OLAF

 The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) was set up in 1999 to protect the EU’s financial interests and to ensure that the best possible use can be made of EU’s resources

Why OLAF?  commonly known under its French abbreviation OLAF, Office de Lutte Anti-Fraude

What is a fraud?  Fraud is a deliberate act of deception intended for personal gain or to cause a loss to another party.  An irregularity is an act which does not comply with EU rules and which has a potentially negative impact on EU financial interests, but which may be the result of genuine errors committed both by beneficiaries claiming funds and by the authorities responsible for making payments. If an irregularity is committed deliberately, however, it is fraud.  Translate the above into Croatian!

Vocabulary  fraud – prijevara  irregularity - nepravilnost  deliberate act of deception – namjeran čin obmane  to comply with – biti u skladu s  genuine error – stvarna pogreška  to claim funds – polagati prava na sredstva

Suggested translation  Prijevara je namjeran čin obmane namijenjene za osobnu korist ili koja drugoj strani uzrokuje gubitak.  Nepravilnost je čin koji nije u skladu s pravilima EU-a i koja ima potencijalno negativan utjecaj na financijske interese EU-a, ali koja može biti rezultat stvarnih pogrešaka korisnika koji polažu pravo na sredstva ili tijela nadležnih za izvršavanje uplata. Međutim, nepravilnost počinjena svjesno smatra se prijevarom.

OLAF cannot investigate:  fraud with no financial impact on the EU public funds.  corruption which does not involve Members or staff of EU Institutions and bodies.  fraudulent use of the EU logo or the name of EU institutions.

Report if you suspect…  fraud or other serious irregularities with a potentially negative impact for EU public funds, whether EU revenue, expenditure or assets held by the EU institutions.  serious misconduct by Members or staff of EU Institutions and bodies.

How to report  OLAF can be contacted anonymously.  There are no formalities.  Just give as precise and detailed information as possible.  You can communicate with OLAF in any of the 24 official EU languages.

Results of OLAF’s work  As a result of the investigations OLAF has completed since it was set up in 1999:  335 individuals have received prison sentences totalling 900 years  over €1.1 billion of EU money has been recovered (excluding financial penalties)  on average OLAF has recovered €100 million a year.

Results for 2012  €94.5 million recovered for the EU budget  EU Member States courts issued a cumulative 511 years of prison sentences – not including an additional 70 years of suspended sentences

How much does OLAF cost EU tax payers?  OLAF's running costs for 2012 amounted to €57.4 million  OLAF is also providing €21.5 million in grants and project funding to help authorities and organisations fight fraud both inside and outside the EU.

How many people are involved in fighting fraud in the EU?  EU countries manage 80% of EU funds and have primary responsibility for fighting fraud. They employ most of those involved in this fight for example police officers.  OLAF has 435 staff – of which more than two-thirds work on fraud investigations.

OLAF’s caseload  OLAF had 716 ongoing cases at the end of  OLAF opened 718 new investigations and closed 465 in  Average length of an investigation was 17.3 months in 2012.

How much fraud is committed in the EU?  EU countries reported:  Expenditure  irregularities reported as fraudulent costing €315 million (0.25% of total EU expenditure) in 2012 – compared with €295 million (0.21%) in 2011  Revenue  irregularities reported as fraudulent involving €77.6 million (0.42% of the gross amount of traditional own resources collected) for 2012 compared with €109 million (1.24%) for 2011

Translation  Translate the text about OLAF (handout)

Vocabulary  Counterfeiting – krivotvorenje  Subsidies – subvencije  Independent investigative services – nezavisna služba za provođenje istražnih postupaka  To combat fraud – boriti se protiv prijevara  Diversion of funds – zlouporaba sredstava  Agricultural expenditure – izdaci za poljoprivredu  Fraudulently acquired – na prijevaru pribavljeni novac  Director-General – glavni ravnatelj  On-the-spot check – provjera na licu mjesta  Civil offences – građanski prekršaji

Thank you for your attention!