COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Annual overview with information on the results of the Hercule III Programme in 2014 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLEMENT AND THE COUNCIL Protection of the European Union's financial interests - Fight against Fraud Annual Report 2014
Date: 2015-07-31
Institutions: European Anti-Fraud Office, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, cross-border cooperation, fight against crime, financial intervention, fraud, fraud against the EU, implementation of the budget, technical cooperation, vocational training

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 31.7.2015  SWD(2015) 151 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Annual overview with information on the results of the Hercule III Programme in 2014 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLEMENT AND THE COUNCIL Protection of the European Union's financial interests - Fight against Fraud Annual Report 2014 {COM(2015) 386 final} {SWD(2015) 152 final} {SWD(2015) 153 final} {SWD(2015) 154 final} {SWD(2015) 155 final} {SWD(2015) 156 final}  
 
 
 
 
 
1. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 

1.1 

1.2 

1.3 

Hercule III Programme ............................................................................................ 3 

Hercule III: eligible actions, beneficiaries and budget ............................................ 3 

Purpose and scope of this overview ......................................................................... 4 

2.  Budget implementation in 2014 ...................................................................................................... 5 

2.1 

2.2 

Budget implementation by type of financial intervention ....................................... 5 

Budget implementation by type of eligible action ................................................... 7 

2.2.1   Technical assistance grants ................................................................................. 7 

2.2.2  

IT support: Databases, IT tools and analyses of samples from tobacco seizures 8 

2.2.3  Conferences, seminars and digital forensic training ........................................... 9 

2.2.4 

Legal training and studies .................................................................................. 10 

3.  Achievements 2014 ...................................................................................................................... 11 

3.1 
Improving  the  prevention  and  investigation  of  fraud  and  other  illegal  activities 
beyond current levels by enhancing transnational and multi-disciplinary cooperation ....... 11 

3.2 
Increasing  the  protection  of  the  financial  interests  of  the  Union  against  fraud  by 
facilitating  the  exchange  of  information,  experiences  and  best  practices,  including  staff 
exchanges ............................................................................................................................. 12 

3.3 
Strengthening  the  fight  against  fraud  and  other  illegal  activities  by  providing 
technical  and  operational  support  to  national  investigation,  and  in  particular  customs  and 
law enforcement, authorities ................................................................................................ 13 

3.4 
Limiting the currently known exposure of the Union’s financial interests to fraud, 
corruption and other illegal activities with a view to reducing the development of an illegal 
economy  in  key  risk  areas  such  as  organised  fraud,  including  cigarette  smuggling  and 
counterfeiting ....................................................................................................................... 16 

3.5 
Enhancing the degree of development of the specific legal and judicial protection 
of the financial interests of the Union against fraud by promoting comparative law analysis

17 

4.  Communication ............................................................................................................................ 18 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

Informing potential applicants ............................................................................... 18 

Dissemination of results ......................................................................................... 18 

Publicity ................................................................................................................. 19 

5. 

Feedback from participants ........................................................................................................... 19 

6.  Conclusions and way forward ...................................................................................................... 19 

Annex 1: Grants and contracts awarded and finalised in 2014 ............................................................. 20 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1. 

Introduction 

1.1  Hercule III Programme 

The  Hercule  III  Programme  is  the  successor  of  the  Hercule  II  (2007-2013)  Programme  and 
the first Hercule Programme (2004-2006). The aim of the Hercule III Programme (hereinafter 
referred  to  as  ‘the  Programme’)  is  to  protect  the  financial  interests  of  the  European  Union 
(EU) by fighting fraud, corruption and other irregularities. The Programme provides support 
to national and regional administrations in Member States which ‘promote the strengthening 
of action at Union level to protect the financial interests of the Union’. Grants are awarded to 
the  competent  authorities  in  the  Member  States  to  strengthen  their  operational  capacity  to 
investigate activities detrimental to the Union’s financial interests. The financial support goes 
towards the purchase of technical equipment, such as x-rays scanners, software and hardware 
for digital forensic examinations, as well as sniffer dogs. To a lesser extent, the Programme 
also serves to finance training activities and conferences for Member States’ authorities. 
The Programme’s legal basis1 requires the Commission to adopt an annual work programme 
for  the  implementation  of  the  Programme  and  to  submit  a  report2  on  the  main  results  and 
achievements every year to the European Parliament and to the Council. 

This  is  the  first  annual  overview  of  the  achievements  and  results  following  the   
implementation of the first annual work programme3 in 2014. 

The  Programme  is  the  only  instrument  specifically  dedicated  to  protecting  the  Union’s 
financial interests and is administered by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which, in 
the field of anti-fraud policy, is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. 

The general objective of the Programme is ‘to protect the financial interests of the Union thus 
enhancing  the  competitiveness  of  the  Union’s  economy  and  ensuring  the  protection  of  the 
taxpayers’ money’4, whereas its specific objective is ‘to prevent and combat fraud, corruption 
and  any  other  illegal  activities  affecting  the  financial  interests  of  the  Union’5.  The  five 
operational  objectives6  of  the  Programme  are  addressed  in  section  3  of  this  report,  together 
with an overview of the main results of the actions carried out under the Programme and how 
they contributed to achieving the operational objectives. 

1.2  Hercule III: eligible actions, beneficiaries and budget   

There are three types of eligible actions7 supported by the Programme: 

(1) 

‘Technical assistance’8: this relates to support aimed at providing specific 
knowledge,  equipment and information  technology (IT)  tools to  national 

1  

2  
3  
4  
5  
6  
7  
8  

Regulation (EU) No 250/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014, OJ L 84 of 20 March 2014. 
The  Regulation  entered  into  force  on  21  March  2014  and  was  applicable  from  1  January  2014  onwards.  Article  13  of  this 
Regulation (Monitoring and evaluation) requires the Commission to ‘provide the European Parliament and the Council, on an 
annual basis, with information on the implementation of the Programme, including on the achievement of the objectives of the 
Programme and the results’. 
Article 13 of Regulation 250/2014. 
The first annual work programme was adopted by Financing Decision C(2014)3391 final of 26 May 2014. 
Article 3 of Regulation 250/2014. 
Article 4 of Regulation 250/2014. 
Article 5 of Regulation 250/2014. 
Article 8 of Regulation 250/2014. 
It is important to underline that ‘Technical assistance’ as defined in Regulation 250/2014 differs substantially from the term  used 
in  Article  121(7)  of  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  1268/2012  of  29  October  on  the  Rules  of  Application  (RAP)  of 
Regulation 966/2012 (Financial Regulation - FR), which defines technical assistance as ‘support and capacity-building activities 
necessary for the implementation of a programme or an action, in particular preparatory, management, monitoring, evaluation, 
audit and control activities’. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
authorities as well as providing specific databases and IT tools facilitating 
data access and analysis; 

‘Training’, which relates to support for training activities, conferences and 
legal studies focused on protection of the Union’s financial interests. This 
includes legal training and studies; 

‘Any  other  action’  necessary  for  attaining  the  general,  specific  or 
operational objectives of the Programme. 

(2) 

(3) 

The Programme’s beneficiaries9 are: 

  National or regional administrations of a Member State; 
  Research  and  educational  institutes  and  non-profit-making  entities  in  the  Member 

States. 

They  must  ‘promote  the  strengthening  of  action  at  Union  level  to  protect  the  financial 
interests of the Union’. Costs incurred in enabling persons from third countries to participate 
in  an  event  organised  with  funding  from  the  Programme,  such  as  conferences,  seminars  or 
training, can be considered as eligible costs under certain conditions. 

The  budget  for  implementing  the  Programme  in  2014  amounted  to  EUR  13.7  million  in 
commitment appropriations and EUR 11 million in payment appropriations, and was financed 
under item 24.0201 of the European Union budget for 201410. 

1.3  Purpose and scope of this overview 

The annual overview is intended to fulfil the requirement under Article 13(1) of Regulation 
(EU) No 250/2014 to ‘provide the European Parliament and the Council, on an annual basis, 
with information on the implementation of the Programme, including on the achievement of 
the  objectives  of  the  Programme  and  the  results’.  To  that  end,  this  overview  covers 
information  on  actions  for  which  financial  commitments  were  made  under  the  2014  work 
programme  (section  2)  as  well  as  the  results  of  actions  that  were  finalised  in  2014  but 
committed under the Hercule II Programme in previous years (section 3).   

9  

10  

Article 7 of Regulation 250/2014 determines the geographical scope of the Programme. The participation of national and regional 
administrations  from  third  countries  (including  EEA  countries  and  Switzerland)  in  the  Programme  is  subject  to  an  agreement 
between the respective third countries and the Union on the former’s participation in EU programmes. For the time being, no such 
agreement is in force. 
OJ L 51 of 20 February 2014, p. 989 and p. 991-992. The payment appropriations were not sufficient to cover the commitments 
made in 2014 and in earlier years under the Hercule II Programme. This led the Budget Authority to make additional payment 
appropriations of EUR 942 750 available in December 2014. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
2. 

Budget implementation in 2014  

The budget for implementing the Programme amounted to EUR 13.7 million in commitment 
appropriations.  Table  1  gives  an  overview  of  the  available  budget  and  the  commitments 
made in 2014. 

