EU prosecutor’s concerns over proposed law made public

Greek Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis (right) welcomes European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi astatine the ministry successful Athens connected Wednesday, April 22, 2026. [John Liakos/InTime News]

European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi warned the authorities that a projected legislative amendment aimed astatine accelerating investigations involving MPs undermined the extortion of EU funds fixed to Greece and raised “serious concerns” implicit the regularisation of law.

In correspondence made nationalist Wednesday evening, Kovesi told Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis that the draught measurement – which would delegate definite transgression cases involving MPs to a special investigative justice astatine the tribunal of entreaty with a four-month timeline – was “clearly incompatible” with the rules governing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and with Greek law.

The proposal, Kovesi wrote, would improperly displacement jurisdiction implicit cases falling under the EPPO’s competence distant from its delegated prosecutors and into a nationalist judicial procedure, perchance creating unequal treatment for individuals under probe for offenses affecting EU funds.

Last year, the EPPO commenced a string of probes into the fraud of EU workplace subsidies by farmers and state officials successful Greece.

“This is further creating a differentiation of treatment for a specific class of persons being investigated for offences falling under the EPPO competence, which is not permitted under applicable Union law,” Kovesi said successful the letter, which was sent Monday.

She besides warned that, if adopted, the changes could “put astatine hazard the effectual extortion of the Union’s fund successful Greece” and raised superior concerns astir the regularisation of law. Kovesi additionally criticized the speed astatine which the amendment was introduced.

A 2nd letter, dated April 24 and besides addressed to Floridis, referenced her earlier visit to Athens and ongoing discussions with Greek officials astir improving the effectiveness and ratio of EPPO investigations successful the country.

In that letter, she cited broader provisions of Greek instrumentality that, successful her view, struggle with the EPPO regularisation and complicate procedures by involving aggregate prosecutors successful a single case, contributing to delays.

On Tuesday, Giorgos Floridis defended the projected legislative amendment, saying Kοvesi has already publically backed a Greek connection to accelerate the process.

While some changes were subsequently made to the amendment, it is unclear whether the amendment successful its existent signifier is acceptable to the EPPO.