German Andres Ritter will succeed Laura Covesi as the new European Public Prosecutor General, starting on 1 November 2026, after receiving the “green light” from the European Council.

Ritter joined the German public prosecutor’s office in 1995 and has headed several prosecutors’ offices. Since 2020, he has served as Deputy European Public Prosecutor General.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is an independent EU body responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justice crimes that affect the financial interests of the European Union, such as fraud, corruption, and cross-border VAT fraud exceeding €10 million.

Role and mandate

The European Public Prosecutor General heads the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, organizes its work, and represents the office in its relations with EU institutions, Member States, and third countries.

The European Public Prosecutor General is appointed for a single, non-renewable term of seven years. The current term of Laura Covesi expires on 30 October 2026.

Together with the European Public Prosecutor General, the European Public Prosecutors form the College of the EPPO, which supervises investigations and prosecutions. The Council appoints one European Public Prosecutor for each of the 24 participating Member States.

Next steps

The European Public Prosecutor General is appointed by joint agreement between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, which must confirm the appointment.

The EPPO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests before the competent courts of the Member States. The first European Public Prosecutor General, Laura Covesi, was appointed in 2019. By the end of 2025, the EPPO had 3,602 ongoing investigations, with an estimated €67.2 billion in damages to the EU and national budgets.