Table 1: Available budget and commitments made in 2014 

TYPES OF ELIGIBLE ACTIONS 2014 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

Technical assistance grants 
IT support 
            IT Databases 
            IT Data analysis (JRC) 
            Tobacco analysis 

and  digital 

seminars 

ANTI-FRAUD TRAINING  
Conferences, 
forensics training 
            Training  
            Conferences  
            Forensic training 
Legal training and studies 

OTHER ACTIONS 
TOTAL 2014 

Grants 

Procurement 
Procurement 
Procurement 

Grants 
Procurement 
Procurement 

Grants 
Procurement 

BUDGET  COMMIT11 
 10 639 836 
 10 250 000 
8 683 356 
7 450 000 

% 
 104.00 
116.56 

2 400 000 
200 000 
200 000 

1 756 480 
200 000 
0 

73.19 
100.00 
0.00 

3 400 000  

3 036 187  

 89.30  

900 000 
1 100 000 
800 000 

621 747 
1 184 132 
734 640 

69.08 
107.65 
91.83 

550 000 
50 000  

495 668 
0 

90.12 
0.00 

27 700 
13 677 700 

0 
13 676 023 

0.00 
  99.99 

The  information  in  the  table  above  only  relates to  commitments.  Payments  under  the  grant 
agreements and most of the contracts committed in 2014 cannot be reported on as most of the 
payments were only made in 2015. 

2.1  Budget implementation by type of financial intervention 

The  types  of  financial  intervention12  for  implementing  the  Programme  were  public 
procurement (contracts) and grants. Contracts were concluded between the Commission and 
one or more economic operators on the basis of Title V of the Financial Regulation (FR)13 for 
the  purchase  of  goods  or  services,  such  as  access  to  databases  or  the  development  of  IT 
systems.  The  Commission  has  availed  itself  of  the  possibility  to  conclude  framework 
contracts (FWC)14, the purpose of which is to establish the terms governing specific contracts 
to be awarded during a given period. In 2014, several specific contracts were concluded under 
existing FWCs amounting overall to EUR 4 750 000 (as shown in Graph 1) for the purchase 
of IT support (including access to databases) and the organisation of conferences and training 
events. 

11  

12  
13  

14  

Commitments cover the total costs in 2014 of legal obligations (contracts, grant agreements/decisions) entered into for operations 
extending over more than one year (Article 7, FR). The total amount for the commitments cannot exceed the allocated budget. 
Article 10 of Regulation 250/2014. 
Regulation 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the 
general budget of the Union (Financial Regulation — FR), OJ L 298 of 26 October 2012. Title V (Articles 101-120) determines 
the rules on public procurement, whereas Title VI (Articles 121-137) contains the rules in relation to the award of grants. 
Article 101(2) FR. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Grants  are  direct  contributions  to  finance  an  action  intended  to  help  achieve  an  EU  policy 
objective. Grants are awarded following a call for proposals, inviting applicants to submit a 
proposal  for  an  action  that,  in  the  case  of  the  Hercule  Programme,  helps  in  achieving  the 
Programme’s objectives. The beneficiary of a grant becomes the legal and economic owner of 
the  goods  or  services  that  are  purchased  with  the  help  of  the  grant.  Under  the  Programme, 
grants  covering  up  to  80 %  of  the  eligible  costs15  can  be  awarded.  In  exceptional  and  duly 
justified cases16, the Commission can award grants covering up to 90 % of the eligible costs. 
In 2014, the overall budget for grants was EUR 8 900 000. The Commission launched three 
calls  for  proposals  in  June  2014  (Technical  assistance,  Legal  training  and  Training  & 
Conferences), which eventually led to the award of 44 grants in 2014 and 2015. 

The  graphs  below  give  a  breakdown  of  the  budget  (planned)  and  achieved  commitments  in 
2014 by type of financial intervention and by type of eligible action. 

Graph 1: Hercule III budget and commitments in 2014 by type of financial intervention 

Budget 2014   

Commitments 2014  

3,875,252 
    28% 

4.750.000 
35% 

Grants

Procurement

8.927.700 
65% 

9,800,771 
72% 

Grants

Procurement

Graph 2: Hercule III budget and commitments in 2014 per type of eligible action 

2.800.000 
20% 

Budget 2014 

600.000 
4% 

2.800.000 
21% 

7.477.700 
55% 

Technical
Assistance

IT Support

Anti-fraud
Training

Legal Training

2.540.519 
19% 

Commitments 2014 

495.668 
4% 

1.956.480 
14% 

8.683.356 
63% 

Technical
Assistance

IT Support

Anti-fraud
Training

Legal Training

Information on the calls was published in the Official Journal17, on the Commission’s website 
and it was also transmitted to the members of the Advisory Committee for the Coordination of 
Fraud Prevention (COCOLAF). The grants were awarded after an Evaluation Committee had 
examined the submitted proposals (‘applications’) on the basis of four sets of criteria18. These 
criteria  had  been  listed  in  the  calls  to  ensure  that  the  Programme  is  implemented  in 
accordance with the Financial Regulation19 and its Rules of Application20 and to ensure that 

15  
16  

17  
18  
19  

Article 10(4) of Regulation 250/2014. 
The  annual  work  programme  contains  the  criteria  as  required  under  Article  11  of  Regulation  250/2014  for  the  definition  of 
exceptional and duly justified cases. Applicants were given the possibility to indicate whether or not their applications should be 
considered for the  maximum co-financing percentage of 90 %. The Commission decided not to apply the 90 % funding rule as 
none of the applications managed to demonstrate in a convincing manner their compliance with the criteria in the annual work 
programme. In addition, the aggregated requests for funding substantially exceeded the available budget and eventually made it 
impossible for the Commission to consider this option.  
OJ C227 of 17 July 2014, p. 11. 
Eligibility, exclusion, selection and award criteria. 
As required under Article 10(1) of Regulation 250/2014. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
the  ‘best  value  for  money’  is  obtained  for  the  actions  to  be  funded  under  the  grants.  The 
award criteria were as follows: 

  Added value of the application for protecting the financial interests of the European 

Union; 

  Conformity with the operational objectives of the Programme; 
  Quality; 
  Value for money.   

The  graph  below  gives  an  overview  of  the  number  and  amounts  of  commitments  made  for 
grants in 2014 by Member State. 

Graph 3: Hercule III commitments and number of grants in 2014 by Member State 

 3 

3 

2.500.000,00

2.000.000,00

1.500.000,00

1.000.000,00

500.000,00

0,00

4 

1 

1   5  2 

5 

5  1  1  2  1 

2  1  1  1  1  1 

LT BG PL PT MT FR ES IT RO NL SE LV EL DE HR SK HU CZ BE DK EE IE CY LU AT SI FI UK

2.2  Budget implementation by type of eligible action 

2.2.1   Technical assistance grants 

The budget for technical assistance grants amounted to EUR 7 450 000 and was available for 
grants to support national and regional authorities seeking to purchase, implement and install 
special equipment and tools needed in the fight against fraud affecting the financial interests 
of the Union. This support included tools and devices for combating cigarette smuggling and 
counterfeiting. Examples of actions for which funding could be requested were21: 

  Purchase  and  maintenance  of  investigational  tools  and  methods,  including 

specialised training in their use; 

Purchase  and  maintenance  of  devices  and  animals  to  carry  out  inspections  of 
containers,  trucks,  railway  wagons  and  vehicles  at  the  EU’s  external  borders  to 
detect smuggled and counterfeited goods; 

20  

21  

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation 966/2012, 
OJ L 362 of 31 December 2012. 
See section 6 of the specifications of the call: http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/policy/hercule-iii/index_en.htm. 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                         
Purchase,  maintenance  and  interconnection  of  systems  for  the  recognition  of 
vehicle  number  plates  (Automated  Number  Plate  Recognition  Systems  – 
ANPRS) or container codes. Specialised training needed to operate these systems 
is included; 

 Purchase  of  services  to  support  Member  States’  capacity  to  store  and  destroy 
seized cigarettes.   

Following  its  June  2014  call  for  proposals,  the  Commission  received,  by  the  deadline  of  1 
September 2014, 83 applications from 26 different Member States requesting a total amount 
of  EUR  43  million,  which  was  six  times  higher  than  the  available  budget  of  EUR  7.45 
million. Once the submitted applications had been evaluated, 21 grants for an overall amount 
of  EUR  8.7  million  were  awarded22.  The  average  co-financing  percentage  for  the  awarded 
grants amounted to 80 % of the eligible costs of the action. The grants were awarded for the 
purchase of investigational equipment (including forensic equipment: 10 grants); the purchase 
of  x-rays  scanners  (5  grants);  and  the  purchase  and  training  of  sniffer  dogs  (2  grants). 
Automated  Number  Plate  Recognition  Systems  (ANPRS)  accounted  for  3  grants  and  one 
grant was awarded for the destruction of seizures. Table 1 in Annex 1 gives an overview of 
the grants and co-financing rate, the beneficiaries and the supported action. 

2.2.2   IT support: Databases, IT tools and analyses of samples from tobacco seizures 

Databases 

The  Programme  provides  funds  to  procure  databases  or  subscription  to  databases  for  law 
enforcement  authorities  in  the  Member  States  in  order  to  support  their  operations  and 
investigations. The Commission procures and manages the access to databases, thus enabling 
substantial economies of scale. OLAF staff also use these databases for their investigations. In 
2014,  the  databases  were  purchased  by  making  use  of  specific  contracts  under  framework 
contracts concluded in 201123, 201224 and 201325. Table 3 in Annex I gives an overview of 
the contracts awarded in 2014. 

Development of specific IT tools for data analyses 

Two projects for the analysis of ‘big data’ that were initiated under the Hercule II Programme 
were  continued  in  2014.  The  Automated  Monitoring  Tool  (AMT)  and  Container  Traffic 
(CONTRAFFIC)  projects  are  being  carried  out  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  under 
administrative arrangements. These two projects provide the appropriate tools for supporting 
investigations  that  need  data  and  analyses  on  container  movements  (current  and  past), 
providing more realistic and effective scenarios for joint customs operations. 

