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The European Parliament increased pressure on the European Commission to apply the budget conditionality regulation of 16 December 2020. MEPs reiterated in a resolution adopted in plenary on 8 July 2021 that guidelines currently being developed by the Commission are unnecessary. Parliament will continue preparations to sue the Commission for “non-action”.

On 16 July 2021, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) informed that it started a criminal investigation against four Croatian citizens being allegedly involved in a corruption scheme. It is presumed that the mayor of a Croatian city received bribes from a company manager in …

Six weeks after the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) started its operational and investigative activities, the body took stock of its work. In a brief press release dated 16 July 2021, the EPPO informed the public that it processed more than a thousand reports …

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Commission signed a working agreement. The agreement implements Art. 103(1) of Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, which provides that the EPPO shall establish and maintain a cooperative relationship with the European Commission for the purpose of …

On 22 July 2021, Europol, Interpol and OLAF reported on the successes of operation “OPSON X”. This operation, which is carried out each year, targets trafficking of counterfeit and substandard food and beverage. For operations in previous years →eucrim 2/2020, 80 and eucrim …

Within the framework of the biggest operation against trafficking of refrigerant gases (Operation Verbena), Spanish authorities were able to dismantle a criminal organisation that illicitly traded and smuggled the gases. The business is lucrative since the import of refrigerant gases (also called F-gases …

During the Joint Action Day “Arktos 3” carried out in June 2021, law enforcement authorities in seven EU Member States succeeded in seizing more than 6.7 million cigarettes, and 2.6 tonnes of raw tobacco, along with half a tonne of illegal drugs. 15 smugglers were …

With the support of OLAF, law enforcement authorities in Spain, the Netherlands, Honduras, and Guatemala succeeded in stopping the activities of a criminal group that smuggled fake rum from Central America via the Netherlands to Spain. OLAF reported on 6 July 2021 that the network …

On 22 July 2021, OLAF reported on a successful strike against a criminal network that illegally produced and sold cigarettes. The operation dubbed “Alecrín” mainly involved Spanish and Portuguese law enforcement authorities and already started in 2019. Targeted enforcement activities were carried out between May …

In a study for the EP’s LIBE Committee, Niovi Vavoula and Valsamis Mitsilegas from Queen Mary University of London assessed the Commission’s proposal on strengthening Europol’s mandate (→ eucrim 4/2020, 279). The study (published in May 2021) provides the EP with background information …