Brussels, 21/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) this week announced that it plans to step up its fight against fraud in the thirteen candidate countries. In a press release, OLAF welcomes the fact that all these countries have responded to its request to have an Anti-Fraud Coordinating Service (AFCOS), to be operational before accession by the ten new Member States. "By putting the AFCOS offices in place, the candidate countries have demonstrated in concrete terms their commitment to fighting fraud. Once these structures are fully operational, the candidate countries should be capable of fighting against irregularities and fraud against the financial interests of the European Union with the same rigidity and effectiveness as they use to protect their own budget". In recent weeks, Franz-Hermann Brüner, Director General of OLAF, was in Romania and Poland in order to strengthen the cooperation that exists between the Anti-Fraud Office and these countries.
According to the most recent figures, 156 cases concerning the candidate countries are being assessed or are in the investigation phase at the Office. The main areas of inquiry concern EU aid to these countries (70 cases), customs cases (29 cases) and cigarette smuggling (27 cases).