An introduction to EPPO’s prospects: expectations, status quo and potential

This paper reviews the current status and future perspectives of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), noting that its establishment – following twenty years of negotiations – was by no means guaranteed. The author emphasises the importance of complementing technical and legal analysis with an interdisciplinary and practical approach. Taking this viewpoint, the article examines issues relating to the EPPO’s material competence, its controversial institutional structure and the highly fragmented procedural framework. The structural and operational difficulties of the new office are considered in the context of the long-standing tension between supranationalism and intergovernmentalism within the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. It ends by suggesting that establishing the EPPO and dealing with its operational difficulties in its early years represents a major challenge and an outstanding opportunity for the legal community to engage in institutional innovation and implementation of a real European criminal justice system.