European public prosecutor
European Parliament calls for higher legal standards
The European Parliament today voted by a large majority to adopt the interim report on the European Commission proposal for a European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Commenting on the vote, Jan Philipp Albrecht, Greens/EFA spokesperson on justice and home affairs, stated:
"The European Parliament's interim report sends a clear signal to EU governments on the importance of establishing of a European Public Prosecutor's Office. The EU prosecutor cannot be allowed to act unilaterally: any decision on, for example, the choice of jurisdiction or on indictment or the closure of a case must first be reviewed by a court. The report also highlights the importance of ensuring uniform and consistent rights for defendants so legal standards cannot be circumvented by picking and choosing the legal regime most favourable to a case.
"Today's vote also underlines that creating a European public prosecutor's will step up the fight against fraud involving EU taxpayers' money. According to European Commission estimates, the annual cost to EU taxpayers of fraud with EU subsidies exceeds 500 million euros. An effective European Public Prosecutor is crucial for tackling this problem."
