
Bratislava – On Friday, President Peter Pellegrini of the Slovak Republic enacted new legislation designed to enhance the protection of the European Union’s (EU) financial interests. This new law involves amendments to the prosecution code, Criminal Code, and Criminal Procedure Code, as reported by the Office of the President and TASR.
A new specialized unit focused on serious crimes will be created under the prosecution law. This unit will be responsible for ensuring the effective exercise of prosecutorial powers, particularly in safeguarding the EU’s financial interests. Its duties will include overseeing the activities of subordinate prosecutorial units to ensure legal compliance before criminal proceedings commence, during preparatory processes, and throughout court proceedings.
The recently amended Criminal Code revises the penalties associated with importing goods. Currently, individuals who considerably evade or fail to pay customs or similar charges face a prison sentence of one to five years. The amended legislation will now apply these penalties only when the unpaid customs or other charges amount to at least 10,000 euros, aligning the criminal offense definition with EU directives.
Additional modifications to the Criminal Code include adjustments to the fundamental principles governing sanctions and penalties, with a stronger emphasis on confiscating proceeds from criminal activities and reinforcing the protection of the EU’s financial interests. Consequently, new conditions have been established for mandatory imprisonment, waiving punishments, conditional suspension of imprisonment, and statutes of limitations for offenses harming financial interests.
Moreover, the basic principles of criminal proceedings will now include a mandate for authorities and courts to diligently protect the financial interests of the EU during criminal investigations.
The new legislation also mandates specialized training for prosecutors and legal trainees focused on the protection of the EU’s financial interests.
The legal amendments will take effect upon their publication on December 13.













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