Agreement so Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi becomes first head of the new EU Public Prosecutor’s Office

The European Parliament and EU Council negotiators agreed on appointing Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi as the first head of the new EU Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European Parliament announced on Tuesday evening.

The negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the new European Chief Prosecutor to lead the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) have been ongoing since last spring.

The Parliament’s negotiating team has backed Kövesi throughout the negotiations, despite opposition from the Council until now. The EU Council reconsidered its position and voted to support the Romanian last week after France withdrew support for its candidate, Jean-François Bohnert, who was the Council’s first choice for EU Chief Prosecutor.

The agreement on the appointment of Laura Codruta Kovesi as European Chief Prosecutor now needs to be formally approved by the Parliament and the Council.

Kovesi, 46, was the first woman to become Romania’s general prosecutor as well as the youngest general prosecutor. In May 2013, she was appointed chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), a special prosecution unit specialized in investigating top-level corruption cases.

Under her management, the DNA initiated hundreds of investigations targeting top officials. In June 2014, DNA obtained a 4-year final jail conviction against former prime minister Adrian Nastase.

Kovesi was dismissed from DNA’s helm in June 2018 following a request by former justice minister Tudorel Toader, after she opposed the Social Democratic Party’s initiatives to change sensitive legislation in the field of justice. The PSD Government led by Viorica Dancila voted against Kovesi in the EU Council this spring.

Via Romania Insider