Le Parquet européen: perspectives suisses

The establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office represents an important step in the construction of the European criminal law area. In terms of its tasks, structure and modus operandi, it bears many similarities to the Swiss Ministère public de la Confédération, which is a prosecuting body responsible for investigating and supporting the prosecution of offences falling within Swiss federal jurisdiction. The challenges facing the Europe-an Public Prosecutor's Office are thus comparable to those which the Ministère public de la Confédération has been facing for many years. However, there are also a number of major differences. This contribution provides an overview of the two prosecution bodies in question. Some general elements relating to the future cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor's Office and Switzerland are also discussed.