COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Annual overview with information on the results of the Union anti-fraud programme in 2025 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 37th Annual Report on the protection of the European Union's financial interests and the fight against fraud - 2025
Date: 2026-07-28
Institutions: European Anti-Fraud Office, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU budget, EU strategy, activity report, corruption, digitisation, fight against crime, financial control, fraud, fraud against the EU

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 28.7.2026  SWD(2026) 245 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Annual overview with information on the results of the Union anti-fraud programme in 2025 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 37th Annual Report on the protection of the European Union's financial interests and the fight against fraud - 2025 {COM(2026) 411 final} - {SWD(2026) 246 final} - {SWD(2026) 247 final} - {SWD(2026) 248 final} - {SWD(2026) 249 final} - {SWD(2026) 250 final} - {SWD(2026) 251 final}  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1 

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2 

1.1 

1.2 

1.3 

Context .................................................................................................................................... 2 

Implementation methodology ................................................................................................ 3 

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

2  UAFP budget implementation in 2025............................................................................. 5 

2.1 
Activities  to  prevent  and  combat  fraud,  corruption  and  any  other  illegal  activities 
harming the financial interests of the EU ........................................................................................... 6 

2.1.1 

2.1.2 

2.1.3 

2.1.4 

Grants ............................................................................................................................... 7 

Call for proposals for technical assistance ...................................................................... 8 

Call for proposals for training, conferences, staff exchanges and studies....................... 9 

Procurement ................................................................................................................... 10 

3  UAFP (Hercule component) - achievements in 2025 .................................................... 14 

3.1 
Examples of technical assistance projects funded under the Hercule III programme and 
the UAFP, finalised in 2025 ............................................................................................................... 14 

3.2 

Examples of training projects funded under the UAFP, finalised in 2025 ............................ 16 

4 

Irregularity Management System (IMS) – implementation in 2025 ........................... 20 

4.1  Main activities ....................................................................................................................... 20 

4.2  What does the AWP involve? ................................................................................................ 21 

4.3  Maintenance and development ............................................................................................ 21 

5  AFIS – implementation in 2025 ...................................................................................... 22 

6  Communication ................................................................................................................ 22 

6.1 

6.2 

6.3 

Informing potential applicants .............................................................................................. 22 

Dissemination of results ........................................................................................................ 22 

Visibility of EU funding .......................................................................................................... 23 

7  Feedback from programme participants ...................................................................... 23 

8  Conclusions and way forward ........................................................................................ 24 

Annex 1: Grants and contracts awarded and finalised under the 2025 Financing 
Decision .................................................................................................................................... 26 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1 

Introduction 

Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)1 stipulates that the 
fight against fraud, corruption or any other irregularities with a detrimental impact on the EU’s 
financial interests is a shared responsibility between all Member States and the EU. It is thus in 
the  interest  of  the  EU,  and  to  the  benefit  of  EU  taxpayers  more  generally,  that  national  and 
regional authorities, in particular law enforcement authorities and specific entities that have their 
activities focussed on combating fraud (for example research entities, universities, associations 
specialising in anti-fraud solutions) are sufficiently equipped and financially supported (through 
training and research/studies related actions) to carry out this important and continuous mission. 
This is why the EU has been supporting national anti-fraud capacities since 2004 through funds, 
mainly grants, stemming from the three successive Hercule programmes, since 2021 succeeded 
by the Union anti-fraud programme (UAFP), running until 31 December 2027.   

1.1  Context 
The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  adopted  Regulation  (EU)  2021/785  setting  up  the 
UAFP on 29 April 20212. This legal act became applicable retroactively as of 1 January 2021.  

The  UAFP  combines  the  financing  and  implementation  of  three  different  programme 
components,  previously  separated  activities,  but  at  its  core,  it  builds  on  the  success  of  the 
previous, now closed, Hercule III programme. The UAFP provides a single framework, bringing 
together: 

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

the  anti-fraud  measures  component  or  ‘Hercule’  funding  part  (financial  support  to 
actions related to technical assistance, and to training related activities);  
the  Irregularity  Management  System  component  (IMS,  an  IT-tool  developed  and 
maintained by the Commission (OLAF) for the reporting of irregularities, including 
fraud,  in  cases  related  to  the  shared-management  funds  and  the  pre-accession-
assistance funds, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility3); and,  
the  financing  of  the  third  programme  component,  i.e.  the  Anti-Fraud  Information 
System  (AFIS,  an  IT-platform  which  operates  several  digital  tools,  supporting  the 
Commission  and  Member  States’  authorities  in  providing  each  other  mutual 
assistance in customs and agriculture related matters).   

This  single  framework  increases  synergies  between  its  components  and  enables  an  efficient 
allocation  of  financial  resources.  For  example,  if  required,  it  provides  a  certain  financial 
flexibility to reallocate funding within the programme’s three strands. 

