The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) plays a crucial role in the EU’s efforts to combat crimes affecting the Union’s financial interests. As the first supranational prosecution authority of its kind, the EPPO represents a significant evolution in the EU’s judicial landscape, working alongside national authorities to investigate and prosecute offences, such as fraud, corruption, and cross-border VAT fraud.
The EPPO Regulation (Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939) establishes the legal framework within which the EPPO operates. Article 119(1) of the EPPO Regulation states that the European Commission “shall commission an evaluation […] on the implementation and impact of [the Regulation], as well as on the effectiveness and efficiency of the EPPO and its working practices”.
The objective of this support study is to assess whether the EPPO Regulation has been completely and correctly implemented in the Member States and, where relevant, by the EPPO itself. The study will also collect evidence to evaluate the EPPO’s performance, working practices, and whether the Regulation has achieved its intended purpose, addressing its original objectives in line with the Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines and the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and EU added value. Finally, the study will analyse the EPPO’s governance and use of resources, identify any obstacles to its activities and mission, and explore any opportunities for simplification and reduced administrative burden.
Spark, in consortium with Tetra Tech, CSES Europe, and Asterisk, will support this study for the European Commission (DG JUST). Spark, alongside a team of national legal experts, will lead the implementation check of the EPPO Regulation. Our team will also focus on the coherence criterion, which evaluates how well the EPPO Regulation functions internally and aligns externally with EU, national, and international frameworks.
The findings of this study will provide the European Commission (DG JUST) with a robust evidence base to assess the Regulation’s performance and inform any future amendments.
