Free Republic

A Luxembourg-based chief prosecutor, tasked with investigating EU budget-related fraud, will start work next year after getting final approval from the European Parliament on Thursday (5 October). The European Public Prosecutors Office, first envisioned in the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, will coordinate national law enforcement efforts with the European police and law agencies Europol and Eurojust, as well as the EU anti-fraud office OLAF. The prosecutor will have the power to coordinate police investigations, freeze and seize assets, and arrest suspects across borders. Until now, only national authorities could investigate and prosecute crimes such as intentional misuse of EU structural funds...

National parliaments opposed to creating an EU-wide prosecutor want the European Commission to rework its flagship proposal, but EU officials say it is likely to go ahead. Chambers in 11 national parliaments got enough votes to trigger a so-called “yellow card” procedure when they filed their complaints to Brussels earlier this week. They are against the creation of a new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), saying that national authorities or existing EU bodies, such as the OLAF anti-fraud agency or the joint judicial office, Eurojust, are sufficient. …

A majority of member states are said to back a proposal for a European public prosecutor after they failed to meet a deadline to submit counterarguments. Member state national parliaments had until Monday (28 October) midnight to submit any complaints or concerns on setting up a EU-wide prosecutor tasked to tackle fraud committed against the EU budget. … A minimum of nine member states is needed to launch the office. Monday’s missed deadline means 17 have now demonstrated tacit support with only 11 member states opposed. …

MEPs on the recently established anti-mafia committee and the European Commission have revived talk of creating an EU public prosecutor's office. French center-right deputy Veronique Mathieu—among others—proposed the initiative at a meeting of the anti-crime body in the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday (4 June). EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmström said it would be a "good idea," but added that it needs wider political backing. A parliament spokesman said that several member states are against it as things stand. The new EU office was first mooted in a comission study 12 years ago. It got a legal footing...