A European Parliament committee on Wednesday backed Romania's former anti-corruption chief, Laura Codruta Kovesi, to become the EU's first fraud prosecutor, despite opposition from the government in Bucharest which sacked her.
The EU wants to set up the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) next year to tackle graft, VAT fraud and other crimes involving the bloc's multi-billion-euro joint budget.
As head of Romania's anti-corruption office, Kovesi won praise at home and abroad for her crackdown on high-level graft in one of the European Union's most corrupt states. Thousands took part in street protests last year when the justice minister removed her, saying she had exceeded her authority.
Kovesi won 26 votes in Wednesday's committee secret ballot, ahead of Jean-Francois Bohnert of France, on 22 votes. He has already been named the preferred candidate of EU member states. That means more negotiations are due before any final decision.
EU diplomats said Bucharest had lobbied against Kovesi, an unusual move in the bloc where countries normally press the claims of their own nationals for prominent posts.
During what at times was an emotional hearing on Tuesday, Kovesi told the European Parliament: "Regardless of how hostile a member state government is, you have to do your job."
Ska Keller, a German member of the European Parliament, said after Wednesday's vote that the EU should give the job to Kovesi because she had "the ability to stand up to political interference in the fight for justice".
The efforts by Romania's Social Democrat government to block Kovesi are among various moves that have increased doubts in the EU about Bucharest's commitment to democratic standards and the rule of law.
The case has weakened Romania's standing in the EU, whose rotating presidency it holds until June 30. It coincides with a push by the EU to make funding from its next long-term budget from 2021 conditional on upholding the rule of law.
The government, which says its changes in the judicial sphere are intended to remedy abuses committed by prosecutors and judges, did not respond on Wednesday to a Reuters request for comment on the parliamentary committee's support for Kovesi.
Among six EU states that have opted out of the EPPO are Poland and Hungary, which have also upset the bloc by putting judges and media under more state control.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
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