Codruța Kovesi's successor at the head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, one step away from being appointed
Andres Ritter Photo: ALEXANDROS MICHAILIDIS / Alamy / Profimedia
The Commission for Civil Liberties of the European Parliament (LIBE) informed on Monday, in a press release, that it supports the appointment of Andres Ritter for the position of European Chief Prosecutor (head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, EPPO), informs Agerpres. The mandate of the current head, Laura Codruța Kovesi, ends in October.
MEPs from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs voted on Monday to approve the appointment of Andres Ritter in this capacity. Ritter received 52 votes for his appointment and 10 votes against, with 6 abstentions.
On December 3, 2025, four candidates selected for this post appeared in a question and answer session with MEPs. After the hearing, MEPs voted their preferences, and Ritter emerged as the preferred candidate, with 46 votes.
The other candidates were Stefano Castellani (11 votes), Emilio Jesus Sanchez Ulled (seven votes) and Ingrid Maschl-Clausen (four votes).
Wide support for the German prosecutor
According to the website www.eppo.europa.eu, Andres Ritter became a prosecutor in Germany in 1995 and held various positions, before becoming deputy general prosecutor of the state of Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania in 2008. From 2013 to 2020, he was chief prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor's Office for economic crimes and cyber security in Rostock. He is the representative of Germany at the International Association of Judges and a member of the Commission for the Study of Criminal Law.
The European Chief Prosecutor is appointed by common agreement between the Parliament and the Council. Both institutions have preliminarily expressed their preference for Ritter.
The European Chief Prosecutor is designated by agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, both institutions having previously expressed their preference for Andres Ritter. The next stage is the vote in the plenary of the European Parliament, scheduled for March 2026.
Created in 2021, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is an independent institution tasked with investigating, prosecuting and prosecuting crimes against the European Union budget, such as cross-border VAT fraud over €10 million.
Each participating state has a European Prosecutor within the EPPO College in Luxembourg, which is chaired by the European Chief Prosecutor, a position currently held by the Romanian prosecutor Laura Codruţa Kovesi, appointed in October 2019 and whose mandate will end on October 31, 2026. Also, each participating state has at least two delegated European prosecutors, who carry out investigations in their countries.
