Anti-fraud program

0,18 billion

Specific program of collaboration in the area of anti-fraud

Analysis | Iter | Text | Status | Info | Calls | Results | Site | Docs | News | Events

DG / Responsible Agencies:OLAF

Potential beneficiaries

EU public authorities involved in anti-fraud activities.

Description and objectives

The financial interests of the Union are threatened by fraudulent activities and financial irregularities. It is a Union-wide phenomenon, which requires cooperation between the Union and the Member States and between Member States. The program aims to provide coordination to EU anti-fraud activities and financial, technical and information support to member states in their efforts to protect the EU’s financial interests.

The program is structured into three components:

1. Preventing and combating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities detrimental to the financial interests of the Union;
2. Support for the reporting of irregularities, including fraud, to the detriment of the Union Budget, in relation to shared management funds and pre-accession funds;
3. Provision of information exchange tools and support for operational activities in the field of mutual administrative assistance in customs and agricultural matters.

Types of actions and projects

The program is mainly intended for public authorities active in European active in a specific field. Its actions are declined as follows within the three components:

1. Assistance to Member States in fulfilling their obligations to protect the financial interests of the Union, through support for the purchase of specific anti-fraud equipment aimed at detecting and investigating irregularities, fraud and corruption detrimental to the EU’s financial interests; specific training courses, conferences, targeted studies and other support actions (staff exchanges, establishment of investigation teams and joint cross-border operations, etc.);
2. Provision and maintenance of the system for reporting and management of irregularities and fraud in funds under shared management in the pre-accession assistance funds to facilitate compliance by member states and candidate countries with the relevant obligations;
3. Operation and maintenance of the Anti-Fraud Information System, supporting mutual assistance of member states in customs and agricultural matters, and related activities (joint customs operations, training courses, and preparatory or evaluation meetings for operational actions).

Highlights

The anti-fraud program combines three different tools from the previous programming period: the Hercules program, the Anti-Fraud Information System, and the Irregularity Management System.