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We will work on the basis of the laws governing the EPPO and enter into working agreements with non-participating countries, including Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland, he said.
We will investigate all crimes related to organized crime. And we do not need to have political backing, because the EPPO is an independent body. The prosecutors will be independent. This will be the role of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office: to investigate those in power and to use all legal means at their disposal to complete their investigations.
This was stated by the EU prosecutor №1 Laura Coveschi to the BBC.
– Almost a year after he was appointed as the first European Chief Prosecutor, he is trying to tackle many urgent problems that cost the EU billions of euros. What have you done so far?
– On November 1 I took office and started organizing my small team, initially dealing with administrative issues that needed to be clarified. To begin with, we have to appoint European prosecutors, prosecutors who will work with me here in Luxembourg. We also need prosecutors delegated by the member states of the European Union. These are the prosecutors who will work in your EU member states.
– Do you agree with me that the problem is very serious and needs to be addressed urgently? We are talking about the role of organized crime and the misuse of billions of dollars of agricultural and cohesion funds in various parts of the European Union. There are countries that are known for a terrible reputation, and he tells me that 9 months later he still hasn’t started working. That he is still working to solve administrative problems.
– You’re right. We need the EPPO a lot, but to start working on the cases, we have to build our institution. This means that we need internal regulations, the appointment of all prosecutors, and this is not a decision that only one person can make, it is a shared responsibility between the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council and the national authorities of each country. . participate in the creation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
– I ask you a simple question – do you think that in eradicating corruption, being an aggressive prosecutor, the goal justifies the means?
– No, throughout my professional career I have obeyed the laws and this is the only principle that I follow and that we all must comply with. We must respect the laws.
– All good. Now let me ask you one more thing: you are now taking a broader position than that of a Romanian prosecutor: an EU prosecutor who eradicates corruption. What kind of cooperation would you expect from a country like Hungary? It has clearly demonstrated its unwillingness to cooperate with you and participate in the European judicial system. Hungary, along with Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland, are reluctant to participate. They refused. And you, given all the accusations that European money is being used a lot in Hungary, how do you plan to work there?
– We will work on the basis of the laws governing the activities of the EPPO and we will enter into working agreements with countries that do not participate in it, including Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland. We will also negotiate with third parties. We have already started negotiations with Hungary and Poland and will continue to negotiate with the other non-participating countries. We will work on the basis of the tools that prosecutors have at our disposal for international cooperation.
– Let me ask you a more specific question: there was an OLAF investigation in Hungary, for the contractors of a public lighting project funded by a European program. There were many irregularities: it was won by a company very close to the Hungarian Prime Minister. But for OLAF, as you said, it is not in a position to carry out criminal investigations, and if similar abuses occur in Hungary in the future, will it be able to investigate them?
– We can investigate them if they involve member states of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, or if they are committed on the territory of another member state related to it. Otherwise, we will have to send all the information we have to Hungary.
– I wonder what has really changed: from the beginning of this interview he tells me that it is a great initiative of the EU, which has created a new institution to be able to seriously fight against corruption and fraud, but here that in after everything, everything is in the hands of the Member States. And all your strength comes from working with them; if they don’t, you can’t really function.
“It’s not like that”. We will receive the signals directly in Luxembourg, centrally. We have the opportunity to transfer the investigation from one country to another, and what is important is the quality, the professionalism of the European delegated prosecutors, with whom we will work in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. National authorities should select these prosecutors and propose them to the European Attorney General for appointment. But it is important to say that they will be independent in their actions. It is also important to emphasize that they will not be restricted within their national borders; for example, a prosecutor in Romania may call her colleagues in Luxembourg to ask for information or a document that they can give her. find it and provide it for use directly in the homeland. You do not have to go through any formalities. Everything will be much more efficient, much faster and in this way we will better protect European money.
– If you read for years the reports of Transparency International and other NGOs on corruption and organized crime, you will see that European money falls into the hands of extremely powerful criminal elements, gangsters and organized criminal groups, which in some countries are very close to power, These are the so-called oligarchs. Do you really think you have the strength and political support to limit the influence of these groups?
– Naturally, we will investigate all crimes related to organized crime. And we do not need to have political backing, because the EPPO is an independent body. The prosecutors will be independent. So we will do our job, we will strive to earn the trust of citizens and we will show that the law applies equally to everyone. This will be the role of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office: to investigate those in power and to use all legal means at their disposal to complete their investigations.
– In a recent interview you said – corruption destroys – don’t stop fighting it. But experience in the EU shows that eradicating billions of dollars worth of systemic corruption is an impossible task, no one has been able to deal with it until now.
“It is not impossible.” We have to do our job and fight. To eradicate corruption, to tackle financial crime, it is important not only to depend on the work of prosecutors. We must work as a team with other institutions, with national authorities, with society as a whole. After all, any citizen can be part of this battle and help the prosecutor win it.
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