Justice minister signs Poland's bid to join EPPO

At a press conference on Friday, Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said he had signed necessary documentation regarding Poland's accession to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). He added he had sent the documents to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the head of the current EU's Belgian presidency and this country's PM Alexander de Croo.

He added that the EU Commission would have 4 months to either approve Poland's notification or voice objections. "I don't think there will be any objections," Bodnar said.

The minister also noted that the accession would be carried out under EU's enhanced cooperation mechanism - a procedure where a minimum of nine EU member states are allowed to establish advanced integration or cooperation in an area within EU structures but without the other members being involved.

In other words, the move would not require any legislative changes, but only the government's decision. Bodnar reminded at the conference that on the first day as justice minister he had sent a request to join the EPPO to Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"One of my first decisions as Minister of Justice - an application to Prime Minister Donald Tusk to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office," Bodnar wrote on platform X on Dec. 13, the day Donald Tusk's cabinet had been appointed.

He added a picture of himself signing the application in front of Polish and also EU flags, which he said had been returned to his office and other government rooms.

The Council of Ministers had then permitted Bodnar to file the accession bid. The lower and upper house committees on the EU affairs followed suit with approvals.

Poland's previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government opted not to join the EPPO, citing fears of interference in the Polish justice system.

Bodnar told Reuters in before he became minister that joining the EPPO would be a good faith move that could be implemented quickly in an attempt to unblock billions in funds frozen by the EU because of concerns over democratic standards.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is an independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU. These include several types of fraud, VAT fraud with damages above 10 million euro, money laundering, corruption, etc.

The EPPO started operations on June 1, 2021, after the European Commission had officially confirmed the starting date on May 26, 2021. During its first seven months of operations, the EPPO opened 576 investigations, with estimated damage caused to the EU budget of €5.4 billion.

Out of the 27 EU Member States, 22 currently participate in the EPPO. The five countries that still haven't joined are: Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and Hungary.