After four years of inter-institutional negotiations, the creation of a European prosecutor’s office entered the final stage of the decision-making process on Monday 25 September with an assessment of the draft recommendation for approval by the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee (LIBE).
Most MEPs said they were pleased with the draft Council regulation in its current wording, but regretted that it was not possible to reach unanimity for creation of the new structure to tackle fraud in European funds and cross-border VAT fraud (see EUROPE 11804). The MEPs urged the member states that have decided to shun enhanced cooperation (Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Malta) to join, preferably before the new structure is set up in 2020.
The rapporteur, Barbara Matera (EPP, Italy), said that perhaps they were being optimistic, but they felt that the judicial integration process is a precondition for true European integration. Silvia Kaufmann (S&D, Germany) said that the value-added of a European prosecutor’s office with only 20 member states would be limited. Belgian MEP Louis Michel (ALDE) said it was inconceivable for the EU budget, in other words taxpayers’ money, to receive different levels of protection from one member state to another.
Identified as the main beneficiaries of EU funds, Poland and Hungary found themselves the focus of criticism again. Gérard Deprez (ALDE, Belgium) suggested that the next negotiations of the EU’s multiannual financial framework should include a clause stipulating that the benefits of the Structural Funds are only accessible to parties that agree to be monitored by inspection institutions. German MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA) said that this appeal could also be made during the final approval of the text by the European Parliament in plenary.
The vote on the draft recommendation will take place in the LIBE committee on Thursday. The plenary vote is scheduled for 5 October. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)