Give EU Prosecutors the Keys to Sanctions Enforcement, Kallas Urges

The EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has suggested expanding the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to go after sanctions busters helping maintain Russia’s war machine. Under the idea, the Luxembourg-based agency would be given explicit authority to investigate and prosecute those who bypass European trade restrictions imposed on Moscow. Currently, EPPO focuses on financial crimes that harm the EU budget, such as subsidy fraud and corruption. Assigning it sanctions enforcement would significantly widen its reach.

EU sanctions are set at the European level, but enforcing them still depends on the varying appetite and capacity of national courts and national prosecutors. Giving a single EU agency the job would create a unified, cross-border hammer to hit companies and individuals trading banned goods with Russia. For businesses across Europe, it would mean tougher, standardized oversight and far less room to hide behind national jurisdictional borders.

Brussels loves a good procedural shortcut: whenever a broad European problem arises, someone invariably suggests expanding an existing agency rather than enduring the grueling process of creating a new one. EPPO only opened its doors in 2021, and its prosecutors are already busy chasing misdirected agriculture grants and VAT fraud. Diverting its investigative machinery to police geopolitical sanctions would transform the agency into a primary actor in foreign policy—though convincing all participating member states to hand over more legal jurisdiction to Luxembourg remains the standard uphill climb.

The proposal remains an ambition unless translated into formal legislative action. Expanding EPPO’s legal mandate requires explicit agreement among participating member states, meaning diplomats will need to weigh whether national enforcement agencies are willing to hand their authority over to Luxembourg.