In its annual report published on Friday 1 March, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) reveals a clear increase in investigations and legal action against fraud affecting the European Union’s finances over the past year.
At the end of 2023, the EPPO was conducting no fewer than 1,927 investigations, equivalent to an estimated loss of €19.2 billion to the EU budget, a situation that highlights the scale of fraudulent activities.
A significant proportion of these investigations, representing 59% of the total loss of €11.5 billion, was linked to serious cross-border VAT fraud, involving 339 cases. These figures demonstrate the complexity and high level of organised criminal networks which make them particularly difficult to detect on a national scale.
The report also highlights the vulnerability of new sources of EU funding, with 206 active investigations linked to the first projects financed by NextGenerationEU, representing an estimated loss of more than €1.8 billion.
The EPPO processed 4,187 crime reports in 2023, an increase of 26% compared with 2022, thanks in particular to enhanced cooperation with national authorities, reflecting a significant improvement in fraud detection. The number of investigations also jumped, by 58%, with 1,371 new cases investigated, involving damage estimated at €12.28 billion.
With 139 indictments filed, an increase of more than 50% on the previous year, the EPPO is demonstrating its determination to bring the perpetrators of EU fraud to justice.
In a press release, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi stressed that the EPPO’s performance was not only a matter of economic interest, but also a major issue of internal security.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/b3v (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)