During the plenary session (23-24 June 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on the urgent need to complete the procedures for nominations for the full functioning of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Opening statements by Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU and Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice. On 26 May 2021, the Commission adopted its Implementing Decision determining the date on which the European Public Prosecutor’s Office assumes its investigative and prosecutorial tasks. 1 June 2021 Is the starting date of the operational activities of the EPPO that will operate as an independent and decentralised office of the EU, 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. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

debate

plenary session

REYNDERS, Didier (BE, EC)

European Public Prosecutor's Office (T)

ZACARIAS, Ana Paula (PT)

Urgent need to complete the procedures for nominations for the full functioning of the European Public Prosecutor's Office: opening statements by Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU and Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/3102304/I207911Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, Thank you very much. Madam President, dear commissioner Reinders, honourable members. Thank you for inviting the council to take the floor on this very important and urgent topic. First of all, let me emphasise that the European public prosecutor's office is a great achievement from the EU, its institutions, its member states and its citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, A solid, well functioning EPPO will play a key role in protecting the financial interests of the union and in ensuring the EU trust of the taxpayers. This especially relevant in a moment when with the next generation instruments, the Union will allocate substantial financial resources to relaunch the economies of the member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, The Council welcomes the fact that the EPPO started its operational activities on June 1st. This was a joint endeavour of our three institutions and was celebrated on the occasion of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on the June seven and eight with the participation of the European chief prosecutor.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, The Council has successfully completed all the activities mandated by the EPPO regulation for the establishment of the office, notably the appointment of the 22 European prosecutors in July 2020.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, Supporting the establishment of the EPPO has been amongst the priorities of the Portuguese presidency, and this is why we discussed the setting up of the EPPO at each of our Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings this year, including in March and June, when the need for member states to take the necessary national measures was thoroughly emphasised, according to the EPPO regulation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, Member states should nominate European delegated prosecutors on the basis of the relevant national applicable rules. The Commission is in this case, of course, responsible for monitoring where the EU laws are applied correctly and timely.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, Finally, I wish to draw your attention to the other ongoing work necessary for the full functioning of the EPPO in particular to the issue of the EPOs relation with third countries and international organisations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, In this context, special focus is being given to ensure that all participating member states notify the EPPO as competent judicial authority in relation to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Council of the EU, In this field, work is expected to continue on proposals that the commission will submit soon. In a nutshell, the Council strongly supports the establishment and functioning of the EPPO and will continue to do so within its mandate.

SOUNDBITE (French), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Thank you very much, Mr. President, Minister. Ladies and gentlemen, the first of January in Luxembourg, we celebrated at the beginning of the operation of the European public prosecutor's office. I do not hesitate to say that this was a highlight of European history.

SOUNDBITE (French), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, No doubt a historical moment, given that we are now launching Next Generation Europe, the EPPO is going to be very important in order to protect the budget to the benefit of the citizens, companies and the governments of Europe. I would like to thank the European Parliament for its unwavering support for this project and of our efforts.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, As any new body. DPR will need some time to be fully operational, and the Commission is committed to providing it with all the necessary support. In order to achieve its crucial missions, the EPPO needs, in particular, the European delegate prosecutors to be in place in all the participating member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, This delegate prosecutors are the cornerstone of the EPPO. They will investigate and prosecute cases under the control of the central office. They will ensure that the EPPO is duly represented before national courts. Unfortunately, some participating member states have been let in nominating their delegate prosecutors or some of them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, The Commission regrets the EPPO to start its activities with no delegate prosecutors at all in two member states, namely Finland and Slovenia. We have repeatedly reminded member states that the delegate prosecutors had to be appointed as a matter of the utmost urgency.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, In my numerous exchanges with the ministers of justice, I have repeatedly called on them to give this matter absolute priority. I'm pleased to report that most of the European delegate prosecutors are now in place. I'm so happy that an agreement has just been concluded with Finland so that the Finnish delegate prosecutors can join soon as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, The Commission will continue to do his best, best to urge the large member states to transmit the name of the remaining candidates to EPPO. Indeed, some member states, in fact, seven transmitted the names of only some delegate prosecutors before EPPO began its activities, but not of all of them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, The Commission is, however, concerned with the failure to nominate European delegate prosecutors in Slovenia, which raised concerns that the national president has not been properly followed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, In December last year, the state prosecutorial Council submitted the names of two candidates to the Slovenian minister of Justice. But the government has not put the item on the agenda of its sessions, despite a legal obligation to only take note and transmit the names to Japan public prosecutor's office.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, On 27th of May, the government declared the selection procedures as unsuccessful and instructed the Minister of Justice to publish a new vacancy. The Commission is following the situation in Slovenia very closely. I have contacted the newly appointed Minister of Justice and already expressed my concerns.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Actually, just today I sent a letter to the new minister expressing my concerns and requiring clarifications. One thing is clear the procedures to nominate and delegate prosecutors should be fully transparent. For this reason, I request further further information on the decision of the Slovenian government to annul the previous procedure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, And I'm waiting for the reply of the Slovenian authorities. In accordance with the EEPO regulation, each participating member state has an obligation to nominate the number of delegate prosecutors agreed with the chief prosecutor.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Let me rassure you that the Commission will take all the appropriate measures to ensure that all the delegate prosecutors will be in place as soon as possible. We will also make sure that the EPPO will function well and that national legislations allow the full functioning of the people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, We are currently evaluating all these legislations and will not hesitate to take all appropriate measures if we see that they are legal obstacles. We will have an evaluation of the implementing legislations and the functioning of the system after the summer with the EPPO to see if there are some needs to take new contact with the member states to amend efficiently the different legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, And now we are pushing Quercia to have the last implementing legislations into member states in addition to have a full functioning EPPO. We need to give to the EPPO also the right instruments. And before the parliament, I'm notably thinking to access to electronic evidence of so-called E evidence.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, Commission's proposals for regulation and the directive are currently in trialogue and on which we really need to find an agreement soon, not only for a good functioning of the national justice system, but also for a good functioning of the European public prosecutor's office.

SOUNDBITE (English), Didier REYNDERS, European Commissioner for Justice, I thank you for your support for the EPPO. I hope that we will have the same support for the new instruments like the evidence needed for the EPPO. And I'm now looking forward to listen to you, knowing that you have given us support since the beginning to such a new body. Thank you.