Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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684. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding Ireland's status and level of engagement with the European Public Prosecutor's Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54683/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) was established in 2017 under the EU's enhanced cooperation measure to investigate and prosecute crimes against the financial interests of the European Union. These crimes are as set out in Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law, otherwise known as the PIF Directive.

Ireland has transposed the PIF Directive and the full suite of measures to investigate and prosecute PIF offences are available to Irish authorities under our domestic structures. At that time, Ireland decided not to opt in to the EPPO Regulation, given that it represented a departure from our common law model of investigation and prosecution.

In October 2023, the Government approved the drafting of the General Scheme of legislation to allow Ireland to join EPPO. This detailed preparatory work will take some time to complete before the Government makes a formal decision to join EPPO.

I can assure the Deputy that, in the meantime, co-operation with the EPPO as a non-participating Member State is operational and working well. Legislative changes required to facilitate Ireland’s cooperation with the EPPO are fully operational, as of 1 November 2023. This was effected by way of amendments to the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008. Since this date, there has been ongoing positive engagement between the Central Authority and the EPPO in relation to the processing of MLA requests.

The Irish Government remains fully committed to protecting the Union’s financial interests and to providing every support possible to the EPPO as it carries out its very important work.