Competing request

Republic of Austria

Austria - Federal law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with the Member States of the European Union (EN/DE) 2004 (2020)

Chapter II
European Arrest Warrant and Surrender Procedures between Member States

Part Three
Procedure for Approval of Surrender

European Arrest Warrants by Several Member States
§ 22. (1) If two or several Member States request the execution of a European arrest warrant against one and the same person, the court shall take a decision, considering all circumstances, which European arrest warrant shall be given priority. These circumstances shall include, in particular, the gravity of the act, the place of the offence, the time at which the European arrest warrant was issued, as well as the circumstance whether the arrest warrant was issued for conducting criminal prosecution or for enforcing a custodial sentence or a preventive measure involving deprivation of liberty. An opinion by Euro-just may be obtained prior to taking a decision.

Chapter II
European Arrest Warrant and Surrender Procedures between Member States

Part Three
Procedure for Approval of Surrender

Coincidence of a European Arrest Warrant and a Request for Extradition
§ 23. (1) If one European arrest warrant and at least one request for extradition by a third country are received, the Federal Minister of Justice shall decide, after considering all circumstances pursuant to § 22 (1) and on the basis of the applicable agreements under international law, whether the European arrest warrant or the request for extradition shall take precedence.

Chapter II
European Arrest Warrant and Surrender Procedures between Member States

Part Four
Obtaining the Execution of a European Arrest Warrant

Speciality and Further Surrender or Further Transit
§ 31. (6) If a third country requests the extradition of the surrendered person, the court, upon application by the public prosecutor, shall always request the executing judicial authority for its consent to this further surrender, unless the consent of the executing State is deemed to have been granted pursuant to para. 7. The court shall make this request before submitting the files to the Federal Minister of Justice pursuant to § 32 para. 4 of the ARHG, or before taking a decision pursuant to § 31 of the ARHG. The request shall comprise copies of the extradition documents of the third country, as well as a court record drawn up with the person concerned on that person’s statements in relation to the request for extradition.

Rome Statute

Article 90 Competing requests

1. A State Party which receives a request from the Court for the surrender of a person under article 89 shall, if it also receives a request from any other State for the extradition of the same person for the same conduct which forms the basis of the crime for which the Court seeks the person's surrender, notify the Court and the requesting State of that fact.

2. Where the requesting State is a State Party, the requested State shall give priority to the request from the Court if:

(a) The Court has, pursuant to article 18 or 19, made a determination that the case in respect of which surrender is sought is admissible and that determination takes into account the investigation or prosecution conducted by the requesting State in respect of its request for extradition; or

(b) The Court makes the determination described in subparagraph (a) pursuant to the requested State's notification under paragraph 1.

3. Where a determination under paragraph 2 (a) has not been made, the requested State may, at its discretion, pending the determination of the Court under paragraph 2 (b), proceed to deal with the request for extradition from the requesting State but shall not extradite the person until the Court has determined that the case is inadmissible. The Court's determination shall be made on an expedited basis.

4. If the requesting State is a State not Party to this Statute the requested State, if it is not under an international obligation to extradite the person to the requesting State, shall give priority to the request for surrender from the Court, if the Court has determined that the case is admissible.

5. Where a case under paragraph 4 has not been determined to be admissible by the Court, the requested State may, at its discretion, proceed to deal with the request for extradition from the requesting State.

6. In cases where paragraph 4 applies except that the requested State is under an existing international obligation to extradite the person to the requesting State not Party to this Statute, the requested State shall determine whether to surrender the person to the Court or extradite the person to the requesting State. In making its decision, the requested State shall consider all the relevant factors, including but not limited to:

(a) The respective dates of the requests;

(b) The interests of the requesting State including, where relevant, whether the crime was committed in its territory and the nationality of the victims and of the person sought; and

(c) The possibility of subsequent surrender between the Court and the requesting State.

7. Where a State Party which receives a request from the Court for the surrender of a person also receives a request from any State for the extradition of the same person for conduct other than that which constitutes the crime for which the Court seeks the person's surrender:

(a) The requested State shall, if it is not under an existing international obligation to extradite the person to the requesting State, give priority to the request from the Court;

(b) The requested State shall, if it is under an existing international obligation to extradite the person to the requesting State, determine whether to surrender the person to the Court or to extradite the person to the requesting State. In making its decision, the requested State shall consider all the relevant factors, including but not limited to those set out in paragraph 6, but shall give special consideration to the relative nature and gravity of the conduct in question.

Where pursuant to a notification under this article, the Court has determined a case to be inadmissible, and subsequently extradition to the requesting State is refused, the requested State shall notify the Court of this decision.