EU's new prosecutor office gets to work

A new European Union prosecutor's office aimed at investigating fraud, corruption and misuse of EU budget funds in the 27-nation bloc started operations on Tuesday in Luxembourg.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), an independent outfit, will be overseen by Laura Codruta Kovesi, the European chief prosecutor and the former chief prosecutor of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate.

With its seat in Luxembourg, the EPPO will operate as a single office across all 22 participating EU countries and combines European and national law enforcement efforts in a unified approach.

EU states Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and Hungary are not a part of the EPPO.

Kovesi said Tuesday that the task ahead bore "enormous responsibility."

"Our decisions will directly affect the fundamental rights of European citizens," she added.

"We are the first really sharp tool to defend the rule of law in the EU. Our success is a matter of credibility for our union."

European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said Kovesi and her team could rely on the commission's support to fulfil their activities efficiently, describing the new office as "a story of European collaboration."