PROTECTING THE EU’S INTEREST BY ESTABLISHING A SUPRANATIONAL EU BODY? FINANCIAL INTEREST OF THE EU AND THE EUROPEAN PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE
PROTECTING THE EU’S INTEREST BY ESTABLISHING A SUPRANATIONAL EU BODY? FINANCIAL INTEREST OF THE EU AND THE EUROPEAN PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

Summary/Abstract: The fight against financial crime, that is, the fight against fraud directed against the financial interests of the EU, is set as one of the priority activities for the Eeropean Union (the „EU“) and the Member States. Although the EU acts proclaimed the principle of a joint fight against fraud and other illegal activities that harm the financial interests of the EU, significant results in this field have not been achieved for a long time. Namely, the lack of interest of the judicial authorities in the protection of the EU’s (financial) interest as their own interest, was noticed in the Member States, while, on the other hand, the measures taken at the EU level, at the normative and institutional level, were not adequate and sufficient to combat fraud directed against the EU budget. As a result of the above, the estimated damage suffered by the European Union budget on an annual basis was from €500 million to €3 billion. However, despite the mentioned worrying data, the path to the establishment of a supranational body whose work would significantly contribute to the detection of fraud committed against the EU budget and the prosecution of criminals – the European Public Prosecutor – was not an easy one. The word is about the „young body“ of the EU, which started its work in the middle of 2021, and which went through a „development path“ of 20 years – was first proposed in the project Corpus Juris (1997) and was established in 2017. Bearing in mind the importance of the establishment and work of the aforementioned body for the protection of the financial interests of the EU, the author indicates its origin and development, the arguments for and against its establishment, as well as the results achieved by this body in its work.

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