In order to ensure effective investigation and prosecution, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Hungary have agreed on a working arrangement aiming to facilitate cooperation and exchange of information.
Hungary is the first from those Member States of the European Union which do not participate in enhanced cooperation that concluded a working arrangement with the EPPO.
General Prosecutor Péter Polt and European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kövesi held an online meeting on the 16th of November, 2020 to talk about the future cooperation between the two organizations. During the meeting it was established that the details of the cooperation would be explicated in a working arrangement.
The completed working arrangement was signed by European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kövesi on behalf of the EPPO and by General Prosecutor Péter Polt on behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Hungary.
The arrangement covers the methods of cooperation in criminal matters, as well as the ways of exchange of strategic information.
According to the working arrangement, the Prosecution Service of Hungary shall assist the work of the EPPO with the legal tools provided by the relevant European Union acts on judicial cooperation in criminal matters or other multilateral legal agreements. The EPPO shall apply the same legal instruments in their collaboration with Hungarian prosecution offices.
The two organizations will facilitate the efficiency of criminal procedures with reliance on the principle of sincere cooperation.
The participants stated in the arrangement that they shall organise regular high-level meetings between the European Chief Prosecutor and the Prosecutor General of Hungary, as well as technical meetings at both operational and administrative levels.
The arrangement also enables joint training sessions, and the participants may invite each other to conferences, seminars and other similar activities held by the other party.
The full text of the arrangement is available here: