European Arrest Warrant Handbook

On 17 November 2023, the European Commission released a new edition of the handbook on how to issue and execute a European Arrest Warrant (EAW). The handbook was last issued in 2017.

Aimed at European legal practitioners, the handbook sums up the vast experience gained over the past more than 20 years of using the EAW in the European Union. It also provides a series of tips and recommendations to help legal practitioners when they issue or execute EAWs and it helps them through every step of the surrender procedure. This revised 2023 version also reflects the rapidly evolving CJEU case law on the EAW and the changes to the SIS system. It was drawn up following meetings with experts in the Member States and agencies and has been thoroughly reviewed by the Commission’s Legal Service.