The  AMT  generates  automated  alerts  for  outliers  in  trade  data  and  can  be  used  to  monitor 
trade flows relevant to intelligence analyses and targeted controls by Member States’ customs 
authorities.  The  AMT  has  improved  authorities’  ability  to  detect  the  undervaluation  of 
imported goods and made them more efficient, freeing up human resources and time for other 
investigation  work.  However,  the  AMT  is  only  expected  to  reach  its  full  potential  with 
improvements that aim at reducing the number of ‘false positive’ alerts. These improvements 
have only started under the Hercule III Programme and will be continued in 2015-2016. 

22   

23  
24  
25  

This amount was higher than the earmarked budget in the annual work programme. At the end of 2014, appropriations that were 
not committed for other types of eligible actions were transferred to technical assistance. 
OLAF/2011/C5/027 for ship movements. 
OLAF/2012/D5/022 for manifest data. 
OLAF/2013/D5/020 for trade data, OLAF/2013/D5/021 and OLAF/2013/D5/022 for company data. 

8 

 
 
                                                 
The CONTRAFFIC Single Administrative Document (CONTRAFFIC-SAD) analysis system 
is  a  pilot  project  run  by  the  Commission  (OLAF  and  JRC)  in  collaboration  with  customs 
authorities in ten Member States. The aim of the project is to evaluate the feasibility and to 
demonstrate the effectiveness of using Container Status Messages data to identify imports of 
containerised goods where the origin country is wrongly declared. The project is based on the 
CONTRAFFIC  technology  developed  at  the  JRC  in  collaboration  with  OLAF  over  the  last 
10 years. The administrative arrangement for the CONTRAFFIC project was renewed in 2014 
for  an  amount  of  EUR  200 000  and  runs  until  the  end  of  July  2015.  Section  3  contains 
examples of the results obtained in 2014 with the AMT and CONTRAFFIC tools. 

Tobacco analyses 

The  work  programme  provided  for  financial  support  to  enable  Member  States’  customs 
authorities  to carry out an additional analysis of samples taken from cigarettes and tobacco 
seizures. Under the Hercule II Programme, these analyses were carried out by a laboratory in 
Scotland.  This  contract  expired  in  July  2014.  The  budget  earmarked  in  this  year  for  this 
activity was therefore added to the budget for technical assistance grants. 

2.2.3  Conferences, seminars and digital forensic training 

Conferences organised under grants 

The  training  activities  supported  under  the  Programme  aim  at  providing  grants  to 
beneficiaries  in  the  Member  States  for  the  organisation  of  targeted  specialised  and  risk 
analysis training workshops, seminars and conferences. This training is also intended to create 
networks  between  Member  States,  accession  countries,  candidate  countries,  other  third 
countries and international public organisations in order to facilitate exchange of information, 
experience and best practices. The key outcomes were: 

 

Improved  skills  and  competences  of  law  enforcement  officials  involved  in  fraud 
investigations; 

 

Increased awareness of fraud risk indicators (‘red flags’) and EU anti-fraud policy; 

  More  effective  dissemination  of  specialised  methodologies,  tools  and  techniques  to 
fight  and  prevent  fraud,  corruption  and  irregularities  perpetrated  against  the  Union's 
financial interests. 

The  Commission  received  29  applications  from  14 Member  States  by  the  deadline  of  15 
September 2014. The aggregated budget of the 29 applications amounted to EUR 3.5 million, 
and  the  Commission  was  asked  to  contribute  EUR  2.8  million,  whereas  only  EUR  0.9  was 
available.  Following  evaluation  of  the  applications,  the  Commission  eventually  awarded  12 
grants for an amount of EUR 621 747, with 17 applications being rejected. Table 4 in Annex 
1 gives an overview of the grants and co-financing rate, the beneficiaries and the supported 
action. 

Conferences under procurement 

The Programme also gives financial support for the organisation by the Commission (OLAF) 
of high-level conferences and ad-hoc training activities focused on protection of the Union’s 
financial interests. The Commission used the services of two firms26 specialised in organising 
events under framework service contracts for the organisation of its conferences. The overall 
budget for conferences under procurement was EUR 1.1 million. 

26  

MCI Benelux S.A., and AMEX, both located in Brussels. 

9 

 
 
                                                 
Table  5  in  Annex  1  provides  an  overview  of  the  nine  events  that  were  procured  by  the 
Commission  in  2014.  The  conferences  under  procurement  included  the  organisation  of  the 
Task  Group  Cigarettes,  the  annual  conference  of  fraud  prosecutors,  training  seminars  for 
AFCOS members and debriefings of joint customs operations (JCOs). 

Training under procurement: Computer forensics training 

The  Commission  signed  a  specific  contract  for  the  organisation  of  nine  digital  forensic 
training  courses  during  a  two-week  training  session  in  October  201427.  The  training  was 
organised in Zagreb by a service provider28 under a framework service contract concluded in 
2013. The target audience consisted of staff employed by national or regional administrations 
of the Member States and third countries which promote stronger action to protect the Union's 
financial interests. The training courses were given by 44 trainers and were attended by 275 
participants. 

The  training  session  consisted  of  one  basic  and  eight  specialised  and  advanced  courses  in 
digital forensics designed to enable the participants to improve their skills and competences in 
tools and software used to retrieve and secure data from computers, tablets, mobile phones or 
any  other  digital  devices.  The  courses  were  developed  by  an  international  organisation  of 
computer forensic experts29, which also provided the trainers and ensured the quality control. 
At the end of the training sessions, the participants had to pass an exam to assess the newly 
acquired  skills  and  competences.  Most  participants  succeeded  in  passing  these  tests.  The 
training  sessions  also  gave  the  participants  an  opportunity  to  network  and  to  exchange 
information and best practices in relation to computer forensic examinations. 

Overall, the 2014 training costs amounted to EUR 734 640, which included the training itself, 
accommodation as well as the travel costs for the participants. 

2.2.4  Legal training and studies 

Legal  training  and  studies  is  a  part  of  the  training  that  aims  at  enhancing  the  degree  of 
development  of  specific  legal  and  judicial  protection  of  the  Union’s  financial  interests  by 
promoting comparative law analyses. The following actions are supported: 

  Development of high-profile research activities, including studies in comparative law; 

 

Improvement  of  cooperation  between  practitioners  and  academics  (e.g.  through 
conferences,  seminars  and  workshops),  including  organisation  of  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Presidents  of  the  Associations  for  European  Criminal  Law  and  for  the 
Protection of the Union’s financial interests; 

  Raising  awareness  among  the  judiciary  and  other  branches  of  the  legal  profession 
about  the  protection  of  the  financial  interests  of  the  European  Union,  including  the 
publication of relevant scientific knowledge. 

The  Commission  received  16  applications  from  eight  Member  States  by  the  deadline  in 
September 2014. The aggregated budget of the 16 actions amounted to EUR 1.2 million and 
the  Commission  was  asked  to  contribute  an  amount  of  EUR  964 303  (79.2 %  co-funding), 
whereas  EUR  550 000  was  available.  The  Commission  decided  to  award  grants  to  eight 
applicants for an overall amount of EUR 495 668, with an average co-financing rate of 80 %. 

27  

28  
29  

This was the autumn session of the digital forensics training. In June 2014, the spring session took place in Zagreb as well. The 
latter session was committed under the 2013 budget of the Hercule II Programme. 
Insig2 Ltd, Zagreb, Croatia. 
International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS), a US based association. 

10 

 
 
                                                 
The  grants  were  awarded  among  other  things  for  the  organisation  of  conferences  on  the 
European  Public  Prosecutor,  criminal  and  administrative  investigation  in  the  VAT  area,  as 
well  as  the  publication  of  a  periodical  on  the  protection  of  the  Union’s  financial  interests. 
Table 7 in Annex I gives an overview of the grants awarded in 2014. 

3. 

Achievements 2014 

The  previous  section  looked  at  the  grants  and  contracts  awarded  under  the  Programme  in 
2014.  This  section  provides  an  overview  of  the  main  results  achieved  by  the  Programme’s 
beneficiaries using the equipment and services purchased with  grant  aid. As a condition for 
the final payment, beneficiaries have to submit a final technical report giving a summary of 
the results in terms of, for example, the number and value of seizures made  with the newly 
purchased equipment, the number of persons under investigation or arrested and an estimate 
of  the  (prevented)  losses  to  the  national  and  the  Union’s  budget.  For  conferences,  seminars 
and  training  events,  the  beneficiaries  have  to  indicate  the  results  of  a  mandatory  survey 
amongst the participants to  measure the relevance  and quality  of the event. The final report 
must  clearly  indicate  how  the  action  contributed  to  the  achievement  of  the  Programme’s 
objectives.  The  report  must  also  address  any  problems 
the 
implementation  of  the  action,  such  as  delays  in  procurement  procedures.  For  a  technical 
assistance grant, the beneficiary has to submit a final implementation report one year after the 
formal closing date of the grant agreement. 

that  occurred  during 

This  section  looks  mainly  at  the  results  as  reported  in  the  final  reports  on  grants  that  were 
awarded  before  2014,  but  they  will  be  discussed  in  the  light  of  the  new  Programme’s 
operational objectives30. 

3.1 
Improving  the  prevention  and  investigation  of  fraud  and  other  illegal 
activities  beyond  current  levels  by  enhancing  transnational  and  multi-
disciplinary cooperation31 

All of the activities undertaken in this area contributed to achieving this operational objective. 
The  specialised  anti-fraud  training  ensured  a  far-reaching  anti-fraud  and  anti-corruption 
campaign  across  the  EU  and  allowed  wide  dissemination  of  anti-fraud  measures  protecting 
the EU’s financial interests. The training seminars covered a wide range of disciplines, from 
fraud prevention and detection to combating the counterfeiting of cigarettes and tobacco, and 
focused on laws and practices to prevent fraud with EU funds. 

