The institution has everything to ensure greater efficiency and rationality in the block’s budgets and policies
“Countries should not be judged by the words written in their constitutions, but by their budgets,” condemned Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad. Of course, budgets reflect a commitment to the effectiveness of public rights and policies, and crimes against budgets can render even the best of constitutions a dead letter.
In 2021 it started working at European Union a European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the “Parquet Européen”, an independent body with legal personality, tasked with investigating and prosecuting crimes against the EU budget, such as financial fraud and corruption.
Based in Luxembourg and composed of a European Attorney General and a College of Lawyers, all with mandates, the body brings together 22 of the 27 member states of the European Union in an enhanced cooperation mechanism. Deputy Prosecutors work in the offices of the Member States, with functional independence from the national authorities.
Although there is no European penal code, a policy of legislative harmonization guarantees the possibility of this regional prosecutor’s office to act before the courts of the member states.
The specialized body has already opened more than 500 investigations, with the recovery of around 150 million euros. This includes, for example, the prosecution of a former Croatian minister for abuse of power and trafficking of influence, as well as the lifting of MEPs’ immunity for irregularities in parliamentary funding.
In his inaugural speech, the President Lula da Silva he signaled that his foreign policy will materialize “the resumption of South American integration, starting with Mercosur”. Fernando Haddad and Gabriel Galípolo, his executive secretary at the Treasury, stressed that a process of regional monetary integration could strengthen the bloc. In an article signed with Alberto Fernández, president of Argentina, Lula said he wanted to continue discussions on a common currency, in order to reduce operating costs and external vulnerabilities.
The eventual creation of a common currency and the deepening of integration through Mercosur require increasing transparency, control and efficiency. A regional prosecutor’s office has all the credentials to guarantee greater efficiency and rationality to the budgets and policies of the blockade.
Source: Terra
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