The European Commission has officially confirmed that the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) will start working from June 1.
According to “EUR News”, this is stated in a statement on the EC website.
“We are already at the finish line: we are about to open the first-ever independent EU office to investigate and prosecute crimes related to the EU budget. From June 1, European prosecutors, under the strong leadership of Laura Kovesi, will prosecute criminals and ensure that not a single euro is spent on corruption or fraud, “ said Vera Jurova, Vice-President of the European Commission.
The European Prosecutor’s Office will be responsible for investigating criminal cases and prosecuting crimes against the EU budget. This is the first supranational prosecutor’s office.
It will investigate fraud related to expenses and income; VAT-related fraud (if it involves two or more Member states and is estimated at a minimum of 10 million euros); money laundering resulting from defrauding the EU budget; active and passive corruption or embezzlement affecting the financial interests of the EU;
This new Union body can also investigate and prosecute any other illegal activity that is “inextricably linked” to an offense against the EU budget.
The EPPO will conduct its investigations independently of the European Commission, other EU institutions and bodies, as well as member states. The Prosecutor’s Office is expected to investigate approximately 3,000 cases a year.
In the current structure, 22 EU member states participate in enhanced cooperation. The Prosecutor’s Office, headed by the Romanian Laura Covesi, has an office in Luxembourg, which consists of one European Prosecutor for each State party and other staff. In addition, delegated European prosecutors in the Member States are an integral part of the independent body.