The main results of these actions are: 

 

 

 

 

30  
31  

better  understanding  of  modi  operandi  and  knowledge  obtained  in  the  field  of 
preventing and combating fraud detrimental to the EU’s financial interests; 

specific skills in prevention, detection and investigation in the fight against fraud; 

input  for  further  development  and  improvement  of  the  activities  of  national 
organisations, including legislative work; 

dissemination of information about the latest developments, methods, techniques in 
the field of the fight against fraud and corruption; and 

The final payments were made from payment appropriations made available under the new Programme.  
This operational objective corresponds to the requirements set out in Article 1(2)(a) of Decision 804/2004/EC of 21 April 2004 
establishing  a  Community  action  programme  to  promote  activities  in  the  field  of  the  protection  of  the  Community’s  financial 
interests, OJ L 143 of 30 April 2004, as amended by Decision 878/2007/EC of 23 July 2007, OJ L 193 of 25 July 2007. 

11 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
 

information obtained through networks established between organisations. 

Two  examples  of  conferences  and  their  results  finalised  in  2014  are  given  below.  A 
comprehensive  overview  of  the  finalised  training  events  is  given  in  Annex  I,  Table  6 
(training) and Table 8 (legal training): 

Transparency  International  Budapest  organised  a  two-day  conference  in  Budapest  in 
February  on  ‘Safeguarding  EU  funds  against  fraud  &  corruption  through  the  civil 
control  mechanism  of  Integrity  Pacts’.  The  conference  was  attended  by  41  participants 
from  12  Member  States  and  it  aimed  at  exploring  the  possibilities  for  safeguarding  the 
Union’s  financial  interests  by  developing  a  corruption-prevention  tool  for  use  in  public 
procurement  and  contracting.  One  of  the  results  of  this  conference  was  the  publication  of  a 
handbook and a compendium  providing a toolbox for authorities to prevent and fight fraud 
and corruption.   

The  ‘Partnership  for  Social  Development  in  Croatia’  organised  two  conferences  and  a 
number of working group meetings within the framework of the ‘Cross-Country Legal and 
Institutional  Framework  for  Suppression  of  Fraud  in  Public  Procurement’.  The 
conferences  covered  a  wide  range  of  topics  that  are  relevant  in  the  development  and 
implementation  of  anti-fraud  policies  in  Croatia  and  Romania,  such  as  drafting  risk 
assessments,  consultations  with  relevant  policy  stakeholders,  further  development  of  anti-
fraud  tools  as  well  as  ways  to  address  bottlenecks  in  the  current  legal  and  institutional 
framework to fight fraud and corruption. The conferences and meetings  took  place between 
November 2013 and May 2014 and were attended by 188 participants from law enforcement 
authorities and the legal profession. 
The project led to the following results: 

 
It laid the groundwork for changes in the Romanian public procurement (PP) system; 
  The research undertaken gave clear insight into what is happening in the Romanian PP 

system and possible PP-related risks were identified; 

  The Croatian experience was used as a model to try to improve the Romanian PP 

system; 

  Romanian stakeholders have been acquainted with the Croatian PP system and 

experience regarding the changes that were introduced in 2011/2012; 

  The relevant stakeholders started to discuss the need for a new PP Act and more 

transparent PP system. 

3.2 
Increasing  the  protection  of  the  financial  interests  of  the  Union  against 
fraud  by  facilitating  the  exchange  of  information,  experiences  and  best 
practices, including staff exchanges32  

The general and legal training activities in particular contributed to achieving this objective, 
while  exchanges  of  information  through  the  AMT  and  CONTRAFFIC  tools  increasingly 
support customs in drawing up risk analyses as the basis for their targeted controls.   

In October 2014, OLAF organised the 12th OLAF Fraud Prosecutors Conference in Rome, 
which was attended by more than 120 public prosecutors from all the EU Member States. The 
main objective of the conference was to discuss with the practitioners from the Member States 
the negotiated proposal for the establishment of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The 
conference provided a forum in which practitioners could express their views on the proposal, 
providing the Commission and the Member States with valuable input. 

32  

Article 1(2)(b) and Article 1(a)(a)(iii) of Decision 804/2004/EC. 

12 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.3  Strengthening  the  fight  against  fraud  and  other  illegal  activities  by 
providing  technical  and  operational  support  to  national  investigation,  and  in 
particular customs and law enforcement, authorities33   

The  Programme  provided  grants  for  the  purchase  of  technical  equipment  to  be  used  by 
investigation, customs and law enforcement authorities in order to: 

  ensure the availability of better technical equipment across the EU and increase 

compatibility to facilitate cross-border cooperation and achieve procurement savings; 

  make efficient use of the equipment acquired; 
 
  be better at detecting offences and provide higher quality of evidence for use in court 

facilitate joint operations and international support for operations; 

proceedings. 

The  grants  also  cover  expenditure  for  the  maintenance  of  equipment  as  well  as  specific 
technical  training  for  operational  staff  to  ensure  its  optimal  usage  and  management. 
Beneficiaries of technical assistance grants have started reporting on the results one year after 
the closing date of the agreement, thus enabling a better overview and understanding of the 
longer-term  impact  of  the  Programme.  Beneficiaries  report  for  example  on  the  number  and 
amount of cigarette and tobacco seizures, estimates of the prevented losses to national and the 
Union’s budget, the emergence of new fraud schemes, the detection of networks of organised 
crime  groups  or  the  number  of  arrests  made.  This  information  contributes  to  improving  the 
transparency  of  the  Programme’s  implementation,  insofar  as  such  transparency  does  not 
endanger  ongoing  operations  and  investigations,  and  helps  identify  the  strengths  and 
weaknesses of the Programme’s implementation.   

The Commission received reports on the implementation of grants that were funded under the 
Hercule II budgets of previous years. Even though it is difficult and sometimes impossible to 
establish a direct causal relationship between the grant support on the one hand and the results 
achieved  with  the  equipment  purchased  on  the  other  hand,  it  can  certainly  be  assumed  that 
without the financial support a substantially lower number of arrests, seizures and convictions 
would have been made and that the efficiency and effectiveness of staff using the equipment 
would not be as high as is the case nowadays. The results obtained with x-ray scanners, for 
example, clearly demonstrate this relationship, whereas it is more difficult to demonstrate in 
the case of support given for the purchase of digital forensics software or devices to monitor 
vehicles  or  persons  suspected  of  involvement  in  illicit  activities.  A  few  examples  are  given 
below.    

The  Treasury  Intelligence  Department  of  the  Polish  Ministry  of  Finance  upgraded 
telecom devices and purchased optical surveillance systems used in surveillance vehicles. The 
equipment is used for monitoring the movements of people, cars and trucks during operations 
in  support  of  investigations  in  relation  to  the  smuggling  of  tobacco  products  as  well  as  the 
evasion  of  VAT  and  import  duties.  The  equipment  was  used  in  several  operations  and 
investigations, such as: 

  an  investigation  into  irregularities  with  imports  from  China  leading  to  the  undue 

refunding of VAT to economic operators; 

  an operation allowing the detection of illegal cigarette imports by an organised crime 
group which accounted for losses to the national budget of more than EUR 21 million; 
  an  investigation  into  suspicions  in  relation  to  illicit  trade  in  fuel,  where  the  estimated 

33  

Article 1(2)(c) of Decision 804/2004/EC. 

13 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
losses to the national budget amounted to more than EUR 10 million.  

The  Hungarian  National  Tax  and  Customs  Administration  (NTCA)  purchased  thermal 
cameras and video cameras as well as tracking & tracing devices to improve the monitoring of 
illegal crossings at its external eastern border. The equipment was, and continues to be, used 
in many operations with the following tangible results: 

 

following the deployment of the high-performance mobile observer, 355 581 boxes of 
untaxed cigarettes (total value of EUR 900 000) were confiscated between August and 
November  2014,  representing  increases  of  106 %  compared  with  the  same  period  in 
2013 and of 412 % compared to 2012; 

  hand-held  thermal  cameras  were  used  in  an  operation  leading  to  the  detection  of 
56 500  boxes  of  stolen  cigarettes  with  a  total  value  of  EUR  150 000.  The  same 
equipment  was  used  for  operational  procedures  in  relation  to  infringements  of 
industrial property rights where counterfeited detergents and cleaning products with a 
total value of EUR 13 000 were confiscated. Ten persons were heard as suspects, three 
of whom were held in custody; 

  specialised  equipment  was  also  used  in  investigating  VAT  evasion  cases  concerning 
rapeseed oil and biodiesel products, with total damage of EUR 2.5 million. No seizure 
of goods has been made but EUR 2.7 million was blocked as indemnity. Four persons 
were detained in custody. 

The Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection purchased tracking & tracing devices as well as 
two surveillance vehicles for its daily operations. It reported the following results: 

  detection  of  an  organised  criminal  group  (6  persons)  suspected  of  involvement  in 
cigarette  and  tobacco  smuggling.  The  investigation  led  to  the  seizure  of  1.6  million 
packages  of cigarettes and 540 tobacco  packages with  a value estimated at EUR 5.5 
million; 

  detection  of a group  of 8 persons that smuggled  oil, LPG and lubricants and evaded 

the payment of import duties of up to EUR 1 million.  

Examples of procured access to external databases 

The  Commission  has  procured  access  to  external  databases  for  use  by  law  enforcement 
authorities  in  the  Member  States.  The  trade  information,  company  data  or  container 
movements provide essential operational information for investigators in the Member States 
and OLAF and are used as input for risk analyses by customs to target their controls. 

A  commercial  database  of  worldwide  trade  statistics  with  aggregated  figures  is  used  by 
both the Member States and OLAF to analyse trade flows, identify potentially suspicious 
trade and cross-check allegations of customs fraud involving Member States. Cross-checks 
can  support  decisions  on  whether  to  open  a  case  or  not,  thus  saving  resources  for  all 
concerned. 

