Dear Readers, Over two decades have passed since the EU’s first attempt to harmonise procedural rights in criminal proceedings across the bloc. The 2009 Roadmap, adopted under the Swedish Council Presidency, led to six key directives: on interpretation and translation, information rights, access to a lawyer, presumption of innocence and the right to be present at trial, safeguards for children, and legal aid. Two recommendations followed, addressing vulnerable persons and pre-trial detention conditions. Yet, despite these advances, the EU still lacks a coherent and equal system of procedural rights. While the existing instruments might give the impression of a developing… Read more

Dear Readers of this jubilee issue on OLAF, In 2024, the European Anti-Fraud Office – OLAF – was celebrating its 25th anniversary. This occasion fills me with joy, pride, and gratitude, as the Office has proven to be a great success in the fight against fraud affecting the financial interests of the EU over the last quarter of the century. OLAF took over operations from the first European anti-fraud entity – UCLAF – in 1999 (UCLAF had been created in 1987 as part of the Secretariat-General of the European Commission). Since then, we have come a long way. While still… Read more

Dear Readers, Digitalisation is not just the future but already an undeniable reality in today’s society! Our task now is to strive for its best and most efficient use. For actors involved in international cooperation, in particular, digitalisation involves a number of sweeping technical and legal changes as well as changes to our mind-set. In the words of American writer Stewart Brand, “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” Several commendable digitalisation reforms have been set in motion, including in the field of criminal law. The widely welcomed… Read more

Dear Readers, Breaches of environmental laws often cause substantial damage to people’s health and the environment. Unlawful pollution, waste dumping and trafficking, violations of wildlife protection, and illegal mining without development permission can have devastating effects. Moreover, environmental offences distort the level playing field for honest businesses and cause both direct and indirect losses to public finances (e.g., higher health expenditure). For the perpetrators, such offences are lucrative and for enforcement authorities not always visible while technically complex, which makes them difficult to investigate. For this reason, environmental transgressions – including environmental crimes – are on the rise. Given their… Read more

Despite countless challenges and obstacles, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is working. This is no small feat. By the end of 2023, we had over 1900 active criminal investigations with an overall estimated damage of more than €19 billion. More importantly, in less than three years of operational activity, the EPPO brought to light a whole new continent of crime, as 60% of the estimated damage under our investigation relates to cross-border VAT fraud.

Dear Readers, Recital 5 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget serves as a reminder that the EU’s legal structure is based on the fundamental premise that “each Member State shares with all the other Member States, and recognizes that they share with it, a set of common values on which the Union is founded, as stated in Article 2 TEU.” This commitment to complying with the Treaties, including the fundamental principles of the rule of law, justifies mutual trust between the Member States. Each and every Member State… Read more