Sunday 19 May 2013

The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)


The European Union budget finances a wide range of programmes and projects which improve the lives of citizens across the EU and beyond. Improper use of funds provided by the Union budget or the evasion of the taxes, duties and levies, which fund the Union budget directly harms European citizens and prejudices the entire European project.

While it has an individual independent status for the investigative function, OLAF is also part of the European Commission, under the responsibility of Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner in charge of Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud.

The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office is threefold:

it protects the financial interests of the European Union (EU) by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities;

it detects and investigates serious matters relating to the discharge of professional duties by members and staff of the EU institutions and bodies that could result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings;

it supports the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, in the development and implementation of anti-fraud legislation and policies.

By performing its mission as effectively as possible OLAF contributes to the efforts made by the EU Institutions to guarantee that the best use is made of taxpayers’ money.