ABSTRACT
The Council Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) of 2002 introduced a measure that simplified the extradition procedures based on international conventions which were previously in force in the EU. The Framework Decision is often referred to as the ‘cornerstone’ of judicial collaboration in the EU because it implements two fundamental principles: of mutual recognition and mutual trust. The EAW procedure shifted the competence to make extradition decisions from the political to the legal arena. In Poland, EAW cases are dealt with by first-instance regional courts, of which there are 46. Approximately 2.5 million criminal cases are filed in Polish courts annually. Efficiency indicators depend largely on the issue authors are trying to measure. They used three indicators to measure the efficiency of the EAW: the speed of the judgements issued, the accuracy of the judgements issued, and the costs of issuing and executing the EAW.
