European Public Prosecutor’s Office 2024 Budget Review

Parliament's Decision on the EPPO

The European Parliament made the following decisions regarding the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) for 2024:

• Budget Approval: The Parliament granted "discharge," confirming that the EPPO spent its 2024 budget properly and that its accounts are reliable.
• Account Closure: The EPPO’s financial accounts for 2024 were formally closed.
• Publication: The decision will be published in the Official Journal of the EU.

EPPO Performance and Workload

The Parliament noted that the EPPO is the EU’s independent prosecutor for crimes that harm the Union’s finances, such as fraud and money laundering.

Key Achievements in 2024:

• Reports and Investigations: The EPPO received 6,547 crime reports and opened 2,666 investigations—both significantly higher than in 2023.
• Financial Impact: The estimated damage from these cases was €24.8 billion.
• Seized Funds: The EPPO secured €2.42 billion in freezing orders.
• Budget Use: The office spent 98.5% of its budget and paid 86% of its invoices on time.

Areas of Focus and Challenges

The Parliament highlighted several areas where the EPPO is growing but requires more support:

Staffing and Resources

• The EPPO has grown its staff to 258 employees.
• However, the office needs more staff and money to handle its increasing workload, especially related to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
• The Parliament noted that the EPPO’s salaries are currently low, making it difficult to recruit and keep experienced prosecutors.

Operational Needs

• IT Systems: While the EPPO achieved IT autonomy, it still requires more resources to maintain its case-management system and cybersecurity.
• Member State Cooperation: The EPPO works with 24 Member States. The Parliament called for better cooperation from all Member States and urged action against any state that obstructs investigations.
• Fund Recovery: The EPPO can recover seized money, but the Parliament requested clearer rules so that these recovered amounts can be properly returned to the EU budget.

Future Work

• Ukraine: The EPPO is preparing for increased investigative work related to EU funds in Ukraine.
• Ethics: The EPPO is developing a full ethics framework, including policies for conflicts of interest and whistleblowing.

In summary, the Parliament confirmed that the EPPO is busy and increasingly important for protecting EU finances, but it stressed that the office needs more money, more staff, and better cooperation from Member States to remain effective.

Broader context

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) was established in 2017 to combat crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests, such as VAT fraud, money laundering, and corruption. It operates independently across 24 EU Member States, coordinating with national authorities, OLAF (the EU’s anti-fraud office), Eurojust (judicial cooperation), and Europol (law enforcement).

The 2024 discharge is part of the EU’s annual budgetary oversight, ensuring that EU institutions use public funds lawfully and efficiently. The EPPO’s growing workload—driven by rising fraud cases and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)—highlights its expanding role in protecting EU finances, especially as new members like Poland and Sweden join.

The Ukraine war has also increased the EPPO’s responsibilities, as it collaborates with Ukrainian prosecutors to safeguard EU funds allocated to Ukraine.

Impact on people living in the EU

The EPPO’s work directly benefits EU citizens by:

• Protecting taxpayer money: By investigating and recovering funds lost to fraud and corruption, the EPPO helps ensure that EU funds (e.g., for infrastructure, healthcare, or green energy) are used as intended.
• Increasing financial security: Freezing €2.42 billion in 2024 means less money flows to criminal networks, reducing risks like organized crime or tax evasion that could indirectly affect citizens.
• Encouraging transparency: The EPPO’s push for ethics frameworks and whistleblower protections strengthens trust in EU institutions.
• Supporting fair competition: Cracking down on VAT fraud (53% of detected damage) helps businesses compete on a level playing field, potentially lowering costs for consumers.

For Poland and Sweden, joining the EPPO in 2024 means their citizens now benefit from stronger cross-border anti-fraud protections. Meanwhile, Hungary’s non-participation and Ireland’s potential future involvement show that the EPPO’s reach—and its ability to protect EU funds—depends on Member State cooperation.