The Competition Council and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) concluded a cooperation agreement for situations where certain offences that may cause damage to the EU budget also fall under competition rules.

According to a release from the competition authority, the cooperation will mainly cover situations involving possible fraud or irregularities in public procurement procedures, anti-competitive practices that may affect the proper use of European funds, as well as cases where information held by one institution may be relevant to the other's activity.

'The cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor's Office is an important step in strengthening the institutional capacity to identify and combat behaviours that may affect both competition and the European Union's financial interests. Through this agreement, we aim to facilitate information exchange and coordination in complex cases, especially in the area of public procurement, where breaches of competition rules can have a significant impact on the use of public funds,' Competition Council President Bogdan Chiritoiu said, as quoted in the release.

The agreement provides for coordination of certain activities in cases where the same economic operators are being investigated by both institutions, in line with each body's respective powers. In such situations, representatives of the Competition Council and the European Public Prosecutor's Office may consult each other to ensure coherence of actions and to avoid affecting ongoing investigations.

Through this agreement, the two institutions aim to facilitate the exchange of information, technical consultations and operational cooperation, while observing legal competences and the independence of each institution.

The agreement is concluded for an initial period of three years and may be automatically extended for successive one-year periods, the release added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Rodica State)