The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament officially validated, on Thursday 7 March, the decision of the Committees on Civil Liberties (LIBE) and Budgetary Control (CONT) to support Romanian candidate Laura Codruţa Kovësi (see EUROPE 12203/7) as Head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
The chairmen of the political groups also made up the team of MEPs responsible for negotiating with the Council of the EU. LIBE Committee Chairman Claude Moraes (S&D, UK), Vice-Chairwoman Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) and CONT Committee Chair Ingeborg Grässle (EPP, Germany) were chosen to face the trio of Finnish, Croatian and Portuguese ambassadors, confirmed two parliamentary sources to EUROPE.
It was also decided that European Parliament President Antonio Tajani would send a letter to the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU stating very clearly the institution's position, "with a view to strengthening Parliament's mandate", one source explained.
The battle between the Romanian and French candidates, Jean-François Bohnert – selected by the EU Council (see EUROPE 12198/1) – can therefore officially begin.
The Romanian Minister of Justice, Tudorel Toader, has already started to shuffle his cards. In a letter published Wednesday in the Financial Times, he outlined his arguments against the appointment of Ms Kövesi.
“I have nothing personal against Laura Codruţa Kövesi”, he begins, adding, “but from all the evidence I have seen – from judges, prosecutors and other credible sources – she should not be appointed to this vitally important position”.
In particular, he refers to her dismissal from the Romanian Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and explains that she was not dismissed from office because her investigations were aimed at corrupt politicians, but because she broke the law. “Ms Kövesi's investigative strategy was based on coercion”, he wrote.
On Thursday, Ms Kövesi was summoned a second time by the Special Investigation Section on Judges in Romania. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana with Lucas Tripoteau)