An annual Commission implementing decision sets out the financing of the UAFP and the annual 
work  programme  (AWP).  This  single  legal  act  provides  for  funding  for  all  eligible  actions 
supported by the programme and for the financing of the AFIS and the IMS within one year of 
implementation. 

1  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union  of  13  December  2007  —  consolidated  version  (OJ  C  202, 

7.6.2016, pp. 47-360)  

2 OJ L 172, 17.5.2021, p. 110-122, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/785/oj. 
3 Please see Chapter 4 of the present staff working document for more details 

2 

 
 
 
The UAFP is based on Articles 33 and 325 of the TFEU. It is set up for a period of 7 years, from 
2021 to  2027, in  line with  the  multiannual  financial framework (MFF), laid  down in  Council 
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/20934.  

The UAFP pursues two general objectives. First, it aims to protect the EU’s financial interests. 
Second,  it  aims  to  support  mutual  assistance  between  the  administrative  authorities  of  the 
Member States and cooperation between these authorities and the Commission to ensure that the 
legislation on customs and agricultural matters is correctly applied. 

The programme pursues three specific objectives: 

1.  to  prevent  and  combat  fraud,  corruption  and  any  other  illegal  activities  affecting  the 

financial interests of the EU; 

2.  to  support  the  reporting  of  irregularities,  including  fraud,  with  regard  to  the  shared 

management funds and the pre-accession assistance funds of the EU budget; and, 

3.  to  provide  tools  for  information  exchange  and  support  for  operational  activities  in  the 
field of mutual administrative assistance in customs and agriculture related matters. 

To implement the UAFP, the EU has allocated a budget of EUR 181 207 000 in current prices to 
cover the period from 2021 to 2027, as shown in Graph 1. 

Graph 1 – Budget allocation 

1.2 

Implementation methodology 

The first component of the programme (anti-fraud measures) provides the Member States with 
targeted  assistance  in  achieving  their  obligations  to  protect  the  EU’s  financial  interests.  This 

4  Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom)  2020/2093  of  17  December  2020  laying  down  the  multiannual  financial 

framework for the years 2021 to 2027, OJ L 433433I, 22.12.2020, p. 11. 

3 

 
 
 
 
component will financially support the purchase of specialised anti-fraud equipment and tools, 
as  well  asspecific  training  actions  including  targeted  conferences,  workshops,  cross-border 
cooperation, but also staff exchanges and specialised research. 

The Commission (OLAF) implements this first component by:  

1.  awarding grants following annual calls for proposals for funding;  
2.  concluding public procurement contracts following specific calls for tender; 
3.  entering  into  administrative  agreements  with  the  Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre 

(JRC); 

4.  reimbursing costs incurred by representatives from eligible countries who participate in 

training and operational activities; and, 

5.  offering targeted financial support to relevant international organisations actively helping 

to protect the EU’s financial interests. 

Under  the  second  programme  component,  the  Commission  maintains  the  IMS  and  makes  it 
available to Member States and other beneficiaries of EU funds to facilitate their compliance with 
the obligation (laid down in various sectorial forms of legislation) to report detected  financial 
irregularities or suspected fraud. 

The third component consists of (i) the operation and maintenance of the AFIS IT-platform for 
the exchange of mutual-assistance information; and (ii) supported activities, such as joint customs 
operations, practical courses, and preparatory or evaluation meetings for operational actions. 

In practice, the programme is implemented under direct management. The European Anti-Fraud 
Office (OLAF) is the lead service for this programme implementation. 

The UAFP Regulation identifies four categories of eligible entities: 

1.  public authorities that can help achieve an UAFP objective and are established:  

i) 
in a Member State or an overseas country or territory associated with the UAFP; 
ii)  in a third country associated with the UAFP under the conditions specified in Article 

4 of the UAFP Regulation; or, 

iii) in  a  third  country  not  associated  with  the  UAFP  under  the  conditions  specified  in 

Article 10(3) of the UAFP Regulation. 

2.  research and educational institutes and non-profit making entities that can help to achieve 
the objectives of the UAFP and have been established and operating for at least 1 year:  
i) 
ii)  in a third country associated with the UAFP under the conditions specified in Article 

in a Member State; 

4 of the UAFP Regulation; or  

iii)  in  a  third  country  not  associated  with  the  UAFP  under  the  conditions  specified  in 

Article 10(3) of the UAFP Regulation. 

3.  any legal entity created under Union law; or, 
4.  any international organisation. 

1.3  Purpose and scope of this overview 

Article 12(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/785  obliges  the Commission to  report annually on the 
performance of the programme to the European Parliament and to the Council as part of its annual 
report on the protection of the EU’s financial interests – fight against fraud.  

4 

 
 
In the framework of discussions thereon, the European Parliament may make recommendations 
for the annual work programme. The Commission shall duly take those recommendations into 
account. 

To this end, this annual overview covers: (i) information on the programme’s actions for which 
financial commitments were made under the 2025 Financing Decision and AWP5, adopted on 31 
January  2025;  and  (ii)  the  results  of  actions  finalised  in  2025,  but  for  which  financial 
commitments were made under previous years’ budgets.   

The  overview  also  contains  information  on  AFIS  and  IMS  activities  for  which  financial 
commitments were made under the same 2025 AWP.  

2  UAFP budget implementation in 2025 

To implement the UAFP in 2025, the budgetary authority had allocated EUR 26.35 million in 
commitment  appropriations,  which  was  actually  raised  with  EUR  1  million  to  27.35  million 
(adopted amount in the financing decision) and EUR 23.2 million in payment appropriations. The 
programme is being financed under item 03.03 of the EU budget, as shown in Table 1 (split by 
year). 

Table 1: Financial programming in 2021-2027 (Source for 2021 to 2026: yearly Commission 
implementing decision on the financing of the programme; 2027 voted budget line 03.03) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

(adopted budget, in EUR) 

Programme 
total 

15,160,000  15,425,034  15,662,329  16,075,789 

929,000 

934,325 

959,783 

985,119 

Voted 
(2021): 
16,608,372 
Adopted: 
17,608,3726 
1,017,756 

Voted 
(2021): 
17,270,790 
Adopted: 
16,770,7907 
1,058,349 

18,004,686  114,207,000 

1,115,668 

7,000,000 

7,964,000 

8,009,640 

8,227,888 

8,445,091 

8,724,873 

9,072,861 

9,555,647 

60,000,000 

24,053,000  24,368,999  24,850,000  25,505,999 
24,053,000  24,368,999  24,850,000  25,505,999 

26,353,026 
27,351,001 

27,402,000 
26,902,000 

28,678,028  181,207,000 
28,676,001  181,707,000 

Strand 1 - 
AF 
measures 

Strand 2 - 
IMS 
Strand 3 - 
AFIS 
Total 
Amended 
total 

Table 2 shows the commitments made under the available budget for 2025, broken down by the 
programme’s three components. 

Table 2: Available budget and commitments made in 2025 

5 C(2025) 506 of 31.1.2025. 
6 The 2025 UAFP financing decision’s first component was increased with EUR 1m in order to provide necessary 

funding for the association of Ukraine to the Programme. 

7 The 2026 UAFP financing decision’s first component was decreased with EUR 0.5m in order to bring the budget 

in line with the actual spending of the Programme. 
5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TYPES OF ELIGIBLE ACTIONS (2025) 

BUDGET 
(EUR) 

COMMITTED 
(EUR) 

COMMITTED 
(%) 

COMPONENT 1: PROTECTION OF THE EU’S FINANCIAL INTERESTS 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

Grants: technical assistance 

Grants 

11,400,000 

11,400,000 

IT databases 

IT tools and tobacco analysis  
ANTI-FRAUD TRAINING 

Grants: anti-fraud training 

Procured conferences  

Digital forensics and analyst training  
Legal studies 

Procurement 

1,149,661 

Procurement 

803,477 

Grants 

Procurement 

Procurement 
Procurement 

1,000,000 

1,650,000 

1,100,000 
300,000 

1,034,661 

803,477 

1,000,000 

1,337,047 

1,064,594 
194,325 

Contribution for using corporate IT tools 

Fee 

205,234 

158,528 

100 

90 

100 

100 

81 

97 
 65 

77 

TOTAL COMPONENT 1  

17,608,372 

17,561,666 

96.5 

IT studies, development and maintenance 

Procurement 

3,555,000 

3,552,426.21 

COMPONENT 2: AFIS PLATFORM 

Production services 
Technical  assistance,  training,  coordination 
and quality-control services 
Acquisition,  maintenance  and  updating  of 
software  and  hardware,  and  related  IT 
services 
Funds  co-delegated 
the  Directorate-
General  for  Taxation  and  Customs  Union 
(DG TAXUD) 

to 

Procurement 

2,635,000 

2,635,000 

Procurement 

855,000 

855,000 

Procurement 

1,445,373 

1,445,373 

Procurement 

234,500 

234,500 

99.9 

100 

100 

100 

100 

TOTAL COMPONENT 2 

8,724,873 

8,722,299.21 

99,9 

Development and maintenance 

Production services 

Procurement 

Procurement 

519,000 

498,756 

516,168.92 

498,756 

COMPONENT 3: IMS TOOL 

TOTAL COMPONENT 3 

GRAND TOTAL 

1,017,756 

1,014,924.92 

27,351,001 

27,298,889 

99,5 

100 

99,7 

99,8 

2.1  Activities  to  prevent  and  combat  fraud,  corruption  and  any  other  illegal  activities 

harming the financial interests of the EU 

In 2025, the UAFP’s fifth year of implementation, the available commitment appropriations for 
the  programme’s  first  strand  (formerly  ‘Hercule’  actions)  were  used  to:  (i)  finance  granted 
projects; and (ii) conclude specific contracts (procurement) and administrative arrangements for 
6 

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
providing  access  to  commercial  databases,  specialised  IT  tools  and  specific  training  and 
conference events, in line with the activities included in the adopted AWP for 20258.  

The  commitment  amounts  earmarked  for  the  2025  granting  cycle  of  the  first  programme 
component (approx. EUR 12.4 million) were implemented by signing contracts for the awarded 
grant files and paying pre-financing (50% of the awarded grant amount).  

Payments under the grant  agreements and under some of the procurement  contracts  signed in 
2025 will be reported at a later stage than the present report, since these payments will only be 
made in the course of 2026 and in the following years. 

Graph  2  provides  a  breakdown  of  the  planned  budget  and  commitments  for  2025  by  type  of 
action. Technical assistance actions under Regulation (EU) 2021/785 encompass: (i) technical 
assistance for grant activities; and (ii) IT support (databases and IT tools). Training related actions 
include: (i) grant activities under calls for proposals for training, conferences, staff exchanges, 
research and studies; and (ii) procured conferences and specialised training. 

Graph 2: UAFP (Hercule component) budget and commitments in 2025 of eligible actions 

2.1.1  Grants 
Grants are direct financial contributions to co-finance an action intended to help achieve an EU 
policy objective. The overall UAFP budget allocated to grants in 2025 was EUR 12.4 million. 
Following calls for proposals inviting applicants to submit proposals for actions that help achieve 
the programme’s objectives, grants are being evaluated, scored, ranked and awarded, within the 
mentioned budgetary limit. The beneficiary of a grant becomes the legal and economic owner of 
the goods or services purchased with grant financing.  

On  13  March  2025,  the  Commission  published  two  calls  for  proposals  on  its  ‘Funding  and 
Tenders Portal’ online.  

The two calls covered the following topics:  

1.  technical assistance, with an indicative budget of EUR 11.4 million; and 
2.  training, conferences, staff exchanges and studies, with an indicative budget of EUR 1 

million.  

The  deadline  to  submit  applications  was  15 May 2025  for  both  technical  assistance  (TA)  and 
training related proposals (TRAI). The Commission (OLAF) received a total of 151 (117 TA and 

8  Commission Implementing Decision, C(2025) 506 of 31.1.2025. 

7 

 
 
    
   
 
39 TRAI) applications originating from 16 Member States and 2 applications from Ukraine  . 
First, each application was assessed on its eligibility or on a possible exclusion. Then, a dedicated 
evaluation committee with Commission expert staff members assessed the content of each of the 
eligible applications. The committee evaluated and scored the following four award criteria:  

1.  conformity with the objectives of the UAFP; 
2.  quality of the proposal; 
3.  value for money; and 
4.  added value for the protection of the EU’s financial interests. 

All the applicants were informed on the evaluation’s outcome by mid December 2025.   

2.1.2  Call for proposals for technical assistance 
The 2025 budget for technical assistance grants was EUR 11.4 million. It was available to fund 
actions proposed by national and regional authorities for the following types of activities: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

purchasing and maintaining investigation and surveillance tools and methods used 
in the fight against irregularities, fraud and corruption detrimental to the financial 
interests  of  the  EU,  including  specialised  training  needed  to  operate  the 
investigation tools purchased; 
purchasing digital-forensics hardware including equipment and software, mobile 
forensic  tools  and  computer  forensic  collaborative  systems  used  in  the  fight 
against (fraudulent) irregularities, fraud  and corruption detrimental  to  the EU’s 
financial interests;  
purchasing  data-analytics  technologies  and  data  including  the  acquisition  and 
maintenance of: (i) commercial specialised databases; (ii) data-analysis platforms 
capable  of  running  analyses  in  big-data  environments,  risk  and  predictive 
analyses,  and  data-mining  tools;  and  (iii)  systems  supported  by  artificial 
intelligence  used  in  the  fight  against  irregularities,  fraudulent  activities  and 
corruption detrimental to the EU’s financial interests; and 
purchasing equipment for the detection of illicit trade9 to strengthen beneficiaries’ 
operational  and technical  capacity to  detect  smuggled and counterfeited  goods, 
including  cigarettes  and  tobacco,  imported  into  the  EU  with  the  intention  of 
evading value added tax, customs duties and/or excise taxes.  

