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EU Council, Parliament Fail To Reach Agreement on Chief European Prosecutor

The EU Council and European Parliament failed to reach common ground on supporting a common candidate for the leadership of the upcoming European Public Prosecutor’s Office during negotiations held on Thursday, with further talks scheduled on April 10.
EU Council, Parliament Fail To Reach Agreement on Chief European Prosecutor
Ionut Preda
04 apr. 2019, 19:36, English

The European Parliament announced that it reiterated its support for Romanian prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi and called on the EU Council to not be influenced by “pressures” from the Romanian Government against the candidate.

“The Parliament’s negotiation team reiterated its continuous support for Ms. Kovesi, former anti-corruption prosecutor in Romania, whose candidacy faced the opposition from the Romanian government. Also, the team requested the Council to reconsider its position,” the European Parliament announced in a press release.

The three members of the Parliament’s negotiation team also expressed support for Kovesi, with LIBE committee deputy chairman Judith Sargentini stating that the Council lost credibility for its candidate, Jean-Francois Bohnert, after “the Romanian government’s harrasment” of Kovesi.

The Romanian prosecutor won votes in both the European Parliament’s LIBE and CONT committees for the role, while the French magistrate was selected in a secret vote by EU Council ambassadors.

The two institutions have already held three unsuccessful rounds of negotiation, with the further talks scheduled on April 10. After reaching consensus on the matter, their common candidate will face a confirmation vote in the European Parliament’s plenary.