PRESS RELEASE
Brussels
19 September 2019
The European Council has just agreed to confirm Laura Codruța Kövesi as the newly-created European Chief Prosecutor. The role will see Kövesi head the new European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) having already received the backing of the European Parliament earlier this year.
Reacting to the outcome, the European Green Party co-chairs Monica Frassoni and Reinhard Bütikofer said:
“It is extremely encouraging to learn that Laura Codruța Kövesi has been confirmed to lead the European Public Prosecutor's Office to tackle crime and financial fraud.
“She has fought against the odds in Romania to bring in the scalps of the most corrupt politicians at the highest level at great risk to her career and personal safety. Her appointment sends out a clear message in the EU that corruption will not be tolerated regardless of social position or wealth and that applying the rule of law diligently will ultimately be rewarded.
“The abuse of EU funds due to corruption must be tracked down and penalised in order to bolster trust in the European project. As Greens, we congratulate Ms. Kövesi and pledge to work alongside her in combating corruption and fighting to maintain the rule of law wherever it is under threat.”
More info: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) will be an independent and decentralised prosecution office of the European Union, with the competence to investigate, prosecute and bring to judgment crimes against the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption or serious cross-border VAT fraud. Based in Luxembourg, it aims to become operational in 2020. So far 22 EU Member States have signed-up to the EPPO aside from a few notable exceptions, such as the UK, Poland and Hungary.
END
Paul Nolan
E paul.nolan@europeangreens.eu
M +32 475 94 69 81
T +32 2 626 07 26
European Green Party
Rue Wiertz 31, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
www.europeangreens.eu
