Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office Desislava Pironeva attended the 17th plenary meeting of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCEP), which was held on October 3-4, 2022 in Strasbourg, France.
The event focused on the role of prosecutors in environmental protection. The participants discussed the state and development of Member States in the field of the criminal-law framework and the scope of environmental crimes; the role of administrative regulation related to environmental protection; other legal regulations and procedures related to the subject, as well as the need for specialization, development of international cooperation in such investigations and the necessary interaction with specialized structures competent in the field of environmental protection.
Deputy Prosecutor General Desislava Pironeva was actively involved in the discussion, giving examples from Bulgaria of cases related to crimes against the environment and how the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria works on them.
The participants in the 17th plenary meeting debated the current situation, the aspects and messages of the discussed opinion and the challenges faced by prosecutors and prosecutorial structures participating in the CCEP, as well as key strategic priorities and policies on the initiative of the Council of Europe.
The CCEP activities of the past year and the future priorities and perspectives were presented at the regular meeting. For the next term president and vice-president were elected, as well as new members of the Bureau. Topics for following CCEP forums were discussed.
In addition to representatives of the countries with prosecutorial structures participating in the CCEP, various experts from structures and specialized services from Europe, from the European Commission and others working on the topic were present and took part in the forum via video link, including the vice president of Eurojust – Mr Boštjan Škrlec.
The Consultative Council of European Prosecutors is an advisory body to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and was established by a decision of the Deputy Ministers on July 13, 2005. Prosecutors from all member states of the Council of Europe participate in it annually, and in 2022 they are 46. Since 2007 the Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Bulgaria participates in all the meetings of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors.