Strasbourg (Eurotoday) – The European Parliament and EPPO sign an agreement allowing corruption investigations, enhancing anti-fraud efforts and transparency.
As reported by Politico, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola inked a working arrangement with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) authorising investigations within the institution.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is an autonomous public prosecution office of the European Union. It is mandated for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment offences against the financial interests of the EU. These include several sorts of fraud, VAT fraud with impairments above 10 million euros, money laundering, corruption, etc.
How will the EPPO investigate corruption within the parliament?
The agreement between the parliament and the prosecutor’s office is the first agreement of its kind between the two institutions. Most especially, it will make it more manageable for EPPO to access the EU Parliament and probe corruption cases within the institution. “It will make our fight against crime and fraud faster and better. Ultimately this agreement is about protecting EU taxpayers’ money,” stated.
How does the agreement improve access to parliamentary records?
The arrangement makes it easier for EPPO to access the Parliament’s premises, to request to renounce the immunity of lawmakers and team and to access documents linked to investigations. The agreement comes weeks after EPPO informed it is conducting an investigation into one of the Parliament’s political parties, the European People’s Party (EPP). For investigations linked to members of the European Parliament, EPPO will have to reach Metsola. For investigations into Parliament staff, it will reach the secretary-general.
According to the contract, the EPPO will need to report to the Parliament any searches at least 48 hours in advance. In addition, the EPPO will need to inform the Parliament regarding ongoing investigations, and in turn, the Parliament must notify the EPPO of financial criminal conduct among its staff.
What does the new EPPO-Parliament agreement aim to achieve?
In his remarks, blank” rel=”noopener”>Victor Negrescu, the Parliament vice-president for the fight against corruption and transparency policies, claimed that the agreement, which reflects a similar deal between EPPO and the European Commission in 2021, aims to “improve our anticorruption mechanisms” and to “provide legal certainty to EPPO investigations.” “It is a huge step forward for our institution and a clear message of support for EPPO by the European Parliament,” he stated.
Comments
3 responses to “EPPO Granted Authority to Investigate Corruption in EU Parliament”
-
Oh, fantastic! Finally, the EPPO gets a backstage pass to the EU Parliament—like letting the fox guard the henhouse, innit? 😏 Who knew fighting corruption could be as bureaucratic as a snail race on a Sunday? 🐌💼
-
Oh, brilliant move! Nothing screams “We’re serious about transparency!” quite like a fancy agreement to check each other’s pockets. 🤔💼 Let’s just hope the EPPO doesn’t trip over all the red tape while searching for loose change! 😅
-
Oh fantastic, the EPPO can now investigate the Parliament—because who doesn’t love a good bureaucratic tango while the rest of us are just trying to get our taxes sorted? 🤷♂️ Hope they’ve packed their lunch; it might take a while to find anything in that maze! 🍽️
Last News
Regions and cities caution that EU budget changes may jeopardize affordable housing investment
“The housing issue in Europe transcends merely constructing more units,” stated Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), an EU advisory body compri
Ceuta’s Child Protection Crisis Worsens
Iran Announces Hormuz Deal with Oman Near Completion
The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports on July 14 after hostilities betwe
Prayer Transforms Solitude into Spiritual Connection with God
Homily for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Today’s Gospel from Matthew 14:22-34 offers three key teachings:
Christ, by withdrawing to pray, transforms physical solitude into spiritual communion with God.
Jesus allows the disciples to face the storm at sea alone, teaching them the necessity of God’s help in difficult situations.
The storm-tossed sh
Why Are Commission Staffers So Unhappy?
Seb Starcevic conducted interviews with several officials from various commissioners’ cabinets and directorates-general, covering a range of ages, nationalities, and seniorities. In the podcast, Zoya Sheft
Italian Jews Attacked and Threatened at Sofia Hotel
Reports indicate that the young neo-Nazis gathe
EU Commission’s anti-harassment team receives 1,000 complaints
From September 2024, the chief counsellor, reporting to Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, received 960 reports from employees feeling harassed, alleged haras
Could Timur Turlov’s FIDE Bid Be Kazakhstan’s Newest Soft-Power Strategy?
Lailuma Sadid is a former diplomat in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Embassy to the kingdom of Belgium, in charge of NATO. She attended the NATO Training courses and speakers for the events at NATO H-Q in Brussels, and also in Nederland, Germany, Estonia, and Azerbaijan. Sadid has is a former Political Reporter for Pajhwok News Agency, covering the London, Conference in 2006 and Lisbon summ
Saudi Arabia’s Large-Scale Environmental Program
German Anti-Terror Police Investigate Explosive Drone Discovered at Leipzig Airport
Leipzig airport serves as a base
Leave a Reply