The European public prosecutor's office: a major step towards political integration or another middle-ground European Agency in the name of pragmatism?=La fiscalía europea, ¿un paso relevante hacia la integración política europea o una nueva Agencia Europea bajo control de los estados miembros? Articles uri icon

publication date

  • May 2020

start page

  • 253

end page

  • 280

issue

  • 51

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1696-9634

abstract

  • The establishment of the EPPO could be seen, at first sight, as a major step in the European integration process, and not without reason as it means the creation of a European agency to which powers of investigation and prosecution of criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the European Union (EU) are granted. However, after a long and difficult negotiating process, the resulting EPPO casts doubts on whether it is truly a major step towards political integration or simply another middle-ground European agency. To try to clarify it, the EPPO's legal basis, the negotiating process that led to the use of the enhanced cooperation procedure to approve it, the contents of the Regulation that creates it and its possible future developments will be analysed.

subjects

  • Law

keywords

  • european union; european public prosecutor; enhance cooperation; european political integration; unión europea; fiscalía europea; cooperación reforzada; proceso de integración europea