Time.news – From tomorrow the European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be operational. The new body intended to combat fraud on EU funds comes to life after a few months of delay but in time to monitor the use of the billions of euros of the Recovery Fund that are about to be distributed. Its launch was not without a hitch. Initially scheduled for late 2020, it was postponed notably because the 22 participating States were late in appointing their delegated prosecutors. Two haven’t done so yet: Slovenia e Finland.
The European Attorney General’s Office – Eppo in English -, led by the former head of the Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Kovesi, will work “in complete independence from the Commission, from other EU institutions and bodies, as well as from the Member States”.
The skills
The supranational body has the task of investigating, but also prosecuting and bringing to justice those responsible for crimes affecting the EU budget. An unprecedented power, which theEuropean Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) he did not have. These are crimes of embezzlement of European funds and corruption, cross-border VAT fraud involving at least two Member States and amounts exceeding 10 million euros, money laundering. For the suns cross-border VAT fraud, the EU estimates a they damage between 30 and 60 billion euros annually. For the other crimes, the estimates are around 500 million euros per year. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office plans to treat about 3,000 cases per year.
The composition
The Eppo consists of a central level, based in Luxembourg. At the top, Laura Kovesi surrounded by a boarding school of 22 prosecutors, one per participating State. Of the 27 EU countries, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark are not interested parties. Prosecutors were sworn in in September and are responsible for overseeing investigations and prosecutions. The activities are carried out on the ground by the deputy prosecutors in the Member States.
Operation
So far, 88 deputy prosecutors have been appointed in 20 countries, which is sufficient for the start of the works. There are four in France. Fifteen in Italy. In Germany there are eleven. They can act throughout the national territory, organize the seizure of assets, issue arrest warrants, initiate proceedings.
The reasons for creation
Countries have difficulty investigating cross-border crime. To obtain information from other states, they must make letters rogatory, which sometimes take weeks, when they are successful. Steps no longer necessary with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. “We can simply make a phone call or send an email to our colleague in Slovakia or Italy“, explains the German deputy prosecutor, Marcus Paintinger.” It is a great added value. “And it becomes fundamental in light of the start of the gigantic recovery plan worth 750 billion euros and who will need to be vigilant to avoid fraud. The accusation” will follow. very closely the implementation of the Next Generation Eu in order to ensure that all funds are used to help our economies overcome the crisis, “said the European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.
.