The paper presents the main options of the European lawmaker in defining the contents of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 on the enhanced cooperation establishing the European Public Prosecutor Office, focusing on the substantive criminal law profiles and the criteria aimed at preserving the actual exercise of prosecutorial powers in relation with the domestic authorities. The author highlights the matters deriving from the definition of the legal framework of the brand-new European body by references to domestic rules, so maintaining the current legal patchwork in fighting offences to EU financial interests (i.e. the focus of the EPPO) and weakening the new body also in terms of legitimacy, leaving aside the matters of effectiveness.
Acknowledging the difficulties of adopting a regulation establishing the European Public Prosecutor, this article sets forth to demonstrate the real existence of the added value the creation the European Prosecutor’s office would have on the part of a limited number of Member States, in respect to the abandonment of such project due to the lack of unanimity. The paper tries to demonstrate the feasibility of such option, which would lead to a system capable of maximizing the effects of what is ostensibly possible using the tools provided by the Treaties - enhanced cooperation in this case - albeit resulting in unequal integration. To this purpose, the proposal of the regulation should be amended and adapted with a different content, aiming no longer at the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor, but at the implementation of enhanced cooperation.
Ad oltre un ventennio dall’istituzione della Direzione nazionale antimafia e delle Direzioni distrettuali antimafia è possibile tracciare un bilancio che tenga conto delle ricadute positive della disciplina e delle persistenti criticità del modello di contrasto alla criminalità organizzata fatto proprio dal codice di rito, anche in relazione ai suoi rapporti con gli organismi sovranazionali previsti in ambito europeo, cercando al contempo di prefigurare i futuri assetti in materia.