By the deadline of 15 May 2025, the Commission received 117 applications from 16 Member 
States for actions in the field of technical assistance. The total (cost) of the proposed actions was 
EUR  63.8 million and the requested co-funding amounted to EUR  50.2 million, a significant 
increase compared to 2024  (representing five times the available budget of EUR 11.4 million). 
Following the evaluation committee’s recommendations, limited by the budget available to the 
programme, the authorising officer decided to award  20 grants and to place  8 proposals on a 
reserve list. See Table 1 in Annex I, providing an overview of the beneficiaries, project titles, 
grant amounts, and the co-financing rate. 

The overall amount of funding awarded to technical assistance grants under the 2025 budget was 
EUR  11.4 million for  21 projects from 11 Member States. Grants were awarded for the purchase 

9  OLAF,  in close cooperation with DG  TAXUD, ensured that there was no overlap with projects submitted for 
support under the Customs Control Equipment Instrument (CCEI). 

8 

 
 
 
of investigation equipment (including forensic equipment), data-analysis systems, IT tools and 
detection equipment. The UAFP grants financed 80% of the eligible costs of the selected actions.  

To  best  describe  the  implementation  of  technical  assistance  grants  in  2025,  a  selection  of 
examples of finalised projects is presented in Chapter 3. 

2.1.3  Call for proposals for training, conferences, staff exchanges and studies 
The  UAFP  provides  grants  to  beneficiaries  for  organising  targeted  specialised  training, 
conferences and staff exchanges, as well as for carrying out legal studies. These activities aim to 
strengthen cross-border cooperation and networking activities between experts and to facilitate 
the exchange of best practices on protecting the financial interests of the EU.  

The following four types of activities were proposed for funding, with an indicative budget of 
EUR 1 million:  

1.  specialised training sessions to improve knowledge and use of IT tools, and to increase 
anti-fraud data-analysis  abilities by acquiring  new skills  and knowledge  of specialised 
methodologies and techniques; 

2.  conferences,  workshops  and  seminars  to:  (i)  facilitate  the  exchange  of  information, 
experience and best practices, including in the field of IT anti-fraud and anti-corruption 
systems  and  data  analysis;  (ii)  create  networks  and  improve  coordination  between 
Member  States,  candidate  countries,  other  third  countries,  EU  institutions  and 
international organisations; (iii) facilitate multidisciplinary cooperation and awareness-
raising  between  anti-fraud  and  anti-corruption  practitioners  (in  particular  customs 
authorities  and  other  law-enforcement  bodies)  and  academics  on  protecting  the  EU’s 
financial interests, including support to associations for European criminal law and for 
the protection of the EU’s financial interests; and (iv) raise the awareness of the judiciary 
and other legal professionals of this matter; 

3.  staff exchanges between national and regional administrations (including from candidate 
and  neighbouring  countries)  to  help  further  develop,  improve  and  update  staff’s 
competences in protecting the EU’s financial interests; and 

4.  developing comparative law studies to enhance the legal and judicial protection of the 
EU’s  financial  interests,  including  the  dissemination  of  relevant  scientific  knowledge 
through periodical publications. 

The call for training related proposals received 28 applications from 13 EU Member States and 
Ukraine as associated country to the programme. The total amount of requested grants would 
require a budget of EUR 3,65 million. 

Nine  applications  were  selected  for  an  award  under  this  call  for  an  overall  amount  of 
approximately  EUR 1  million  within  the  available  budget.  Five  applications,  which  were  not 
awarded  due  to  insufficient  additional  funding  available,  were  placed  on  a  reserve  list.  All 
applications received a co-financing rate of 80% of the eligible costs. 

Grants were awarded for, amongst others: (i) training sessions to improve the investigative skills 
of police forensic laboratory specialists in the use of data analysis tools; (ii) training sessions on 
anti-fraud strategies and best practices based on the efficient use of open data to combat fraud, 
corruption risks and the misuse of the EU’s financial assistance in Ukraine; (iii) the European 

9 

 
 
Partners  against  Corruption  and  the  European  Contact-Point  Network  against  Corruption 
(EPAC/EACN) conferences for strengthening the fight against corruption and the protection of 
EU financial interests; (iv) studies and workshops on legal and operational framework of customs 
controls in the EU with a specific focus on undervaluation and misdeclaration of origin; (v) a 
comparative  study  on  electronic  evidence  in  administrative  punitive  proceedings:  data  from 
suspected persons and their circle. 

Table 4 in Annex I gives an overview of the awarded grants and the corresponding co-financing 
rates. 

