EU Council confirms Romanian as first European chief prosecutor

The EU Council agreed on October 14 to the appointment of Romanian Laura Codruţa Kövesi to be the first European chief prosecutor, the institution announced.

The appointment must now also be confirmed by the European Parliament.

A former head of Romania’s Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Kövesi will organize the work of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and represent the Office in contacts with EU institutions, member states and third countries. She will be assisted by two deputies and will chair the college of prosecutors, which will be in charge of defining the strategy and internal rules and ensuring coherence across and within cases.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be an independent body of the Union responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the Union, such as fraud, corruption, cross-border VAT fraud above EUR 10 million. In that respect the EPPO will undertake investigations, and carry out acts of prosecution and exercise the functions of prosecutor in the competent courts of the member states.

“Ms Kövesi, as the first ever incumbent of this post, will have the task of setting up the EPPO from scratch. Her job over the 7 years of her mandate will in particular consist in building the administrative and operational structure of the office and establishing good working relations with national judiciary authorities. The Council will continue monitor the setting up of the office to ensure we have an efficient and effective EPPO that becomes the cornerstone of our fight against fraud and corruption to the EU finances,” Anna-Maja Henriksson, minister of Justice from the Finnish presidency of the EU Council, said.

The EPPO is expected to start its operation in November 2020. It will be based in Luxembourg.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)