Op-Ed: “Clash of Prosecutors: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office as a Guarantor of the Croatian Rule of Law”

Corruption must be prosecuted in a State governed by the rule of law. But what if the rule of law has two faces? This is how the Croatian population might feel at the moment. Since 15 November 2024, there has been intense debate about who is allowed to prosecute corruption in the country. After Health Minister Vili Beroš and seven other individuals were arrested due to a corruption scandal involving the procurement of medical equipment, an unprecedented conflict is unfolding between the Croatian Public Prosecutor's Office (DORH) and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), which was only established in 2021. The initial hope for good cooperation between the national and European prosecutors has shattered in Croatia, and the typica