"Corruption is present everywhere, and there is no corruption-free country in the European Union," European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Codruta-Kovesi said in Zagreb on Friday.

“There is a myth that I would like to bust today. If Croatia or Bulgaria or Romania have more cases than some other EU member states, that does not mean that those countries are more corrupt than others. There is no ‘clean’ country in Europe, corruption is present everywhere,” Kovesi told reporters which she held during her official visit to Croatia this week.

“I can see that in Croatia there is a will to uncover those criminal offenses and to investigate them. I think that it is very important, when we talk about corruption and the fight against financial fraud, how the authorities behave. If they are trying to sweep those issues under the carpet and discover zero cases, that does not mean that they are free of corruption. I think that the number of cases reflects the existence of political will and that everyone is doing a great job,” she said.

Kovesi said that all the cases exposed are equally important, no matter if they involve ministers or ordinary people. “All are equal before the law and investigations should be conducted in the same way,” she said.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) currently deals with over 1,200 cases, and Kovesi said that she could not go into greater detail about them. Organized criminal groups are able to inflict tremendous damage with VAT fraud alone, probably between €30 and €60 billion per year.

In the first year of its operation the EPPO confiscated assets worth €250 million. The EPPO annual budget is €44 million.

“Croatia will enter the euro zone in two months’ time, and you are already in the EPPO zone, which brings advantages and responsibilities,” said Kovesi.

“The advantages mean better protection of the budget, better protection of the rule of law, and better tools in deterring criminal gangs. Responsibilities start with the uncovering of fraud to the detriment of the EU. Uncovering is the first step before investigations, prosecutions, rulings, confiscations,” she added.

She pointed out the importance of the number of delegated prosecutors and administrative staff as well as of police support.