 2025 version now contains recent case-law developments.

This factsheet focuses on the European arrest warrant and EU Member States obligations to respect fundamental rights. EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights sometimes overlap. The publication clarifies where there are similar principles in different legislation and provides examples of case law. In collaboration, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights produced this short publication. It is designed to aid lawyers and policymakers in understanding and applying the jurisprudence in this area.

La présente fiche thématique a été préparée par le Greffe de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme (« Cour EDH ») et l’Agence des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne dans le cadre d’une collaboration visant à présenter la jurisprudence dans des domaines choisis dans lesquels le droit de l’Union européenne et de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme (« CEDH » ou « Convention EDH ») interagissent.

The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) allows Member States to implement judicial decisions issued in another Member State. It applies to decisions such as arrests for the purpose of criminal prosecutions or the execution of custodial sentences. After being in force for over 20 years, FRA’s findings provide evidence for an assessment of the legislation in practice. This report looks at the fundamental rights challenges that people face who are requested through an EAW. It provides a unique insight into their experiences and those of the professionals involved. FRA’s findings indicate that shared challenges exist across EU Member States. They must increase efforts to ensure that people are able to take part in criminal proceedings and receive a fair trial.

Der Zugang zur Justiz ist ein bedeutendes Element der Rechtsstaatlichkeit. Einzelne erhalten so die
Möglichkeit, sich gegen eine Verletzung ihrer Rechte zu schützen, im Falle unerlaubter Handlungen
Rechtsbehelfe geltend zu machen, die Exekutive zur Verantwortung zu ziehen und sich selbst in
Strafsachen zu verteidigen. Dieses Handbuch fasst die zentralen Grundsätze des europäischen
Rechts im Bereich des Zugangs zur Justiz zusammen.

Access to justice is an important element of the rule of law. It enables individuals to protect themselves against infringements of their rights, to remedy civil wrongs, to hold executive power accountable and to defend themselves in criminal proceedings. This handbook summarises the key European legal principles in the area of access to justice, focusing on civil and criminal law.

L’accès à la justice est un élément important de l’État de droit. Il permet aux individus de se protéger
contre toute atteinte à leurs droits, d’introduire des recours contre les fautes civiles, de demander au
pouvoir exécutif de rendre des comptes et de se défendre dans les procédures pénales. Ce manuel
résume les grands principes juridiques européens en matière d’accès à la justice, en s’intéressant
plus particulièrement au droit civil et au droit pénal.

This opinion underlines the importance of drawing on existing data and information in any assessment of the values in Article 2 TEU, and outlines how this could be done.

The proposal to establish a possible legislative instrument supplementing the existing European Criminal Records Information System with information on third-country nationals convicted in the EU raises a number of fundamental rights issues.

The proposal to establish a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), mandated to prosecute crimes against the financial interests of the European Union, raises a number of fundamental rights issues.

In relation to the European Commission proposal for a Directive on the freezing and confiscation of proceeds of crime in the European Union, the European Parliament requested advice from FRA on the extent to which confiscation of proceeds of crime could go without breaching fundamental rights.