Integration of the EPPO in the national criminal justice systems: institutional, procedural and cooperative challenges

ended

The project deals with the Implementation of the EPPO in the national criminal justice systems. The overall objectives of the project are to improve the prevention and investigation of fraud and other illegal activities beyond current levels by enhancing national criminal justice systems as well as transnational and multi-disciplinary cooperation; to increase protection of the financial interests of the Union against fraud; to facilitate the exchange of information, experience and best practices with regard to the integration of the EPPO in the national criminal proceedings. The project is composed of three activities: i) a conference, ii) an annual meeting of the presidents of the Associations for European Criminal Law and the Protection of EU Financial Interests, iii) publication of collected papers after the conference. The general objective of the Conference is to analyse the integration of the EPPO in the national criminal justice systems. Within the framework of this general objective, four issues shall be dealt with specifically: i) institutional challenges at national and EU level, ii) procedural challenges, iii) cooperative challenges with the states and EU agencies, and iv) integration of the EPPO in the Croatian criminal justice systems. The expected results of the project are the improvement of cooperation between practitioners and academics and the increased awareness amongst the judiciary and other branches of the legal profession in relation to the protection of the Union's financial interests. Deliverables of the project are the Conference, the meeting of the presidents of associations, and the publication of collected papers. It is expected that research activities and discussions between the participants shall give valuable insight into the current problems of protection of the EU financial interests and offer new approaches for their solving. The conference itself shall serve as a forum for the exchange of knowledge and practices.