RSS
The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament validated the nomination of Laura Codruta Kovesi as the first European head prosecutor
The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament on Wednesday took the last step for the nomination of Laura Codruta Kovesi as the first European head-prosecutor announced on Facebook the Romanian MEPs Dacian Ciolos and Siegfried Muresan. ‘We have just left the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament where we took the last stop for the nomination of Laura Codruta Kovesi as the first European head prosecutors. We have decided together with the president of the parliament and with other presidents of the other political groups to validate he nomination of Mrs.Kovesi as head of the European Prosecutors’ office after the Council agreed to support her’ Dacian Ciolos wrote on his Facebook page.
‘It is an important and symbolic moment for Romania as the fight against fraud and corruption which affect the use of public funds of the European Union will be led by a Romanian for the next seven years. Congratulations, Laura Codruta Kovesi! You have the chance to build from starch the European Prosecutors’ Office (EPPO) and I am sure you will do it with competence and responsibility’ added in his post the leader of the group Renew Europe of the EP.
In his turn, the PNL MEP Siegfreid Muresan wrote on his Facebook account that the decision of Wednesday’ was the last stamp which Mrs. Kovesi needed and got it’ .
The Council of the European Union validated on Monday the nomination of the Romanian prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi as European head-prosecutor. The Office of the European Public Prosecutor (EPPO) which is expected to be operational at the end of 2020, will be an independent institution responsible with the investigation, criminal investigation and bringing to justice crime against the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption or transborderly fraud with VAT of over 10 million euro. The list of crime will be extended in the future to cover, for example, terrorism acts.
Until now, 22 member states joined the European Public Prosecutors’ Office.The five states which do not take part yet – Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Ireland and Denmark – will be able to join it any moment.
EPPO will have its headquarters in Luxembourg and will be made up of a head prosecutor and a college of prosecutors from all participant countries. They will coordinate the current investigations developed by the prosecutors delegated in each participant member state.
Codruta Kovesi, as first European head prosecutor will have a mandate of seven years which will mean especially the construction of the operational structure and administrative structure of EPPO and the establishment of good working relations with the national judicial authorities. ‘The council will monitor the creation of the office to ensure an efficient and effective
EPPO which will become a pillar of the fight against corruption and fraud with EU funds’ the Finnish minister of justice,Anna Maja Henriksson said, as president of the EU Council.