Operations Launch at European Public Prosecutor's Office in Luxembourg

Tuesday 1 June 2021 marked the official launch of the work of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), a new body of the European Union (EU) based in Luxembourg.

To mark the occasion, Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, undertook a working visit to the Grand Duchy on Tuesday.

During her visit, the Commission Vice President met with Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, to take stock of issues related to respect for the rule of law and European Union (EU) values. Minister Jean Asselborn highlighted the importance that Luxembourg attaches to the application of the regulation on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union's budget.

Věra Jourová and Jean Asselborn also discussed the annual rule of law dialogue and the European Commission's annual report on the state of law situation in the EU. “Luxembourg believes that we must stand firm when it comes to protecting our values ​​and our fundamental rights. We must remain credible as a Union and we cannot tolerate the erosion of our values”, stressed Luxembourg's Foreign Minister.

The meeting also focused on the subject of the European Democracy Action Plan. Minister Jean Asselborn highlighted the impact that new technologies can have on the integrity of electoral campaigns, adding that Luxembourg supports any initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation and exchange between the EU Member States in order to combat this challenge. He also stressed the importance of integrating the aspects of press freedom and the safety of journalists in the action plan.

The Commission Vice President and Foreign Minister then addressed the institutional aspects of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Finally, Minister Jean Asselborn welcomed the official launch of operations at the EPPO. The Foreign Minister recalled that since the adoption of the founding regulation of the EPPO on 12 October 2017, Luxembourg has given its full support for the establishment of this important European body and assured Vice President Věra Jourová of the continued support of the Grand Duchy in line with its responsibilities as the seat of European institutions and international organisations.

In a joint statement, Vice President Věra Jourová, Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Commissioner Didier Reynders also welcomed the start of activities of the EPPO. They stated: "As of today, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is up and running. This opens a new chapter in fighting cross-border crime. The first supranational prosecution service is launching its operations to protect the EU taxpayer's money, competent to investigate and prosecute crimes like money laundering, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud".

"In 2019 alone, Member States reported fraud affecting €460 million of the EU budget. Such fraudulent activities have a direct impact on people's everyday lives, inflicting serious economic damage. This has to stop, all the more so because COVID-19 has deeply challenged our economies and we need every euro for the recovery", the statement continued. "Now, the European Public Prosecutor's Office steps in to strengthen the protection of the budget of the EU. It will observe the implementation of NextGenerationEU with an eagle eye to make sure funds will reach our economy and our citizens. €750 billion in loans and grants are at stake".

The Vice President and Commissioners concluded: "This newly created EU body is fully independent. It will prosecute and bring the suspected perpetrators of crimes to justice in the 22 participating EU Member States. Sweden has expressed its interest and is planning to join the EPPO in 2022. We encourage the four Member States that chose to stay out to join as well. Because crime knows no borders – we need to fight it together".