2.1.4  Procurement 
About 28.4% of the 2025 budget allocated to the first component of the UAFP (or about EUR 5.3 
million)  was  allocated  to  fund  activities  by  concluding  procurement  contracts  linked  to  the 
protection of the EU’s financial interests. 
In 2025, the Commission concluded specific contracts under existing framework contracts for 
technical assistance support and training activities. The purchased equipment, tools and services 
were made available to UAFP beneficiaries (mainly Member State authorities). 

2.1.4.1  IT support: databases, IT tools and analyses of samples from tobacco seizures 
2.1.4.1.1  Databases 
In 2025, the overall amount committed to procured databases contracts was EUR 1 034 661. The 
programme  provides  funds  for  the  procurement  of  subscriptions  to  commercial  databases,  on 
behalf of law enforcement authorities in Member States, to support operations and investigations, 
in particular in the area of protecting the EU’s financial interests.  

The  Commission  procures  and  manages  the  access  to  these  databases  enabling  substantial 
economies of scale and a common data framework. Relevant staff are trained to ensure optimal 
usage. OLAF staff also  uses these databases  for  operational  activities jointly undertaken with 
their Member State partners and for their own investigations10.  

In 2025, the programme provided Member States with access to commercial databases, such as 
worldwide  trade  statistics,  detailed  company  information  and  global  vessel  movements.  The 
databases were highly used by customs and other law-enforcement authorities, supporting both 
investigations and risk analyses in the areas of tobacco smuggling, anti-dumping duties, sanctions 
evasion, etc. Table 3 in Annex I gives an overview of the contracts awarded in 2025.  

2.1.4.1.2  Development of specific IT tools for data analysis with the JRC 
In  2025,  OLAF  and  the  JRC  continued  working  together  under  the  administrative  agreement 
(AA) for Customs Anti-Fraud Enabling technologies (CAFET2)11.  

CAFET2 is part of a wider effort to provide knowledge to and facilitate the work of Member 
States’ customs services to use data and analytical approaches effectively and efficiently in their 
anti-fraud activities. In line with the objectives of the UAFP, the ultimate beneficiaries of this 

10   The use of databases made by OLAF staff is paid from the administrative budget of the Commission.    
11  Originally funded by the Hercule III programme, the initial agreement was signed at the end of 2017 between 
OLAF and the JRC to provide ‘scientific and technical support in advancing the EU’s customs anti-fraud data-
analytics capacity’. The current agreement ran from 2021 to 2023, which has been extended and consists of five 
work packages. 

10 

 
 
 
project are customs authorities in the Member States. In 2025, the UAFP allocated EUR 507 780 
under the CAFET2 umbrella. 

The CAFET project consists of 3 work packages: 

•  Work package 1: Automated Monitoring Tool (AMT)  

The AMT is  an IT-application that  visualises   statistics  based on  imports data and provides a 
download feature for the statistics shown. Currently, the database used is the COMEXT imports 
data  published  by  Eurostat,  statistical  office  of  the  EU.  The  AMT  sections  provide  different 
views, which can be queried by the end-user in order to monitor trends and to identify anomalies 
in  imports.  The  AMT  allows  customs  administrations  to  compare  the  amount  declared  on  a  
import declaration to a calculated Cleaned Average Price (CAP), which is available for every 
combination of product (8-digit code), third country of origin and importing Member State, and 
calculated based on the last four years.  It is aimed to detect any signal, which could necessitate 
further examination of the declaration to rule out irregularities or suspicions of fraud, such as 
undervaluation of the product concerned. The AMT provides important information to OLAF for 
the  assessment  of  evidence  during  investigations  and  to  customs  administrations  and  OLAF 
during Joint Customs Operations (JCOs). 

In 2025, the focus was on preparing for the transition from COMEXT to Surveillance data as the 
basis for the calculation. The Surveillance data will enable more precise calculations and will 
bring a change to a Yearly Cleaned Average Price (instead of a four-year reference period) and 
on  TARIC  10-digit  code  (instead  of  8  digits).  In  another  task,  a  study  was  conducted  on  the 
calculation of a Lowest Acceptable Price. While the CAP is a kind of an average price, the LAP 
would be a threshold that Member States could implement in their risk assessments (such as risk 
profiles). 

•  Work package 2: Container-movement analytics (CSM/COS) 

This WP aims at exploiting information on container movements for customs anti-fraud purposes. 
One example is detecting mis-description of origin of goods imported into the EU, piloted under 
the previous AA and implemented in AFIS as Container Origin Signals (COS). The main data 
sources are the Container Status Messages (CSM) data, on the one hand, and data from Single 
Administrative  Documents  (SAD),  used  by  economic  operators  when  submitting  an  import 
declaration,  on  the  other  hand.  The  CSM  data  relate  to  the  location  and  status  of  containers 
transported by maritime vessels to and from the EU. 

