Cross-border currents - European public prosecutor to be established

Companies and citizens defrauding European Union (EU) revenue collection (including customs duties and cross-border VAT fraud) and spending programmes, may, from 2020, face direct criminal proceedings brought by a European Public Prosecutor (EPPO). The EU Council of Ministers has approved establishing this new institution in 20 of the 28 EU member states - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. The new EPPO will have more power than the current EU anti-fraud unit OLAF, which has to persuade national prosecutors to take action after it builds a case. But with eight member states (seven once Britain quits the EU) outside the EPPO’s jurisdiction, OLAF will remain in business detecting fraud in these countries. Detailed cooperation systems between it and the EPPO have yet to be agreed. This work will be guided by a new OLAF director general, with former boss Giovanni Kessler leaving ahead of the expiry of his term of office in February 2018, to take a new job leading the Italian Customs and Monopoly Agency (Agenzia delle dogane e dei monopoli). Nicholas Ilett will be acting OLAF DG until a permanent replacement is appointed.