  The Automated Monitoring Tool (AMT) is an IT tool developed by the Joint Research 
Centre (JRC) and is used in joint customs operations by OLAF and the Member States 
targeting the undervaluation of imported goods, which causes huge losses to the EU and 
Member  States’  budgets  every  year.  The  operation  prevented  the  loss  of  EUR  80 
million  in  customs  duties.  In  one  month,  OLAF  and  the  participating  customs 

14 

 
 
 
 
authorities  detected  more  than  1 500  containers  of  goods  whose  customs  value  was 
heavily  underdeclared.  This  involved  false  descriptions  of  goods,  false  weights  and 
quantities, and counterfeit goods. In addition, the authorities identified several ‘missing’ 
traders and non-existent importers, triggering a number of criminal and administrative 
investigations in several countries; 

  OLAF noticed changes in the trade pattern, namely a sudden increase in the export of 
biodiesel  from  the  USA  to  several  third  countries  and  a  corresponding  increase  in 
imports  into  different  Member  States  of  biodiesel  from  those  third  countries.  A 
commercial database of worldwide trade statistics was used to identify and quantify the 
trade flows. If the product originates in the USA then anti-dumping and countervailing 
duties  are  due.  If  originating  in  the  third  countries,  no  extra  duties  are  due. 
Investigations in several countries established that the product originates in the USA, is 
transhipped  via  the  third  countries  and  the  origin  is  misdeclared  as  being  the  third 
countries  to  avoid  extra  duty  payment.  The  outcome  was  that  the  Member  States 
involved recovered substantial amounts in customs duties; 

 

  On  another  occasion,  trade  flows  identified  from  the  database  failed  to  confirm  an 
allegation  of  transhipment  of  a  Chinese  product  via  a  third  country  and  the  case  was 
therefore  dismissed.  Although  no  revenue  was  recovered,  there  was  a  cost  and  time 
saving to the Member States and OLAF; 
Information related to the movements of vessels and containers has contributed to many 
successful investigations in the area of international cigarette smuggling led by Member 
States’  authorities  in  cooperation  with  OLAF.  In  one  instance,  the  analysis  based  on 
information  collected  from  a  database  on  movements  of  vessels  produced  significant 
insights  into  the  cigarette  smugglers’  methods  and  modus  operandi  by monitoring  the 
vessels suspected of carrying contraband cigarettes; 
Information on suspect containers is also a vital tool for OLAF and the Member States. 
The movements of the containers are monitored with the aid of the CONTRAFFIC tool 
(developed by the JRC) and a database providing information on vessel movements to 
see where the container or ship is positioned. In the course of one OLAF investigation 
related to the movements of containers involving several Member States, 12 seizures of 
large  quantities  of  contraband  cigarettes  were  made  with  the  aid  of  information  on 
container movements provided by the databases. These operations prevented substantial 
losses to the EU budget in unpaid customs duties and taxes; 

 

  Customs duties, anti-dumping duties and quantitative or other import restrictions depend 
on the origin of imported goods. Because of the large volumes of goods entering the EU 
markets, customs officers are able to check only a small fraction of customs declarations. 
Given  the  ever-rising  volume  of  trade,  carrying  out  this  type  of  control  manually  is  a 
daunting  task,  as  it  is  difficult  to  verify  the  authenticity  of  the  declarations.  The 
CONTRAFFIC  tool  covers  a  significant  percentage  of  the  worldwide  maritime 
shipments  effected  by  the  main  ocean  carrier  companies  and  was  used  to  develop 
automatic  cross-checking  of  the  origin  declared  by  importers  in  the  Single 
Administrative  Document 
fraudulent 
declarations  and  supporting  validation,  in  support  of  the  activity  of  national  customs 
authorities. 

(SAD)  datasets,  detecting  potentially 

15 

 
 
3.4  Limiting  the  currently  known  exposure  of  the  Union’s  financial  interests 
to  fraud,  corruption  and  other  illegal  activities  with  a  view  to  reducing  the 
development  of  an  illegal  economy  in  key  risk  areas  such  as  organised  fraud, 
including cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting34 

Several actions contributed to achieving this objective in 2014. The widespread availability of 
illicit tobacco within the EU has led to the loss of considerable tax and duty revenues (losses 
to the EU and Member State budgets as a result of cigarette smuggling are estimated to be at 
least EUR 10 billion per year35). One feature of the illicit market for cigarettes in the EU is the 
significant quantity of counterfeit products available at lower cost than the genuine products. 
Examples of these actions are given below: 

The Polish Customs Chamber purchased x-ray scanners and video endoscopes that are used 
for checking vehicles and baggage at the EU’s external eastern border, which is particularly 
exposed to illegal imports of cigarettes and tobacco. The beneficiary reported that, as a result 
of the use of this equipment, 228 242 smuggled cigarettes were confiscated, representing EUR 
9 000 in unpaid VAT and EUR 35 000 in unpaid excise duty. 

The German Ministry of Finance purchased 3 mobile x-ray scanners in 2012. The ongoing 
use  of  the  scanners  in  2014  led  to  the  seizure  of  56.50  kg  of  smuggled  tobacco,  6 005 860 
cigarettes, 588 litres of fuel and 129 kg of amphetamines. 

The  Romanian  Arad  County  Police  Inspectorate  coordinated  between  February  and  April 
2014 an action entitled ‘PRO-JET-Development of a professional law enforcement network in 
Romania, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria, involved in the fight against cigarette smuggling and 
counterfeiting’. It involved on-the-spot checks at border crossing points along the Romanian 
border, organisation of seminars, working groups as well as the publication of a handbook on 
preventing and combating cigarette smuggling. The results of a survey among the participants 
indicated that they had acquired knowledge and awareness on the following issues: 

  The national legal framework for protection of the Union’s financial interests and the fight 

against cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting as implemented in the four countries 
participating in the project (Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Serbia); 

  Possibilities for combating smuggling at the south-west border of Romania; and 
 

Inter-institutional cooperation between the Romanian police and other law enforcement 
agencies. 

The  training  also  gave  the  participants  an  opportunity  to  exchange  experiences  and  best 
practices related to protection of the Union’s  financial interests and the fight against cigarette 
smuggling and counterfeiting. 

The Financial Directorate of the Slovak Republic organised between April and June 2014 
several seminars on the subject of ‘Fight against smuggling of cigarettes and illegal tobacco 
production’.  The  five-day  seminars  were  organised  for  customs  officers  from  different 
organisational  units  of  the  Slovak  financial  administration,  working  in  the  area  focused  on 
fighting  against  cigarette  smuggling  and  illegal  tobacco  production.  The  objectives  of  the 

34  
35  

Article 1(2)(e) of Decision 804/2004/EC. 
COM(2013) 324 final of 6 June 2013: Stepping up the fight against cigarette smuggling and other forms of illicit trade in tobacco 
products – A comprehensive EU strategy. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
project were to: 

- make officers from the Slovak Custom Administration more efficient in detecting customs 
fraud in the area of cigarette and tobacco smuggling and counterfeiting; 

-  improve  knowledge  of  procedures  and  legislation  in  the  fight  against  cigarette  smuggling 
and illegal tobacco production by exchanging information and experiences in this field. 

19th  Task  Group  Cigarettes  Conference  organised  by  OLAF  in  October  2014  in  Prague 
brought  together  customs  and  law  enforcement  officials  from  all  the  Member  States, 
candidate countries, third countries and international organisations. Through this type of event 
the Member States are encouraged to improve operational cooperation by sharing analytical 
information  and  intelligence  among  their  customs  authorities  and  relevant  EU  institutions, 
bodies, agencies and competent offices.  

3.5  Enhancing  the  degree  of  development  of  the  specific  legal  and  judicial 
protection  of  the  financial  interests  of  the  Union  against  fraud  by  promoting 
comparative law analysis36  

This operational objective is mainly achieved through legal training grants that are awarded to 
comparative  law  studies,  legal  conferences  and  seminars  and  publications.  The  conferences 
are attended by prosecutors, lawyers, investigators, police officers, academics, researchers and 
national  civil  servants,  as  well  as  officials  of  the  EU  institutions.  The  purpose  of  these 
conferences  and  seminars  is  to  promote  the  dissemination  of  legal  information  on  the  latest 
developments in the area of fraud prevention and the fight against fraud, and they constitute a 
good forum for discussion of future legislative solutions in the field of protection of the EU’s 
financial  interests.  The  Programme  has  continued  funding  the  publication  of  ‘eucrim  –  The 
European Criminal Law Associations’ Forum, which was published four times in 2014 by the 
German Max Planck Institute. The following subjects were addressed: current developments 
in  the  protection  of  the  EU’s  financial  interests  and  the  activities  of  OLAF,  the  latest 
developments  in relation to  EU criminal  policy, threats to the EU internal  market and VAT 
fraud,  as  well  as  judicial  control  in  the  EU.  It  has  a  print  run  of  2000  copies,  which  are 
distributed  free  of  charge  to  universities,  libraries,  courts,  law  enforcement  authorities  and 
individual subscribers. The publication is also available on the  internet37. 

The  Hague  University  of  Applied  Sciences  organised  a  seminar  on  ‘Negotiated 
settlements for corruption offences: A European perspective’, which took place in May 
2014 in the Hague, the Netherlands. The key objective of the seminar was to identify and 
assess laws and initiatives of selected European jurisdictions in order to determine areas of 
commonality, differences and scope for harmonisation with regard to negotiated settlements 
for corruption offences. The seminar also sought to draw up a roadmap of key issues that 
need  to  be  addressed  with  regard  to  a  European  perspective  on  negotiated  settlements. 
Researchers and experts from eight European countries assessed the prospects of negotiated 
settlements as a strategy in the fight against corruption. The country reports produced from 
this exercise provided a clear and comparative viewpoint of the regulatory and enforcement 
mechanisms  regarding  international  corruption  across  the  selected  jurisdictions.  The 
participants  were  very  satisfied  about  the  quality  and  the  relevance  of  this  seminar.  The 
seminar  proceedings  as  well  as  a  book  entitled  ‘Negotiated  Settlements  for  Corruption 

36  
37  

Article 1a (b) (vii) of Decision 804/2004/EC. 
eucrim.mpicc.de/ 

17 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
Offences:  A  European  Perspective’  (edited  by  Dr  Abiola  Makinwa,  Eleven  International 
Publishing)  make  a  useful  contribution  to  the  growing  discussion  about  a  European 
perspective  on  the  issue  of  negotiated  settlements  as  well  as  to  OLAF’s  activities  in  this 
area. 

