At a joint meeting on Tuesday 9 April of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) and Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), Laura Kövesi, the European Chief Prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, presented EPPO’s Annual Report 2023.
Ms Kövesi detailed some alarming figures, but they are indicative of the growing effectiveness of the judicial body. Since launching its activities two and a half years ago, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched more than 190 active investigations, involving more than €90 million. She referred in particular to the projects financed by ‘NextGenerationEU’ (see EUROPE 13384/25), with around €1.8 billion under surveillance, highlighting the scale of the fraud affecting the European budget.
Fighting “white-collar” crime
Laura Kövesi stressed the importance of combating VAT fraud and customs irregularities in order to protect Europe’s public finances. She highlighted the inadequacy of fraud detection and reporting systems, a gap that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is working to fill.
The Chief Prosecutor also deplored the involvement of organised crime networks in complex fraud schemes, underlining their direct impact on the European Union’s internal security.
The 2023 annual report highlighted the importance of effectively combating VAT fraud and customs irregularities, which are essential to securing the EU’s public finances. Ms Kövesi criticised the fraud detection and reporting system as inadequate: “The scale of fraud affecting the European budget has been severely underestimated”, she said, signalling the urgent need for improvements.
For the European Chief Prosecutor, “these are not two separate wars: on the one hand, trafficking in human beings and drugs and, on the other, white-collar criminals, who are less dangerous and who launder money. No, the two go hand in hand.”
In response to the obstacles encountered, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking to strengthen cooperation with the Member States and the European institutions. “It would be good to have greater harmonisation at European Union level in every respect for all the legislation involved”, said Laura Kövesi, who also called for an increase in fraud detection and reporting capabilities. She also affirmed the need for greater transparency and efficiency in the management of European funds, particularly in countries with large ports and airports, where the risk of fraud is significant.
A vision for the future
According to Ms Kövesi, the fight against financial crime is not limited to prosecution. It is also about preventing fraud and corruption to ensure that European resources truly serve EU citizens. The aim is to achieve tangible justice, thereby strengthening Europeans’ sense of security and confidence in their institutions. “Our aim is to put the European Commission in a position where it can raise more money that has been the case until now”, she explained.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/b3v (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)