Newton Dunn (ELDR). – Thank you for the reply, Commissioner, which sounds encouraging. I am aware of what a terrible minefield this proposal is going to be. Take the example of the arrest warrant, which all the Member States have ratified but only eight have transposed into national law. It is going to be very difficult to get this proposal through, but you have the backing of our committee.

Two big obstacles lie ahead of you. There is a problem of mutual recognition versus standardisation. Standardisation would be better, but mutual recognition is the easier approach. How are you going to achieve that and ensure it works when there is the European Convention on Human Rights, and every smart lawyer will immediately say that he does not recognise somebody else's ability to pass judgement and is going to appeal to Strasbourg? How are you going to make this work in practice? It is going to be very difficult and I look forward to receiving some reassurance from you.