The EU said Tuesday it had failed to agree on long-delayed plans for a public prosecutor's office to combat fraud. The 28-nation bloc may now have to settle for a smaller group of countries agreeing on closer cooperation, in another sign of a divided, two-speed Europe. Plans for a European prosecutor first emerged in 2009 to combat fraud that costs the bloc nearly 900 million euros a year.
But they have met resistance from some states who fear a loss of sovereignty as the proposed office would have powers to operate directly in member states.