| Author (Corporate) | Cardiff EDC (Compiler) |
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| Publication Date | 2019 |
| Content Type | Overview |
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Summary: Reports and analyses published throughout the process for selecting the first Chief Prosecutor of the European Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Further information: The European Chief Prosecutor is set to head the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), set up by Regulation (EU) 2017/1939. This is an independent office in charge of investigating, prosecuting and bringing to justice crimes against the budget of the European Union (EU). The Chief Prosecutor is jointly appointed by common accord, by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The EPPO team also features a College of Prosecutors from all participating countries. The shortlisted names to head the EPPO were Jean-François Bohnert (France), Andrés Ritter (Germany) and Laura Codruţa Kövesi (Romania). Mr Bohnert took an early lead by collecting the Council support, but later Ms Kövesi was selected as the preferred candidate by the Parliament. Media sources reported on the opposition of the Romanian government to Ms Kövesi's bid to lead the EU's Prosecutor Office. Due to the contrasting positions, the two institutions struggled to reach an agreement on the selected candidate. Due to the dispute between institutions - and the intervention of Romania's own government - discussions on the appointment of EPPO Chief Prosecutor were expected to resume once the new European Parliament composition was installed. Media sources reported that COREPER - the executive body of the Council of the European Union - voted on 19 September 2019 in favour of Laura Codruta Kovesi’s bid following a secret ballot. This secret ballot was an indicative vote, meant to be formalised once the negotiations with the European Parliament were concluded. These negotiations came to an end on 24 September and resulted in the formal appointment of Ms Kövesi as the first European Chief Prosecutor - confirmed by the Council of the European Union on 14 October and by the Parliament's Conference of Presidents on 17 October. |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Subject Tags | Corruption | Fraud | Mismanagement |
| Keywords | European Public Prosecutor's Office [EPPO] |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
