MEP Konstantinos Arvanitis (The Left) has submitted a written parliamentary question to the European Commission, urging it to protect the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) from what he describes as extraordinary public attacks by Greek government officials. The question, filed on 20 April 2026, follows a series of statements by the Greek Minister of Health and Vice President of New Democracy, who reportedly called the EPPO 'not a serious institution', 'immature', and suggested it could be abolished by a simple law. Arvanitis also cites remarks accusing the European Delegated Prosecutor, Ms Papandreou, of blackmail and slander.
The question contains two concrete asks: first, how the Commission intends to shield the EPPO and its officials from such attacks, and second, how it plans to support the EPPO at staff level. The MEP's policy orientation is clearly pro-EPPO independence and anti-interference, seeking to strengthen the institution's standing against national political pressure. The question implies a cleavage between EU-level rule of law enforcement and national sovereignty, with the Greek minister's statements representing a pushback against perceived overreach by EU bodies.
Under European Parliament rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal the Commission's stance on defending EPPO's autonomy and may indicate whether it considers the Greek government's remarks a breach of the EU's rule of law principles. The question also highlights a broader tension between protecting EU institutions from political attacks and respecting national political discourse.