Bratislava, 08/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - With the issue already under discussion for three years, the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU said on Friday 8 July that it wanted to re-open certain aspects of the regulation creating the European Public Prosecutor - a tool intended to fight fraud in the European budget.
Slovakia has inherited an issue that “has changed substantially” in three years, as Slovakia's minister for justice, Lucia Zitnanska stated (EUROPE 11569, 11336). Many compromises have been reached and progress has been made but some “parts of the text will have to be reworked”, Zitnanska said. According to a source, this is not about specific chapters but about horizontal issues, such as the judicial review or relations with third countries.
Before going further in the direction of an agreement, which the Commission would like for the end of 2016, the Slovak Presidency said it intends to ask the Commission for a cost-benefit analysis for the European Public Prosecutor, as currently organised. After the Commission has provided this assessment, further direction will be given to the work.
Most member states believe that “we need an instrument against fraud”, Zitnanska said. She noted that “effectiveness” was “the word that came up most often” for the arrangement that is under preparation.
In the view of European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova, one of the difficulties to be resolved is convincing the finance ministers to include VAT fraud as one of the Public Prosecutor's prerogatives. The finance ministers have thus far refused to do this but Jourova said she is confident they “will understand” the importance of granting the Prosecutor this competence. Slovakia also believes that certain types of VAT fraud are better prosecuted at European rather than national level.
As work currently stands, the European Public Prosecutor will have a collegial organisation and prosecution competences will be shared between the European level and the national judicial authorities. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)