Outgoing chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi has used her final week to sound the alarm over the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), warning the institution is facing an existential struggle just as it pursues its most politically sensitive case.
Pfizergate Investigation Drags On
Kövesi confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen has not yet provided an in-person statement to the EPPO regarding its probe into the procurement of coronavirus vaccines. The investigation, taken over from Belgian authorities in 2024, examines allegations of "interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest" against the Commission President over her negotiations with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
Asked about the lack of a statement, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier defended the President's record, stating that "the Commission has demonstrably cooperated extensively with EPPO to clarify facts and assess events." He added that von der Leyen has always been "very cooperative in answering to any open questions — within the limits of her duties and her availability as President of the Commission."
Kövesi was pointed on the broader issue of cooperation. "Some politicians think that they are above the law," she told POLITICO. "If you are called in for a statement, you have to come."
Agency Under Siege
Kövesi, who wraps up her seven-year tenure on Friday, cited three main factors undermining the EPPO's work: chronic underfunding, delays in revising its legal framework, and the complexity of its bureaucratic architecture, which she said leads to "endless discussion about how to complicate the life of the prosecutors."
She expressed particular concern that the EPPO's "credibility is at stake" in countries with high expectations, such as Poland, where it has struggled to deliver. The body is also grappling with the challenge of setting up operations in Hungary, which joined the EPPO in August 2026, with a budget Kövesi says is half of what is needed.
Greece and Political Intimidation
Kövesi identified Greece as the scene of the "most blatant attempt" to intimidate EPPO prosecutors. Following a farm funding scandal that forced the resignation of ministers, the Greek government has moved to block EU prosecutors from investigating lawmakers. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has accused the EPPO of "selective leaks," suggesting a political agenda.
"All the noise was created to blame EPPO that we play politics instead of discussing what happened in reality," Kövesi said. "Some politicians speak about an independent and efficient judiciary, until you touch them and until you go close to their inner circle." She warned that Brussels could cut EU funding to Greece under Article 16 of the EPPO Regulation over the dispute.
The outgoing chief prosecutor also pointed to the investigation into the defunct Identity and Democracy group over the alleged misuse of over €4 million, a case with implications for France's far-right National Rally. "If you ask EPPO to abstain and to not do anything because there are elections in Europe, we will not work at all," she said.
The biggest challenge for her successor, German prosecutor Andrés Ritter, she said, is keeping the EPPO "independent and credible."