Minister says she’s done everything to appoint EU delegated prosecutors

Brussels – Following several calls to speed up appointment of Slovenia’s two delegated European prosecutors, Justice Minister Lilijana Kozlovič says she has done all in her power, while it is now on the government as a whole to act. The minister is in Brussels as part of Slovenia’s preparations for EU presidency.

Asked by the press whether Slovenia would manage to send the names of the two candidates to Brussels on time, Kozlovič said she had provided for a legal basis for the two prosecutors, the premises, funding and staff.

“The next urgent step is a decision by the government as a collective body. I myself am making an effort for this institution, which is also necessary for Slovenia, to be fully set up,” she told Slovenian correspondents in Brussels.

She believes making the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) up and running is of utmost importance for preventing corruption and money laundering across the EU.

Kozlovič will outline her view to European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders as they meet tomorrow.

In a recent letter, Reynders urged Kozlovič to send the list of Slovenian candidates to EPPO as soon as possible or by 18 May at the latest so the new office could start operating on 1 June.

The minister proposed Matej Oštir and Tanja Frank Eler a while ago after they were vetted by the Prosecution Council.

However, unofficial information indicates that they are opposed by Prime Minister Janez Janša over their involvement in past investigations into his assets.

Kozlovič discussed the issue of European delegated prosecutors as she visited EUROJUST, the EU agency for criminal justice cooperation, in The Hague on Monday.

She met its president Ladislav Hamran, and Boštjan Škrlec, EUROJUST’s vice president and Slovenia’s representative at the agency.

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