Ritter set to replace Kovesi as EU chief prosecutor
1781 Min Read
The Council of the European Union on Monday approved the appointment of Andres Ritter as the new European chief prosecutor, who will lead the European Public Prosecutor’s Office starting November 1.
Ritter’s appointment now requires confirmation by the European Parliament. He will serve a non-renewable seven-year term, succeeding Laura Codruta Kovesi, whose mandate expires October 30. Kovesi, a former Romanian anti-corruption chief, has led investigations into significant EU fraud in Greece, focusing on agricultural subsidies and organized crime.
Ritter, a veteran of Germany’s prosecution service since 1995, has led several prosecution offices and has served as deputy European chief prosecutor since 2020.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, or EPPO, is an independent EU body tasked with investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the Union, including large-scale fraud, corruption, and cross-border VAT fraud exceeding €10 million. By the end of 2025, the EPPO reported 3,602 active investigations, with estimated damages exceeding €67.2 billion to EU and national budgets.
Currently, 24 EU member states participate in the EPPO, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.
