Hercule III: protecting the EU’s financial interests

Through its Hercule programme, the EU supports projects to improve prevention, detection and investigation of offences against its financial interests. Examples include specialised training, studies and purchase of technical tools. Further to an agreement in trilogue, a new phase of the programme should run from 2014 to 2020, with a total budget of €105 million.

The EU and its Member States (MS) must fight fraud and other illegal activities affecting the EU's financial interests (Articles 310(6) and 325 TFEU). The Treaty underlines the need for close and regular cooperation between competent authorities to this effect, given that MS implement 80% of EU expenditure in ‘shared management’ with the European Commission (EC) and collect the EU's traditional own resources. In 2012, 1 231 fraudulent irregularities involving €392 million were reported, but there were differences in approach among MS.

The Parliament (EP) has repeatedly called for standard criteria, to address the issue consistently across the EU. In addition to the 2013 reform of the European Anti ‐ Fraud Office (OLAF), legislative initiatives to step up the fight against offences affecting the EU's financial interests include proposals to harmonise MS' criminal law in this field; to set up a European Public Prosecutor's Office; and to reform Eurojust.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Report on protection of EU's financial interests http://www.europeansources.info/record/report-on-protection-of-eus-financial-interests/

ESO: Background information: Protecting the financial interests of the Union: The role of administrative investigations http://www.europeansources.info/record/protecting-the-financial-interests-of-the-union-the-role-of-administrative-investigations/

ESO: Background information: The fight against fraud on the EU's finances http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-fight-against-fraud-on-the-eus-finances/

ESO: Background information: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Hercule III programme to promote activities in the field of the protection of the European Union's financial interests http://www.europeansources.info/record/proposal-for-a-regulation-of-the-european-parliament-and-of-the-council-on-the-hercule-iii-programme-to-promote-activities-in-the-field-of-the-protection-of-the-european-unions-financial-interests/

ESO: Background information: Anti-Fraud: New anti-fraud programmes adopted to protect EU financial interests until 2020 http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-anti-fraud-new-anti-fraud-programmes-adopted-to-protect-eu-financial-interests-until-2020/

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