Brussels, 25/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 20 February, MEPs on the European Parliament's civil liberties committee decided on their negotiating position on the future European Prosecutor's Office which will investigate fraud in the EU budget. The MEPs want clarification of the powers to be given to the Prosecutor's Office and protection of defence rights.
This non-binding resolution, which the EP as a whole must endorse, was voted through by 34 votes to 7, with 1 abstention. It calls for further details about the respective roles of the European Prosecutor's Office and other European agencies, like OLAF and Eurojust. The resolution notes the need to have other binding criteria for choosing the courts competent to rule on cases and more details about investigative resources to be provided for the Prosecutor's Office, such as the right to seize objects or intercept communications.
In July 2013, the European Commission unveiled draft legislation to set up a European Prosecutor's Office for fraud in the EU budget, which leads to losses of €500 million a year, according to Commission figures. The European Prosecutor's Office would have one European prosecutor, assisted by four deputy prosecutors centrally and national prosecutors in each of the 28 member states. The legislation requires unanimous agreement from the Council of Ministers, but is currently being dealt with under the enhanced cooperation system. (SP/transl.fl)