Brussels, 06/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the Ecofin Council noted a report on tax fraud within the EU. The report was drawn up by a High Level Group composed of officials in tax control in the Member States. It shows that fraud has reached a worrying level and that administrative cooperation between Member States must be considerably improved. The Council invited the European Commission to put proposals forward as soon as possible, on the basis of a large number of recommendations made unanimously by the group. The European Commissioner responsible for taxation policy has already pointed out that the fight against fraud would be a key element of his new VAT strategy and that he would soon be presenting measures for more effective action against fraud in the field of direct taxation. The upcoming French Council Presidency has, for its part, pledged to discuss with the Commission in order to ensure the group's recommendations are followed through.