The aim of this chapter is to cast light on the interplay between mutual recognition and fundamental rights in Europe’s area of criminal justice. Focusing particularly on the framework decision on the European arrest warrant, the chapter begins by placing the application of the principle of mutual recognition within the context of the objective of effective interstate cooperation in criminal matters. The chapter then examines the extent to which fundamental rights have emerged as a limit on automatic mutual recognition both in secondary EU law and in the case law of the CJEU. The chapter analyses the extent to which harmonisation of fundamental rights in EU secondary law can provide a basis for enhancing mutual trust and thus facilitate the operation of mutual recognition in criminal matters. In this manner, the chapter assesses the extent to which EU law has moved from ‘blind’ to 'earned' trust in Europe’s area of criminal justice.