L-R: Laura Codruta Kövesi, European Public Prosecutor; Prime Minister Xavier Bettel;
Credit: Prime Minister / Twitter
Today, Monday 9 March 2020, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, received Laura Codruta Kövesi, the first European Public Prosecutor, for a meeting at the Ministry of State.
Appointed the first European Public Prosecutor in October 2019, Laura Codruta Kövesi is in charge of organising the work of the future European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), an independent body responsible for combatting cross-border crime affecting the EU budget. It will be the first independent and decentralised parquet in the European Union (EU). The EPPO is expected to take office in late 2020 and will have its headquarters in Luxembourg.
The creation of the EPPO constitutes a major development in European integration: at present, only national authorities can carry out investigations and initiate prosecutions, but their powers stop at national borders and the tools at their disposal to tackle large-scale financial fraud in several countries are limited. The EPPO should thus be able to act quickly in cross-border cases, making the lengthy procedures for judicial cooperation unnecessary.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister explained: “It is also an important step towards the creation of a common area of criminal justice throughout the European Union. We need effective investigations and we cannot tolerate the EPPO being underfunded and understaffed. We must ensure that the European Public Prosecutor's Office has the resources - human and financial - to carry out this important work". To conclude the meeting, he added: “We are proud that Luxembourg has been chosen as the seat for this new institution. This strengthens Luxembourg's role as the European legal capital and clearly demonstrates our attachment to European values and the rule of law”.
