On Thursday 6 September, the members of the committees on civil liberties (LIBE) and budgetary control (CONT) and the European Commission reviewed the progress made in setting in place the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), which will be responsible for fighting fraud against European funds and VAT, by 2020.
The vice-chair of the CONT committee, Indrek Tarand (Greens/EFA, Estonia), set the tone early on in the meeting, announcing that a joint letter from the two parliamentary committees was currently being drafted, calling upon the Commission to increase the financial and human resources to be allocated to the EPPO, echoing concerns voiced previously (see EUROPE 11938).
“We have recently been made aware of concerns among others by participating member states that the resources currently foreseen for building up the EPPO might be unrealistically low”, he explained.
This is exacerbated by the recent announcement by Malta (see EUROPE 12077) and the Netherlands (see EUROPE 12075) that they will also come on board, which will mean that the available resources will have to be spread even more thinly between participating member states.
The proposed budget announced by the Commission in May provides for a total of €4.9 million, including financing for the personnel recruitment process, said Margarete Hofmann, Director of the European anti-fraud office.
She went on to stress that the impact of two extra new members had been duly assessed and that the MEPs' request would be examined carefully.
Commission communication expected next week
When asked by Nathalie Griesbeck (ALDE, France) about the current state of the Commission's reflections on the possibility of extending the EPPO's responsibilities to the fight against organised crime and terrorism (see EUROPE 11861), Peter Csonka, head of the Commission's criminal law unit, announced that a communication on the subject would be published next week.
“It will clarify the shortcomings and gaps in the current system and framework for the fight against cross-border terrorism in all member states, with a range of specific points that we are raising and on which the EPPO may indeed take us a step forward”, he said.
Next steps
On 31 July, the Commission sent the Council a list of 12 names to make up the panel responsible for selecting the head of the EPPO and the public prosecutors – including the Italian public prosecutor, Antonio Mura, who was put forward by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12031).
All being well, the ambassadors of the member states (Coreper) will examine the list on 12 September.
The vacancy notice for the post of Public Prosecutor-in-Chief has, moreover, been finalised and will be published in the Official Journal of the EU in the course of September.
Work is also progressing at the Council on the joint declaration with the European Parliament concerning this appointment. It is expected to state that “the candidate shall be able to complete a non-renewable term of seven years, before reaching retirement age, which is at the latest the last day of the month on which he reaches the age of 70”.
There is also progress to report concerning the headquarters of the EPPO, as Luxembourg has offered a building to host the new body free of charge, very close to the Court of Justice of the EU. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)