The  transmission  of  CSM  data  is  required  under  the  amended  Council  Regulation  515/97  for 
shipping  companies  transporting  containers  on  their  vessels.  This  WP  builds  on  the  results 
achieved under the previous CAFET project (2021-2023), as well as on the valuable feedback 
supplied by the users in the Member States who provided suggestions and ideas for new queries 
of the linked databases. 

During  the  year  2025,  the  project  provided  the  services  needed  to  ensure  the  regular  data 
acquisition, analysis and provision of results to end users. The services included the maintenance 
of the IT infrastructure (Oracle database, website and servers for the data processing), the AFIS-
CSM  data  collection  and  management,  and  the  data  cleaning  and  information  extraction 
processes.  

11 

 
 
As a continuation of the work done in this project in 2024, the JRC also provided an updated list 
of data sources on container carriers for the customs officials accessing AFIS CSM. 

The JRC also worked on the improvement of the algorithm to correlate import declarations with 
container itineraries. The results could be integrated in the current version of the algorithm used 
by the COS tool in OLAF, which is aimed at the detection of mis-description of origin fraud type. 

Finally, the JRC also provided a preliminary analysis about CTI (Container Trip Information) 
quality.  This  measure  is  very  much  needed  in  order  to  provide  quality  services  for  Customs 
authorities in AFIS CSM.  

Work package 3: Support to Intelligence Analysis (SIA)  

OLAF draws on a wide range of data sources for conducting operational data analyses in support 
of its investigations and Joint Customs Operations (JCO), which OLAF carries out with different 
groups of Member States and also, less often, third countries. The number, size, structure and 
coverage of data sources have increased exponentially in recent years: data on, for example, e-
commerce  transactions  or  the  spatial  distribution  of  tobacco  product  flows,  have  become 
available  for  further  analyses.  The  work  in  this  WP  focuses  on  the  study  and  evaluation  of 
methods which use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support the analyses of customs 
data. 

In 2025, the JRC prototyped a tool that analyses the ORBIS data on companies and creates a 
network structure (undirected graph) that indicates the links among the companies. The nodes of 
the network are companies, which are connected by the same addresses or same persons involved 
(e.g., directors of companies). Once the tool is available, it will enable users to search for clusters 
of company addresses (such as letterbox companies) and identify companies linked within a fraud 
network. 

•  Outreach 

As in previous years, progress updates on CAFET2 were provided at the regular meetings of the 
Expert Group on Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters (EMAC). 

2.1.4.1.3  Tobacco analyses (TOBLAB) 
In order to help Member States in their efforts to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products, 
OLAF takes the view that Member States’ authorities should have access to independent state-
of-the-art specialised testing facilities of tobacco products for investigative purposes.   

For that purpose, the JRC centre located in Geel (Belgium) set up in 2016 a laboratory for the 
analysis  of  tobacco  products,  TOBLAB,  financed  already  through  the  previous  Hercule  III 
programme (2014-2021).  

A  close  cooperation  between  TOBLAB  and  Member  States’  customs  laboratories  and  law 
enforcement authorities is considered as leading to the most efficient and cost-effective use of 
the testing facilities needed.  

Member States and OLAF can submit requests for analysis of tobacco products using a dedicated 
IT application (ToSMA) administered by OLAF on the Anti-Fraud Information System (AFIS) 
platform.  Between  July  2024  and  July  2025,  the  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  facilitated  109 
analytical requests from 15 Member States regarding seized cigarettes and tobacco derivatives. 

12 

 
 
 
Strategic forensic analysis established cross-border operational links for 50% of the submitted 
samples,  identifying  significant  correlations  between  disparate  seizure  events  across  the 
European Union. 

The  JRC  maintains  a  repository  of  commercially  available  cigarettes  purchased  at  licensed 
tobacconists  across  the  world.  The  repository  now  contains  1215  tobacco  products  from  77 
countries. 

The annual Administrative Agreement (AA) with the JRC in Geel was continued in 2025  with 
programme funding for a third year of this AA, amounting to EUR 295 697. 

2.1.4.2  Procured conferences 
The programme also finances high-level conferences and various training activities focused on 
knowledge  sharing  and  exchanging  best  practice  in  the  field  of  the  protection  of  the  EU’s 
financial  interests,  organised  by  the  Commission  (OLAF).  The  issues  addressed  by  these 
activities include the detection, prevention and investigation of fraud, including the fight against 
illicit  trade.  Particular  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  cooperation  and  sharing  best  practices 
between OLAF and its operational partners (customs authorities and other EU and national law 
enforcement bodies) in protecting the financial interests of the EU both within the EU itself but 
also  in  non-EU  countries.  The  total  planned  budget  available  for  these  conferences/training 
actions was EUR 1 650 000 for 2025.   