The ESADE Foundation – University Ramon Llull conducted a comparative law study on 
‘Avoiding  Fraud  in  Cohesion  Policy  2014-2020:  a  comparative  study  on  the  correct 
observance and implementation of the public procurement EU regulations by managing and 
contracting authorities’. This led to: 
  a  comparative  law  study  dealing  with  fraud  in  public  procurement  of  ERDF  and 
Cohesion  Fund  projects  within  different  operational  programmes  2007-2013  with  an 
analysis of different practices in four Member States (Spain, Italy, Germany and Poland); 
  a  one-day  seminar  for  presenting  and  discussing  the  results  of  the  comparative  study 
structured through round tables with speakers from universities, managing and certifying 
authorities, national institutions and beneficiaries. 

The results can be found on the action’s dedicated webpage:  http://www.esade.edu/research-
webs/eng/igdp/debate/fraud-prevention 

4. 

Communication  

Successful implementation of the Programme required the development of a structured way to 
inform  potential  beneficiaries  of  funding  opportunities,  and  to  provide  answers  to  questions 
from (potential) beneficiaries by means of four different functional email boxes38. Moreover, 
the Commission is required39 to disseminate information on the achievements and the results 
of the actions that receive funding. 

4.1 

Informing potential applicants 

Notices concerning the launch of calls for proposals were published in the Official Journal40 
and the full texts of the documents were made available on the Commission’s website41. The 
professional networks were actively informed. Potential applicants were also informed via e-
mails  sent  to  the  members  of  the  Advisory  Committee  for  the  Coordination  of  Fraud 
Prevention  (COCOLAF),  the  OLAF  Anti-Fraud  Communicators  Network  (OAFCN)  and 
European Judicial Training Network (EJTN). The training call was also published in the news 
section of the e-Justice portal. 

4.2  Dissemination of results 

The  dissemination  of  results achieved  under the  Hercule  Programme,  in  particular technical 
assistance, is  rather  sensitive  as  most  of  the  achievements  relate  to  investigations  for  which 
information  cannot  be  disclosed.  Electronic  and/or  paper  reports  summarising  the  training 
activities were distributed. Some beneficiaries posted the training materials on their websites 
or created a dedicated website. 

38  

39  

40  
41  

The  four  functional  mailboxes  consist  of  a  general  e-mailbox  for  the  Hercule  III  programme  and  dedicated  email  boxes  for 
Technical Assistance, Anti-fraud Training and Legal Training. 
Article 13(1) of Regulation 250/2014: The Commissionshall on an ongoing basis disseminate, including on relevant websites, the 
results of the activities supported under the Programme to increase transparency on the use of the funds’. 
OJ C 227 of 17 July 2014, p. 11. 
http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/funding/index_en.htm. 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
4.3  Publicity 

All beneficiaries of grants for training activities were requested to mention the support from 
the Hercule III Programme: 

 

in every publication (title page) or related material (e.g. studies, booklets, newsletters, 
leaflets); 
in electronic information (e.g. websites, audio-visual material, videos, software); 

 
  at information events (conferences, seminars); 
  via a link from their website to the Hercule III Programme’s site. 

The  Commission  continued  making  improvements  to  the  website  giving  information  on  the 
Hercule  Programmes.  Beneficiaries  of  technical  assistance  grants  were  only  required  to 
mention  the  Hercule  support  in  their  reports  and  any  other  document  or  press  release  that 
reported  on  the  results.  There  is  no  need  to  include  a  reference  to  Hercule  funding  on 
equipment  purchased  with  a  grant,  in  particular  if  this  might  endanger  operations  or 
investigations. 

5. 

Feedback from participants 

As indicated in section 3.1, beneficiaries of grants for conferences have to carry out surveys 
among  the  participants  to  collect  information  on  the  perceived  quality  and  relevance  of  the 
event. The total number of participants at the events in 2014 was almost 1700, who were all 
requested  to  fill  in  an  evaluation  form  with  questions  on  the  event’s  relevance  for  their 
professional activities, the quality of the organisation and the speakers or the venue and other 
issues. The Commission received 1 401 questionnaires (83 % response rate) expressing a high 
rate of satisfaction: more than 95 % of the participants considered the event good or excellent. 
The  feedback  also  confirmed  that  the  events  were  attended,  in  general,  by  an  audience  as 
targeted  by  the  organisers.  Moreover,  the  informal  feedback  collected  by  Commission  staff 
attending the events as well as the qualitative comments made in the evaluation forms helped 
in  identifying  areas  for  improvement,  such  as  conference  logistics,  prior  information  on 
cancellations or the requirement for trainers to have the necessary pedagogical, linguistic and 
cross-cultural skills. 

6. 

Conclusions and way forward 

As described above, the implementation of the Programme in 2014 and the results reported by 
the beneficiaries of grants were overall successful. Improved reporting of the results has led to 
a better understanding of the impact of the EU’s interventions and greater transparency. The 
reporting  demonstrates  the  existence  of  a  link  between  the  actions  undertaken  within  the 
Programme and the protection of the EU’s financial interests, though the modest size of the 
Programme should be taken into account in this respect. The revised reporting requirements 
were  introduced  two  years  ago  and  are  now  starting  to  produce  interesting  findings  on  the 
achievements of the Programme, in particular in the technical assistance area. These findings 
tie in with the main results of the external evaluation carried out by an independent evaluator 
in  2014,  which  was  the  input  for  the  Commission’s  report42  on  the  achievement  of  the 
objectives of the Hercule II Programme (2007-2013). For 2015, the Commission will aim at 
further  enhancing  the  quality  of  reporting  on  the  Programme  and  it  will  also  simplify  and 
streamline,  as  far  as  possible,  the  administrative  procedures  that  applicants  and  grant 
beneficiaries have to comply with to secure funding under the Programme.  

42  

COM(2015) 221 final of 27 May 2015. 

19 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
Annex 1: Grants and contracts awarded and finalised in 2014 

Table 1 — Technical Assistance grants awarded in 2014 

MS 

Beneficiary 

Subject 

Total Awarded 
in Euro 

Co-fin 
% 

LT 
FR 
ES 
FR 
BG 
FR 
LT 
PL 

Lithuanian customs 
French customs -Paris 
Guardia Civil – Border command 
French customs -Marseille 
Bulgarian customs 
French customs - Tourcoing 
FCIS Lithuania 
Polish customs 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9  MT  Maltese customs 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 

Guardia Civil 
ES 
French customs – Martinique 
FR 
Swedish customs 
SE 
FIOD Netherlands 
NL 
French customs – Montreuil 
FR 
Bulgarian Home Office 
BG 
Bistrita County Police 
RO 
PL 
Polish customs 
LV  KNAB Latvia 
BE 
EL 
PT 

Belgian customs 
Greek customs 
Portuguese Judicial Police 

Joint ANPRS Baltic States 
Tracking services 
Sniffer dogs 
Laboratory equipment 
x-ray scanners  
Sniffer dogs 
Investigation equipment 
Backscatter scanner 
Backscatter scanner 
IMSI Catcher 
x-ray scanner 
ANPRS  
Scanner  
ANPRS  
Intelligence equipment purchase 
Cameras 
Forensic software & equipment 
Forensic software & equipment 
Forensic equipment 
Destruction of seizures 
Forensic software & equipment 

Total 

2 222 560 
115 072 
233 527 
104 000 
1 467 224 
38 777 
46 336 
852 800 
584 000 
330 578 
100 167 
224 000 
261 180 
209 598 
284 442 
64 681  
184 466 
186 411 
42 520 
200 000 
931 017 
8 683 354 

80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 
80 

Table 2 — Technical Assistance grants finalised in 2014 

Beneficiary 

Subject 

Amount paid 

% 
grant 
to total 
cost 

MS 

PL 

HU 

Ministry of Finance, Treasury 
Intelligence Department 
National Tax and Customs 
Administration 

PL 

Customs Chamber in Olsztyn 

DE 

FR 

RO 

Bundeskriminalamt – BKA 

French Customs Laboratories 

National Anti-Corruption 
Directorate within the Office of 
the General Prosecutor 

FI 

Helsinki Police Department 

IE 

ES 

Irish Tax and Customs, Office of 
the Revenue Commissioners 
Dirección general de la policía y 
de la Guardia Civil 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Modernisation of technical 
equipment 
Strengthening the eastern border 
section of Hungary 
Procurement of operational 
equipment (x-ray scanner, video 
endoscope) 
Purchase of technical equipment 
Lutte contre la contrebande et la 
contrefaçon des cigarettes 

78 097 

302 620 

42 730 

72 000 

94 871 

49 

50 

50 

46 

30 

Surveillance equipment 

43 679 

46 

Technical equipment for 
strengthening the investigational 
capacity of the Helsinki Police 

Mobile x-ray inspections van 

Technical equipment 

115 619 

48 

95 000 

162 053 

49 

50 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
10 

EE 

Estonian Tax and Customs Board 

11 

RO 

General Inspectorate of the 
Romanian Police 

12 

LU 

Unité Spéciale de la Police 
Grand-Ducale 

13 

LV 

Latvian State Revenue Service 

14 

ES 

15 

RO 

16 

BE 

Dirección general de la Policiá y 
de la Guardia Civil 
National Anti-Corruption 
Directorate (DNA) within the 
Office of the General Prosecutor 
Belgian Federal Police 

