EU Project Pravo-Justice Organized a Study Visit for Ukrainian Prosecutors to the Headquarters of the EPPO in Luxembourg

From 14 to 18 October, prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office, Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office visited the headquarters of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Luxembourg (Duchy of Luxembourg) with the support of the EU Pravo-Justice Project and the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative.

During the visit, the participants got acquainted with the history, mission and tasks of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the work of its structural units, the legal basis for its functioning, as well as cooperation with third countries. In addition, the Ukrainian delegation had numerous meetings with European Prosecutors, analysts and members of the EPPO administration.

They also met with Laura Codruța Kövesi, the European Chief Prosecutor. She encouraged Ukrainians to continue fighting corruption and other related crimes and assured them of EPPO's continued support for the Ukrainian prosecution service.

"The study visit was very successful in enhancing the capacities of the Ukrainian prosecution service. The members of the Ukrainian delegation were motivated. They were eager to learn as much as possible about the functioning of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and its cooperation with national jurisdictions of the Member States, in particular, in investigating crimes related to tax fraud, smuggling, public procurement, etc.", said Virgilijus Valancius, Senior International Expert of the EU Pravo-Justice Project, who accompanied the Ukrainian delegation during the trip.

As a result of the visit, they discussed the potential participation of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in training Ukrainian prosecutors. The EPPO representatives also expressed their readiness to strengthen the cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, especially for investigation of crimes related to EU funding in Ukraine.