Event

Conference: “EPPO One Year in Action: Towards Resolving Complexity and Bringing Added Value

  • Location

    – 30 May – University of Luxembourg (Weicker Building) / 4 Rue Alphonse Weicker, 2721 Luxembourg – 31 May & 1 June – European Convention Center Luxembourg (Hemicycle) / 1 Rue du fort Thüngen, 1499 Luxembourg

    LU

The University of Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Jean Monnet Network on enforcement of EU law (EULEN), the European Criminal Law Academic Network (ECLAN), and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), is organising the upcoming Conference “EPPO One Year in Action: Towards Resolving Complexity and Bringing Added Value” (30 May – 1 June 2022).

Depending on the day of the Conference, the streaming links will appear on the following YouTube channels:

ABSTRACT

Since the beginning of the EPPO’s operations on 1 June 2021, more than 2500 crime reports have been registered and more than 500 investigations opened, with estimated damages of approximately €5 billion to the EU budget. Offences under ongoing investigations include, inter alia, customs fraud, cross-border VAT fraud, and corruption. The number of indictments is gradually increasing and the first conviction brought by EPPO was issued on 22 November 2021 in a case involving a former Slovak mayor.

Despite the EPPO’s successful first year in action, several challenges remain to be resolved. First, the EPPO’s legislative framework promotes multilevel regulatory complexity, stemming from an interplay between EU law, national law, and soft law in the form of internal rules of procedure, as well as various other decisions adopted by the College. Second, the implementation of the EPPO has led to several variable geometries. For instance, in December 2021, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against eight Member States for their incorrect or incomplete transposition of the PIF Directive. The non-conformity of national implementations hinders the EPPO’s ability to conduct effective investigations and prosecutions. Third, the EPPO’s establishment raises questions regarding the participants to criminal procedure; for instance, how to articulate the relationship between European Delegated Prosecutors and the investigating judge in Member States with civil law systems. Finally, the EPPO must also be scrutinised not only as one of the AFSJ actors but also as a global actor, raising questions as to the EPPO’s cooperation with third countries.

The Conference will offer the occasion to discuss the main complexities stemming from the EPPO’s operational work and facilitate an exchange of ideas on practices for achieving greater added value in the protection of the Union’s financial interests. The first day will consist of presentations of papers dealing with the various developments and challenges in decentralized, transnational, and supranational enforcement in the PIF sector. The second day will consist of a scientific event composed of high-profile speakers from various EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, national practitioners, and prominent academic scholars. Finally, the last day will be dedicated to the EPPO’s first year anniversary and will consist of ceremonial keynote speeches and a roundtable discussion on how to improve the detection of PIF offences.

REGISTRATION

To register for the conference, please send your request to eppoconference2022@uni.lu

Kindly note that due to limited capacity of the room, in-person registrations will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis.

PROGRAMME