17  HU  National Protective Service 

18 

IT 

Guardia di Finanza 

19 

RO 

Anti-Corruption General 
Directorate 

20 

21 

22 

LV 

ES 

IT 

23 

EL 

State Border Guard of the 
Republic of Latvia 
AEAT – Spanish Customs) 

Guardia di Finanza 

Greek Ministry of Citizen 
Protection 

24 

SK 

Financial Directorate of the 
Slovak Republic 

25 

IE 

Office of the Revenue 
Commissioners, Investigations & 
Prosecutions Division 

26 

BE 

Service Public Fédéral Finances 

27 

PL 

28 

BE 

29 

CZ 

30  HU 

Regional Police Headquarters 
Lublin (KWP) 
Belgian Federal Ministry of 
Finance – Belgian Customs 
General Directors of Customs - 
GDC 
Special Service for National 
Security – SSNS 

31 

ES 

Spanish Customs  

32  HU 

Special Service for National 
Security – SSNS 

33  NL  Netherlands Police Agency 

34 

BE 

35 

EE 

Belgian Customs and Excise 
Administration 
Estonian Police and Border Guard 
Board – Central Criminal Police 

Purchase of technical equipment 

210 730 

Monitoring device for GSM 
communications 
Strengthening the operational 
capacity for fighting cross-border 
criminal economic activities 
Technical tracking and 
observation equipment 
Purchase of a fuel unloading 
system 

Technical support in fighting 
corruption 

Investigation support 
Investigational capacity 
enhancement in the field of the 
fight against corruption. 
Investigation tools for the 
prevention of cigarette smuggling 
in the EU 
Support for implementing the 
provisions of the National Action 
Plan for preventing and 
countering tax evasion 

Sniffer dogs 

Purchase of technical equipment 
Mobile forensics tools in the fight 
against fraud 

87 225 

50 

250 000 

50 

38 427 

58 800 

80 048 

104 424 

18 073 

349 472 

48 

108 340 

50 

12 747 

160 875 

224 811 

50 

50 

50 

50 

49 

48 

50 

50 

50 

49 

Investigation support equipment 

54 332 

Technical equipment used by the 
Slovak Customs in the fight 
against cigarette smuggling 

56 350 

49 

x-ray scanners 

45 000 

50 

Assistance technique d’aide à 
l’enquête 

Investigation support equipment 

Assistance technique d’aide à 
l’enquête 
Special audio tool for 
investigation 
Investigation support and 
technical equipment 
Giro-stabilised night and day 
vision system 
Equipment for the fight against 
smuggling and counterfeiting of 
tobacco products in Hungary  
Special equipment for improving 
fraud evidence-gathering abilities 

Scanners 

Technical support for detecting 
the presence of cigarettes and 

21 

15 578 

80 000 

26 916 

78 097 

259 100 

393 500 

49 

44 

50 

49 

37 

50 

389 877 

31 

43 464 

547 315 

174 000 

50 

49 

50 

 
 
36 

LT 

Special investigation service of 
the Republic of Lithuania 

37 

PL 

Central Anti-corruption Bureau, 
Warsaw 

38 

IE 

39  HU 

Central Intelligence & Drugs 
Enforcement, Revenue, IPD – 
Irish Customs 
National Tax and Customs 
Administration (NTCA) 

40  DE  GSG9 der Bundespolizei 

41 

FI 

42  DE 

43 

LT 

Finnish Customs – Tulli – 
Enforcement department, Control 
Unit 
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) 
Meckenheim 
Lithuanian Customs Criminal 
Service 

44 

PL 

Central Bureau of Investigation – 
Warsaw 

tobacco 

Special investigation tools 

80 513 

49 

Purchase of digital radio-
communication equipment and 
development of technical security 
countermeasures. 

Enhanced tobacco detection 
capability – Sniffer dogs 

Equipment to fight against fraud 
and cigarette smuggling 
Technical equipment to monitor 
persons and vehicles 

41 736 

50 

12 151 

50 

211 943 

108 698 

50 

48 

Mobile x-ray scanner 

734 507 

50 

Investigation support equipment 

80 371 

Special technical equipment for 
facilitating investigations 
Electronic surveillance equipment 
and training to detect illicit 
consignments of tobacco products 

50 

50 

117 151 

399 641 

50 

Total  

6 660 881 

48 

Table 3 — Databases that were contracted under the Hercule III budget in 2014 

Name 

Content 

Total Price in Euro 

1 

CTI 

China Trade Information: Detailed shipments of 
Chinese imports and exports 

2  NTELX 

  Information on ship manifests 

3  GTI 

Global Trade Information Services 

GRS 

4 

Global Reference Solution: contains basic company 
information from all over the world and gives 
information on links between companies 

D&B reporting 
system 

Dun & Bradstreet: Financial details of companies all 
over the world 

5 

SEASEARCHER 

Information on vessels and vessel movements 

Total committed under 2014 budget 

59 960* 

732 000 

200 000 

575 000 

249 480 

1 756 480  

* The CTI subscription for 2014 was already committed in 2013 under the Hercule II budget and is not included 
in the total. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Table 4 — Training grants awarded in 2014 

MS 

Beneficiary 

Subject 

Commitments 
in Euro 

Co-fin 
% 

1 

RO 

Dolj County Police 
Inspectorate 

2 

LT 

The Financial Crime 
Investigation Service 
(FCIS) 

3 

IT 

Istituto Europeo per lo 
Sviluppo Socio Economico 

4 

HU 

National Tax and Customs 
Administration of Hungary 

5 

RO 

National Anticorruption 
Directorate within the 
Prosecutor’s Office 
attached to the High Court 
of Cassation and Justice 

6 

SK 

Financial Directorate of the 
Slovak Republic 

IT 

Agenzia Veneta per i 
Pagamenti in Agricoltura - 
Avepa 

CZ  Oživení, o.s. 

BG 

10 

LV 

National Revenue Agency 
(NRA) 
State Revenue Service of 
the Republic of Latvia 

11 

RO 

Freedom House Romania 

12 

PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in Gdańsk 

7 

8 

9 

INTACT-INcreasing the Awareness of law 
enforcement agencies involved in the fight 
against smuggling and counterfeiting of 
tobacco products in Romania, Hungary, 
Bulgaria 
Towards more effective cross-border 
cooperation against fraud affecting the 
EU’s financial interests 
EU-funded actions: rules, laws and best 
practice sharing in the field of fraud 
prevention 
Enhancing international cooperation 
between the partner authorities involved to 
strengthen the fight against infringements 
affecting the financial interests of the EU 
on the EU’s external and internal borders 

Fraud in respect of EU revenue by 
simulated customs operations - typologies 
and methods of investigation 

Training focused on detection of smuggled 
and counterfeited tobacco products in air, 
land and maritime container transport 
A new leaf - Agricultural networking 
exchanging witnesses and leading 
experiences 
Whistleblowing: The way to protect the 
financial interests of the EU 
Increasing NRA’s administrative capacity 
in preventing and investigating 
Seminar on detection and prevention of 
VAT fraud 
Better legal protection of the EU’s 
financial interests in Romanian public 
procurement 
Identifying illegal production and 
distribution of excise goods 

68 696 

80 

10 733 

77 

76 347. 

80 

45 759 

80 

29 674 

80 

61 500 

80 

118 381 

80 

43 722 

80 

46 014 

80 

24 353 

80 

69 030 

80 

27 778 

80 

Total 

621 986 

80 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 5 — Procured conferences organised by the Commission in 2014 

Dates 

Conference Title 

Location 

1 

6-9 October 2014 

19th Task Group Cigarettes 
Conference 

Prague, 
Czech 
Republic 

No of 
participants 

Amount 
paid in 
Euro 

93 

150 809 

Objectives: To strengthen international cooperation and coordination in the EU and with third countries through comparison and 
discussion of the most salient issues and most important criticalities and by exchange of best practices.   

2 

13-14 October 2014 

Operational Aspects of Fighting 
Fraud in Structural Funds 

Rome, 
Italy 

80 

125 284 

Objectives:  Sharing  best  practice  on  the  implementation  of  anti-fraud  measures;  Presenting  to  Member  States  challenges  on 
Structural  Funds  fraud;  Promoting  cooperation  between  OLAF  and  Member  States;  Promoting  cooperation  between 
administrative,  law  enforcement  and  judicial  authorities  in  the  Member  States  and  at  EU  level;  Describing  success  stories  and 
offering support in facing difficulties.   

3 

26-28 October 2014 

12th OLAF Conference of Fraud 
Prosecutors 

Rome, 
Italy 

127 

168 533 

Objectives:  To  discuss  with  practitioners  from  all  Member  States  the  currently  negotiated  proposal  for  the  establishment  of  a 
European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The EPPO file is a  priority for the Commission and OLAF; once established, the 
EPPO could have a major impact on OLAF’s future competences and structure. 

4 

24-26 September 2014  AFCOS Training Conference 

Sofia, 
Bulgaria 

60 

63 772 

Objectives: The main objectives of the conference were: to bring together AFCOS and other relevant authorities’ representatives 
from  the  candidate  countries,  potential  candidate  countries  and  some  of  the  Member  States;  to  present  the  work  of  OLAF  and 
AFCOS, their cooperation; to discuss challenges relevant to mutual cooperation; to share best practices and experience in the areas 
of protection of the EU’s financial interests and fight against fraud, which are especially important to countries joining the EU 
(e.g. functioning of AFCOS, investigative cooperation, preparation of anti-fraud strategy, irregularity reporting). 

