The Commission informed the justice ministers of the EU Member States on the state of play in implementation of the EPPO Regulation at the JHA Council meeting on 7 October 2019. European Prosecutors who were nominated by the participating Member States were heard by the Selection Panel. However, some Member States still have not submitted their nominations.

The Commission also updated the ministers on other statuses of preparation:

• The EPPO’s internal rules of procedure;
• Conditions of employment for European Delegated Prosecutors;
• Creation of the case management system (CMS);
• The EPPO’s budget.

As regards the EPPO’s inclusion into the Council of Europe conventions (especially the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance), in order to ensure a smooth cooperation with non-EU countries, the Commission has started informal discussions with the Council of Europe.

The Commission closely accompanies and monitors the necessary adaptations in the legal and administrative framework in the Member States to comply with the EPPO Regulation. To this end, a secured and restricted website was created (“EPPO Wiki”), where Member States have been requested to submit information on the adaptation process.

Lastly, the Commission stressed that the full implementation of the PIF Directive is essential, so that the EPPO can start operational business. Some Member States have not notified the Directive’s implementation and the Commission started the first phase of the infringement proceedings.