GETTY European Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová is campaigning for EPPO

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Jean-Claude Juncker's European Commission wants to set up a European public prosecutors office (EPPO) to investigate and clamp down on tax fraud that costs member states an eye-watering £42billion a year. But with firebrand Wilders’ anti-EU Freedom Party expected to gain seats in elections next March, MPs are reluctant to provide him with more ammunition. They voted against the plan in the Dutch parliament in defiance of recommendations by Justice Minister Ard van der Steur. Britain, Ireland and Denmark have already opted out of the idea and several other EU governments including Sweden are unlikely to back the European Commission’s proposals at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

GETTY Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur

We collectively use the money of EU taxpayers and we should be able to collectively have better control over that money European Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová

Furious European Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová, who has spent almost four years putting pressure on sceptical justice ministers to agree to EPPO's creation, is now threatening to withhold funds from cash-strapped eastern and central European countries unless they back her plan. Ms Jourová has ramped up her campaign in recent weeks with visits to Italy, France, Slovenia, Hungary and Poland for talks with ministers and MPs. And she told politics website Politico: "We collectively use the money of EU taxpayers and we should be able to collectively have better control over that money.

GETTY Dutch right-winge Geert Wilders is expected to de well in next yeat's elections

"When I received information that the Dutch parliament voted against the prosecutors’ office it was obvious we needed to intensify our lobbying effort in the countries which showed the greatest scepticism." Ms Jourová has raised the possibility of withholding £54bn of EU cohesion funds from reluctant member states in a heavy-handed bid to win their support. She said: "I myself cannot imagine a member country receiving a further financial injection from the common European treasury without the willingness to be under the scope of the EPPO. It’s a logical argument."

GETTY Věra Jourová has threatened to withhold EU funding from countries that do not back EPPO

What countries are in the EU? Wed, September 14, 2016 In the wake of Brexit, we look at the 28 member states that are in the European Union. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 29 Countries that are in the European Union