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On the expenditure side, in total, €315 million in EU funds were affected by fraud, or 0.25 per cent of the expenditure budget. This compares to €295 million the previous year. The reason for this increase lies almost entirely with two cases of fraud in pre-accession funds, involving large sums. On the revenue side of the budget, suspected or confirmed fraud amounted to €77.6 million, representing 0.42 per cent of the total traditional own resources collected for 2012. This compares to €109 million the previous year.
The Commission undertook a number of significant initiatives in 2012 to intensify the fight against fraud. In addition to the implementation of the new anti-fraud strategy, there was significant legislative progress over the last year, including:
Today's report also looks at the measures taken by Member States in 2012 to protect and defend the EU budget, and acknowledges good work in some areas. Nonetheless, the Commission underlines the need to further harmonise and strengthen Member States' approaches, to ensure that fraud is fought equivalently across the EU. A number of recommendations are made to Member States to improve fraud prevention and detection.
Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation, Customs, Statistics, Audit and Anti-Fraud, said: “The Commission is bringing the fight against EU fraud to a new level. Proposals we have tabled in the past year – not least that for a European Public Prosecutor's Office – can deliver a serious blow to fraudsters across Europe. Now Member States, too, need to show their commitment to fighting fraud to the EU budget. I urge them to step up their game at home and support the new measures at EU level. Every cent clawed back from fraudsters is money that can be spent for the public good."