(Luxembourg, 2 June 2026) – Yesterday, the European Chief Prosecutor addressed a letter to the European Commission in line with Recitals 9, 16 and 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2092 of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the budget of the European Union (Conditionality Regulation), as well as Article 14 of the Agreement establishing the Modalities of Cooperation between the European Commission and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), pointing at the recent legislative changes on the provision of support and subsidies in agriculture and rural development in Slovakia.
Based on a thorough analysis of the new legislation, the European Chief Prosecutor concluded that it contains several elements which substantially reduce the effective protection of the EU financial interests, as well as the national financial interest. Concretely, the legislative changes decreased the ability to impose effective administrative measures during a criminal proceeding, between an indictment and a final conviction. As a result, the ability of the responsible authorities to suspend payments to beneficiaries accused of a criminal offence has been severely curtailed.
The European Chief Prosecutor therefore informed the European Commission that these legislative changes have negative repercussions on the overall level of protection of the financial interests of the EU in Slovakia.
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.