Anti-fraud and risk

Fighting fraud and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the EU is a common task for both the EU and the Member States (Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)). 

The Commission implements the EU budget, complying with sound financial management principles and applying effective and efficient internal control, which includes preventing, detecting, correcting6 and following up on fraud and other irregularities (TFEU Article 317)

The responsible Commission departments and OLAF will continue to help and support Member States in monitoring and taking action to fight fraud by providing and operating integrated IT tools for data mining and enrichment. Operational tools such as Arachne and Irregularity Management System help to identify potential risks linked to the riskiest projects and contracts. 

The objectives are to improve the detection of risk areas of the use of programme and project resources and improve accuracy in the reporting and monitoring of EU funds.

The European Commission's Anti-fraud Strategy focuses on protecting the EU's financial interests from fraud, corruption, and other intentional irregularities and on the risk of serious wrongdoing inside the EU's institutions and bodies.

Where to start

The Managing Authority bears the responsibility of having effective and proportionate anti-fraud measures and procedures in place (CPR, Article 74(1)).

What we are working on

In 2025, Interact is placing a strong focus on the topic of conflict of interest. This important issue is being explored across several events, including InterFIN, the Networks for Finance Officers, and Controllers’ meetings. To further deepen the discussion, a dedicated online webinar will take place on 11 June 2025, featuring a representative from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The session will address not only conflict of interest but also broader challenges related to fraud prevention and detection in Interreg. 

Contact 

For more information please contact Florin Neculcea.

Want to exchange on this topic?

Interact offers an online space for those working with Financial programme management to share information and exchange. You can find out more about our MS Teams environment on our Networks page, and see all our networks in our Portal. 

 If you would like to learn more about this, please contact Florin Neculcea.