Eight newly appointed European Prosecutors take oath before Court of Justice of the EU

(Luxembourg, 30 November 2023) – Today, at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, eight European Prosecutors gave the solemn undertaking to comply with the obligations arising from their duties. They were recently appointed to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) by the Council of the EU, and replace – for a non-renewable mandate of six years – the eight European Prosecutors who finished their three-year mandates at the end of July 2023.

The solemn undertaking was given by (in alphabetical order): Mr José António Lopes Ranito (Portugal), Mr Ignacio de Lucas (Spain), Ms Miranda De Meijer (Netherlands), Mr Gedgaudas Norkūnas (Lithuania), Ms Anne Pantazi Lamprou (Cyprus), Mr Nikolaos Paschalis (Greece), Ms Ursula Schmudermayer (Austria) and Mr Andrea Venegoni (Italy).

In an address that followed the solemn undertaking, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kӧvesi said: ‘Standing here today, we reaffirm the uniquely human ability to distinguish right from wrong and true from false. This oath is to act in the interest of the European Union as a whole, regardless of whether we are praised or criticised. It is to defend the independence of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. We are not representing national interests in an inter-governmental organisation. It is a fundamental principle of the rule of law: only an independent judiciary can enforce the law equally for everybody. We are here to make it a reality.’

The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.