5 

9-11 December 2014 

Regional Workshop on the 
Implementation of the FCTC 
Protocol 

Naypyitaw, 
Myanmar 

50 

97 352 

Objectives: To promote the entry into force of the Framework Convention Tobacco Control (FCTC) Protocol; To exchange views 
and information on ways to implement the Protocol after its entry into force. 

6 

27 June 2014 

Debriefing meeting JCO Ermis 

Athens, 
Greece 

38 

37 338 

Objectives: Drawing up of recommendations on specific actions; exchange of information, best practices and anti-fraud methods, 
techniques and modus operandi; Improvement of operational cooperation between the Commission (OLAF) and its partners. 

7 

4-5 September 2014 

Debriefing meeting JCO Snake 

Brussels, 
Belgium 

47 

48 874 

Objectives: Drawing up of recommendations on specific actions; exchange of information, best practices and anti-fraud methods, 
techniques and modus operandi; Improvement of operational cooperation between the Commission (OLAF) and its partners and 
the drafting of a final report. 

8 

4 December 2014 

Debriefing meeting JCO Athena 
IV 

Riga, Latvia 

32 

22 091 

Objectives: Drawing up of recommendations on specific actions; exchange of information, best practices and anti-fraud methods, 
techniques and modus operandi; Improvement of operational cooperation between the Commission (OLAF) and its partners and 
the drafting of a final report. 

9 

2-3 October 2014 

Debriefing meeting JCO 
Replica 

Brussels, 
Belgium 

60 

92 022 

Objectives: Drawing up of recommendations on specific actions; exchange of information, best practices and anti-fraud methods, 
techniques and modus operandi; Improvement of operational cooperation between the Commission (OLAF) and its partners and 
the drafting of a final report. 

Total  

587 

806 075 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 

2 

3 

4 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Table 6 — Training grants finalised in 2014 

  MS 

Beneficiary 

Title 

Partici
pants 

Total paid 

Grant 
%  

DE 

1.  The Chief Public 
Prosecutor 

2.  European Public Prosecutor’s Office – Protection of the 

EU’s financial interests – Jan 2014, Munich 

3. 
BE 

Institute for 
Judiciary Training 

4.  Case management and the use of EU legislation/tools: 
Key components in the fight against financial crime – 
May 2014, Brussels 

93 

65 

6.  PRO-NET- Development of a professional law 

94 064 

80 

75 051 

76 

5.  Arad County Police 

RO 

Inspectorate 

enforcement network in Romania, Hungary, Serbia and 
Bulgaria, involved in the fight against cigarette 
smuggling and counterfeiting – Dec 2013/Feb 
2014/Apr 2014, Arad 

7.  Neamt County 

RO 

Police Inspectorate 

8.  Seminar on Countering Tobacco Smuggling and 
Counterfeit Goods - March 2014, Piatra Neamt 

9.  National 

5 

HU 

Development 
Agency 

PL 

11.  Province Police 
Headquarters in 
Olsztyn 

HU 

14.  Transparency 
International 

16.  Center for 

RO 

Independent 
Journalism 
17.  Provincial Police 
HQ Gdańsk 
19.  Estonian Tax and 

PL 

EE 

10.  Comprehensive as well as practical training sessions for 
Balkan countries and Turkey in the field of public 
procurement control in order to further strengthen the 
capacities of ex-ante and in-built controls for detecting 
and eliminating possible irregularities and fraud cases - 
July-Aug. 2014 

12.  Protecting the European Union’s financial interests 
through acquisition of practical skills in identifying 
illegal production and distribution of tobacco, spirits 
and pharmaceuticals, and collaboration between 
services - June 2014, 

13.  Mikolajki 
15.  Safeguarding EU funds against fraud & corruption 

through the civil control mechanism of Integrity Pacts - 
Nov 2013, Budapest 
Monitoring the spending of publicity budgets of the 
EU-funded projects – the Romanian experience - June 
2014, Bucharest 

18.  Pomeranian Police Protecting the European Union’s 

financial interests – May 2014, Gdansk 

20.  Training on interpretation of the images generated on 

Customs Board 

the scanning devices – May 2014, LV/EE 

11  BG 

21.  C.R.E.A.M. 
Bulgaria  

23.  National Customs 

12  BG 

Agency 

25.  Financial 

22.  Balkan forum for the promotion of public-private 

partnerships as an anti-corruption instrument – Dec 
2013, Sofia 

24.  Strengthening the capability of Bulgarian customs 
authorities to fight customs fraud with a project on 
combating customs-related illegal activities through the 
Internet – Nov 2013, FR/ DE/CZ study visits 
26.  Fight against smuggling of cigarettes and illegal 

13 

SK 

Directorate of the 
Slovak Republic 

tobacco production seminar – April-June 2014, Vysoka 
Tatry 

14 

IT 

27.  Agenzia delle 
Dogane e dei 
Monopoli 

29.  Partnership for 

15  HR 

28.  Cooperation and strategy to fight against illicit 

trafficking of counterfeit cigarettes and medicines in 
the Western Balkans, Mediterranean Region, Eastern 
neighbouring countries, Turkey and Italy – Feb-July 
2014, Bucharest, Zagreb, Brussesls 

30.  Cross-Country Legal and Institutional Framework for 

Social Development 

Suppression of Fraud in Public Procurement 

16 

IT 

31.  Corte dei conti - 
Seminario di 
formazione 
permanente 

32.  Seminar and training activities aimed at exchanging 

professional experiences amongst the Courts of Audit 
of France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain and the EU 
institutions in the prevention of and fight against fraud 
and other irregularities affecting the EU’s financial 
interests – March 2014, Rome 

120 

56 120 

80 

125 

16 941 

79 

168 

146 344 

80 

127 

37 502 

67 

41 

60 

200 

40 

116 

14 

84 

46 114 

80 

40 265 

79 

51 512 

23 203 

80 

80 

41 983 

80 

14 993 

80 

37 665 

79 

64 

179 145 

80 

142 

48 260 

80 

179 

56 978 

64 

Table 7 — Legal Training & Studies grants awarded in 2014 

25 

Total  1 638 

966 140 

78 

 
 
 
 
 
  MS 

Beneficiary 

Subject 

1  DE 

European Law Academy (ERA) 

2  RO 

Association Institute for Public 
Policy (IPP) 

3  DE 

Max Planck Society for the 
Advancement of Science 

4 

IT 

5 

IT 

6  HR 

7 

PL 

University of Bologna - 
European School of 
Advanced Fiscal Studies 

Fondazione Lelio e Lisli Basso 
- ISSOCO 
Croatian Association Of 
European Criminal Law 
European Law Research 
Association (ELRA) 

8 

IT 

University of Ferrara 

Annual Forum on Combating Corruption in the EU 2015: 
Freezing, Confiscation and 
Handing over of Proceeds of Crime 
Effective coordination of control systems for preventing 
fraud with Structural Funds in 
new EU Member States 
eucrim: The European Criminal Law Associations’ 
Forum - periodical on the protection of the EU’s financial 
interests 
Criminal and Administrative Investigations in the field of 
VAT and Customs Duties. From National Practices to an 
EU Integrated System of Information and Evidence 
Exchange 
EPPO and OLAF investigations: the judicial review and 
procedural guarantees 
European criminal procedure law serving to protect the 
EU’s financial interests: State of play And challenges 

Interactions between the EPPO and national authorities 

Relationships between national judicial authorities and 
investigative agencies in view of the EPPO: operational 
models and best practices in the fight against EU fraud 

Commit-
ments in 
Euro 

Co-fin 
% 

54 358 

80 

41 443 

79 

64 315 

80 

59 242 

78 

78 147 

87 631 

50 990 

80 

90 

90 

59 542 

78 

Table 8 — Legal grants finalised in 2014 

  MS 

Beneficiary 

Title 

34.  Eucrim - the European Criminal Law Associations’ 

1  DE 33.  Max Planck Institute 

2 

3 

IT 

IT 

35.  Fondazione Lelio e 

Lisli Basso 

36.  Centro di Diritto 

Penale Catania 

4  BG 

37.  Center for the Study 
of Democracy 

5  AT 

38.  Austrian Association 
for the European 
Criminal Law 

39.  Academy of European 

6  DE 

Law, Trier 

7 

8 

9 

ES 

40.  Galician School of 

Public Administration 

IE 

41.  Irish Centre for 
European Law 

42.  Centro Studi di Diritto 
Penale Europeo 

IT 

Forum – 4 issues/year 
Protecting  fundamental  and  procedural  rights  -  from  the 
investigation of OLAF to the future EPPO’ – June 2013, 
Rome 
The challenges of setting up a European Public 
Prosecutor’s Office: definition of common rules and their 
impact on internal legal systems – June 2013, Catania 
EU’s financial interests under threat: New approaches in 
assessing the risk from fraud and corruption – May 2013 
New challenges for anti-corruption measures and for 
protection of the EU’s financial interests (and the annual 
meeting of Presidents of the Associations) – May 2014, 
Vienna, Laxenburg 
Annual forum on combating corruption in the EU 2014: 
new prevention and investigation techniques – Feb 2014 
Seminar on the administrative transparency and 
protection of the financial interests of the European 
Union in the Galicia-North Portugal Euro region – March 
2014, Santigo de Compostela 
Prospects for criminal law at EU level in relation to the 
protection of the EU’s financial interests – March 2014, 
Dublin 
The acquisition of evidence and defence guarantees in 
crimes against the financial interests of the European 
Union - Jan 2014, Milano 

Total 

495 668 

82 

No of 
part.  

Total 
paid 

Co-fin 
% 

N/A 

49 033 

78 

106 

69412 

90 

140 

75 853 

87 

60 

99 

67 

23 059 

80 

47 447 

83 

46 824 

89 

115 

20 686 

90 

53 

27 650 

90 

200 

33 559 

90 

Total 

840 

393 523 

86 

26