Protection against fraud to the EU budget: Council agrees on its position

08 December 2016

The Council found an agreement on the directive on the protection of the financial interest of the EU, paving the way for a formal adoption of the text in the coming weeks.

The objective of the so-called PIF directive is to deter fraudsters, improve the prosecution and sanctioning of crimes against the EU budget, and facilitate the recovery of misused EU funds thereby increasing the protection of EU taxpayers' money. These common rules will help to ensure a level playing field and improved investigation and prosecution across the EU.

Lucia Žitňanská, minister for Justice of Slovakia said: "I welcome the agreement reached today after several years of discussions. The protection of the EU financial interest is key to ensure the most efficient and effective use of European taxpayers money. Having common definitions, common rules, common minimum sanctions is of outmost importance to fight fraud across the EU".

Full press release

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