European Protection for European Money

Today, the European Parliament gave the green light for enhanced cooperation between 20 Member States for the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). Viviane Reding, then Vice-President of the European Commission tasked with the development of a truly European area of Justice, launched the proposal already back in 2013.

She commented: “Year on year, billions of euros of European tax-payers’ money are lost to cross-border fraud. Yet, impunity reigns, as fraudsters all too often elude prosecution due to a lack of cooperation between national authorities. No longer. The EPPO will put an end to this outrageous situation: our European budget finally gets the European protection it deserves. I am proud that the EPPO will soon take up its duties from its seat in Luxembourg, and I want to seize the occasion to personally commend the ground-breaking work of former French justice minister Robert Badinter, whose intellectual and political contribution was instrumental in paving the way towards the EPPO. I congratulate the 20 Member States who have taken this courageous step forward – may the others join them soon. Every European citizen deserves equal protection for his or her tax-money.”

She added: “On this file it took four years of protracted negotiations to realize that unanimity among 28 Member States was pie in the sky; whereas it took only four months for a dedicated group of Member States to strike a final enhanced cooperation deal. The EPPO is the embodiment of a Europe that can progress when a group of ambitious Member States pushes forward in the common interest.” Looking towards the future, she added: “I would now like to see this ambition furthered by extending the EPPO's competences to areas of serious cross-border crime and terrorism. The window of opportunity is open, the Treaty allows it, and our current security-situation demands it!"