Police detain protester outside EU headquarters in Brussels

A man shouting accusations about corruption at the European Union doused himself in a liquid and threatened to put himself on fire in front of the bloc’s headquarters in Brussels before police and firefighters intervened and took him away. The short protest in front of the European Commission offices around noon on Wednesday ended when firefighters hosed down the protester and police took away the liquid he had with him. The order was soon restored. Security around the EU headquarters has increased over the years, especially since the Brussels terror attacks of 2016 when a bomb was set off on a subway close to where Wednesday’s solitary protest took place. That attack and one the same day at Brussels Airport killed 32 victims.

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Appointment of anti-corruption judge

The European Union is appointing Romanian anti-corruption judge Laura Codruta Kosevi to lead its new public prosecutor’s office. Kovesi’s nomination has caused turmoil in Romania. She was fired last year following accusations of mismanagement and overstepping her authority but some believe her dismissal was political retaliation from politicians who did not want to be investigated. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said Kovesi’s appointment, sealed between the European Parliament and member countries, “is a strong signal that the EU is serious in fighting financial crime and in protecting the taxpayers’ money.” The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is due to start work at the end of 2020. The aim was to create an independent EU prosecution office that can investigate and bring to court crimes against the 28-nation bloc’s budget, such as fraud or corruption. 

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Kovesi to become chief-prosecutor

Judge Kosevi has taken a big step toward leading the European Union’s new public prosecutor’s office. EU ambassadors voted Thursday for Laura Codruta Kovesi to become the chief prosecutor of the new agency when it starts work late next year. Her appointment must be rubber-stamped by EU lawmakers and member states. Kovesi’s nomination has caused turmoil in Romania. She was fired last year following accusations of mismanagement and overstepping her authority. Some say her dismissal was politically motivated. Greens EU lawmaker Saskia Bricmont says Kovesi has “integrity, experience, and determination.” Kovesi was quoted by the Digi24 television as saying that her nomination is “a vote of support for a society that supported European values,” and “a success for all Romanians who supported the anti-corruption fight.” 

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