The Council adopted its position at first reading view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Anti-Fraud Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 250/2014.
The proposed regulation aims at establishing the EU’s anti-fraud programme for the duration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027.
Aim of the programme
The proposed new programme aims to:
- support Member States' efforts to combat fraud, corruption and other illegal activities and irregularities affecting the financial interests and the budget of the Union;
- finance targeted training and the exchange of information and best practice between anti-fraud authorities across Europe.
The programme should also support investigative activities through the purchase of technical equipment used to detect and investigate fraud and facilitate access to secure information systems.
Budget
The financial envelope for the implementation of the programme for the period 2021-2027 should amount to EUR 181 207 000 in current prices.
This envelope should be distributed as follows:
- EUR 114 207 000 to prevent and combat fraud, corruption and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the EU;
- EUR 7 000 000 to encourage the reporting of irregularities, including fraud, in relation to shared management and pre-accession aid funds of the Union budget;
- EUR 60 000 000 to provide tools for information exchange and support for operational activities in the field of mutual assistance in customs and agricultural matters.
A ceiling of 2% is set for technical and administrative assistance expenditure related to the implementation of the programme.
Eligible actions
To be eligible for funding, the actions supported should, in particular:
- provide technical expertise, specialised and technically advanced equipment and efficient IT tools improving transnational and multidisciplinary cooperation and cooperation with the Commission;
- enhance staff exchanges for specific projects, ensuring the necessary support and facilitating investigations, in particular the setting up of joint investigation teams and cross-border operations;
- provide technical and operational support to national investigations;
- strengthen the IT capacity of all Member States and third countries;
- organise specialised training, risk analysis workshops, conferences and studies to improve cooperation and coordination between the services concerned.
Where the action to be supported involves the acquisition of equipment, the Commission should ensure that the funded equipment is appropriate for the purpose of contributing to the protection of the financial interest of the Union.
Co-financing
The Council position provides for a maximum co-financing rate for grants of 80% of eligible costs, which in exceptional cases could be increased to a maximum of 90% of eligible costs.
Participation of third countries
The programme would be open to participation by members of the European Free Trade Association who are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries, as well as countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy.
The proposed regulation encourages the participation of entities established in third countries which have concluded an association agreement with the EU, with a view to enhancing the protection of the Union's financial interests through cooperation on customs matters and the exchange of best practices.
Programming, monitoring and evaluation
The work programme would be adopted by means of implementing acts without recourse to the committee procedure and the Commission could adopt delegated acts to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the programme and to amend the annex to the regulation containing a list of monitoring indicators.
The Commission should report annually to the European Parliament and the Council on the performance of the programme as part of its report on the protection of the Union's financial interests. It should take due account of the recommendations made by the European Parliament in this context.