The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has issued a reprimand to Teodora Georgieva, Bulgaria’s representative in the institution’s College, after finding her guilty of three disciplinary misconducts committed during ongoing EPPO investigations.
The decision, adopted on July 15, closes the first disciplinary proceedings against a European Prosecutor since the EPPO began operations in 2021. Georgieva had been temporarily suspended in March 2025 and was placed under an administrative inquiry intended to protect the integrity of the investigations.
A disciplinary board made up of senior serving and former EU officials unanimously found Georgieva guilty of misconduct. The College confirmed those findings on February 25, 2026, and consulted the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on whether to seek her dismissal before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Ultimately, Luxembourg opted for a reprimand. The main reason was timing: Georgieva’s mandate expires on July 28. Given her imminent departure and after considering the views of the three institutions, the EPPO decided that a reprimand was enough to bring the proceedings to a close.
The measure therefore avoids potential institutional damage while acknowledging that one of its members acted improperly.
The Prosecutor’s Office recognises serious misconduct in the handling of its investigations, considers dismissal and then decides not to pursue it because the official responsible has less than two weeks remaining in office.
The case originated in an investigation into the expansion of the Chiren underground gas storage facility, a strategic infrastructure project for Bulgaria and southeastern Europe that received €78 million in EU funding. The EPPO opened an investigation into possible irregularities and searched the offices of Bulgartransgaz in August 2024.
Georgieva later said she had withdrawn from the case because she felt threatened by Bulgarian political leader Delyan Peevski, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption. Peevski denied the allegations. The case also became caught up in leaks, compromising videos and claims that Bulgarian political and judicial networks were resisting European investigations.
The EPPO’s internal leniency is even more striking because it comes as it opens a new front against Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. European Delegated Prosecutor Daniela Bártíková opened proceedings on May 24 concerning EU subsidies granted to companies previously controlled by Agrofert, the conglomerate founded by Babiš.
The opening of proceedings does not establish guilt or mean that charges will necessarily follow. It does, however, extend the judicial and administrative pressure that has surrounded Babiš for years and which his supporters see as selective, particularly because of his sovereigntist views and his clashes with Brussels.
