Untapped potential at the European Public Prosecutor's Office: Expand the mandate to include sanctions enforcement

Elie Cavigneaux

No 23/2026, SWP Comments from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Abstract: Sanctions are a key instrument in the European Union's foreign and security policy. Although their enforcement depends on the Union's ability to act legally as well as politically, prosecutions remain constrained by national borders. For this reason, France and Germany proposed in 2022 that the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) be expanded to cover violations of EU sanctions. That initiative failed to gain sufficient support in the Council, nor was the problem solved by the 2024 directive defining offences and penalties. The change of government in Hungary and the review of EPPO's mandate scheduled for 2026 offer an opportunity to revisit the issue.

Keywords: European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO); EPPO mandate; enhanced cooperation; EU sanctions; sanctions violations; criminal law; cross-border crime; European Anti-Fraud Office; OLAF (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law and nep-mac
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:swpcom:343502

DOI: 10.18449/2026C23v02

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