On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for the financial year 2023

PA_NonLegDec

OPINION

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

1. Notes that, compared with 2022, the caseload of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) almost doubled in 2023, reaching up to 1 927 active investigations; commends the fruitful activities of the EPPO in 2023, which included 139 indictments, 339 VAT-related cases and over 200 investigations on the implementation of NextGenerationEU;

2. Welcomes the increase in appropriations for the EPPO’s budget in 2023, amounting to EUR 64,6 million in total, which allowed for an 11 % increase in staff in that year; acknowledges that the acceleration of the disbursement of NextGenerationEU funding and the increase in the EPPO’s membership are projected to put further strain on the EPPO’s resources; underlines the importance of additional funding for the EPPO’s budget in order for it to have the necessary means to carry out its tasks;

3. Acknowledges the importance of taking a holistic approach to combating white-collar crime, such as fraud and corruption, and more conventional types of crime, such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, as they are often linked; recalls the fact that, in its upcoming evaluation report, the Commission should carefully analyse whether and to which categories of crimes the EPPO’s mandate needs to be extended in order for it to be best equipped to fulfil its role;

4. Underlines the essential role of asset recovery in the creation of a credible deterrent to organised crime; welcomes the EPPO’s participation in international networks to advance its asset recovery operations further; stresses the need for the Commission to invite the EPPO to participate in the newly created cooperation network on asset recovery and confiscation; notes that the timely and effective investigation and prosecution of fraud-related crimes can generate significant savings for the budget of the Union and for Member States’ budgets;

5. Emphasises the important role of the EPPO in the Union approach to combating corruption and the misuse of Union funds; expresses its satisfaction that 24 Member States participate in the EPPO and encourages the remaining Member States to do so as well; calls on the Commission to continue engaging in an active dialogue with non-participating Member States to effectively facilitate the EPPO in carrying out its tasks; emphasises the fact that such a dialogue could also be of value to Member States that already participate in the EPPO as regards tackling difficulties in fighting rule of law violations and corruption;

6. Welcomes the appointment of 8 new European Prosecutors and 35 new European Delegated Prosecutors to the EPPO in 2023; reiterates that the EPPO can fulfil its role only if it enjoys full judicial independence, which flows from a merit-based and objective appointment procedure; encourages Member States to contribute to the full independence of the EPPO in that regard;

7. Encourages continued and enhanced cooperation between the EPPO and OLAF, recognising the complementary strengths of both agencies in tackling fraud, corruption and financial crime affecting the Union’s financial interests; supports the further development of joint initiatives, information sharing and coordinated actions between the EPPO and OLAF, as such cooperation is vital to strengthening the Union’s fight against financial crime and to ensuring the effective and efficient use of Union resources.