Table 5 in Annex I provides an overview of the procured events that were financed under the 
2025 UAFP budget.  

2.1.4.3  Procured digital forensics and analysts training  
The digital forensics and analysts training (DFAT), organised by OLAF, aims to strengthen law-
enforcement agencies’ ability to combat fraud, including cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting. 
It provides improved detection skills to extract and use data from digital devices.  

This  annual  training  helps  create  a  network  of  certified  digital-forensics  specialists  in  all  the 
Member States and candidate countries, starting back in 2007. 

Investigations related to EU funds have become more complex, with increasingly more data that 
need to be processed. This has led to a growing need to continuously train forensic and digital 
analysts. To address this need, courses for analysts were added to the original digital-forensics 
training since 2018. The aim is to improve digital forensics investigations by ensuring that data 
are  processed  in  a  way  that  strengthens  the  quality,  accuracy  and  efficiency  of  investigations 
related to EU funds. 

Financed  by  the  2025  budget,  one  virtual  training  session  took  place  in  June  2025  and  one 
physical  session  was  organised  in  November  2025  in  Prague  with  over  190  participants 
originating from Member States and candidate countries. The various subjects proposed covered 
the most requested by Member State authorities, such as advanced ‘Windows’ forensics, open-
source intelligence, operational  analysis, etc. The budget  of EUR 1.1 million  has  been almost 
fully committed for this activity under the 2025 programme budget (total cost of 1.06 million 
under the 2025 budget). 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3  UAFP (Hercule component) - achievements in 2025 

This section provides an overview of the main results achieved by beneficiaries implementing 
granted projects awarded under the programme in previous years, and of the outcomes of the 
procured projects also financed by the UAFP and those finalised in 2025.  

Beneficiaries report on the outcomes of grant projects in the final technical report they submit 
with their final payment requests. Final technical reports also describe issues encountered during 
the implementation of the action, such as (unexpected) delays or staff changes. The reports set 
out how these issues were resolved and list possible impacts on the outcome of a project.  

Beneficiaries  of  technical  assistance  grants  are  requested  to  submit  a  final  implementation 
questionnaire  one  year  after  the  grant  contract’s  closing  date.  This  questionnaire  contains 
information on the results achieved by using the equipment and the beneficiary’s assessment of 
the equipment’s contribution to achieving the programme’s objectives.  

The reported implementation results illustrate how the purchased technical equipment, such as 
detection  tools,  enabled  the  beneficiaries  to  seize  substantial  amounts  of smuggled  cigarettes, 
counterfeit goods and tobacco or other products. National authorities reported that equipment to 
support investigations, such as communication equipment, cameras, IT tools and forensic soft- 
and  hardware,  strongly  facilitated  the  lawful  and  efficient  gathering  of  evidence  during 
operations, supporting as such effectively investigations aimed at protecting the EU’s revenues, 
expenditures and assets. 

Beneficiaries of grants for training activities (conferences, seminars and training sessions) also 
carried out participant surveys to measure the relevance, quality and overall user satisfaction of 
the event. The findings of these surveys are included in the final technical report submitted at the 
end of the action. 

Training  activities  finalised  in  2025  concerned  a  wide  range  of  areas  and  topics,  such  as:  (i) 
training for enhancing the capacities of police and customs authorities in investigations of fraud 
against  the  EU  budget,  in  particular  fighting  cigarette  smuggling;  (ii)  training  for  public 
administration in preventing and combatting corruption in public procurement with EU funds; 
and  (iii)  implementing  the  Whistleblowing  Directive  to  combat  fraud  and  corruption  for 
protecting the financial interests of the EU. 

Most  of  the  training  projects  were  targeted  at  representatives  of  public  administration 
departments responsible for managing EU funds and law enforcement agencies (police, customs, 
anti-corruption bodies). 

3.1  Examples of technical assistance projects funded under the Hercule III programme 

and the UAFP, finalised in 2025 

Below are examples of awarded grants for technical assistance, finalised in 2025, together with 
examples of implementation results submitted in 2025. 

The Revenue Administration Regional Office in Olsztyn, Poland, received a grant aimed at 
reinforcing  the  capacity  of  its  Forensic  Unit  to  combat  fiscal  crimes.  The  deployment  of 
cutting-edge  technology  has  resulted  in  enhanced  operational  efficiency,  notably  by 

14 

 
 
 
 
streamlining  the  process  of  collecting,  recovering  and  analysing  electronic  evidence.  The 
equipment  acquired  has  been  utilised  in  a  total  of  80  cases  involving  extensive  evidence 
collection and analysis, including cases of VAT fraud valued at over €60 million, as well as 
the seizure of significant quantities of contraband, comprising, among others, 9,200 kilograms 
of tobacco, 55,000 cigarette units and 2,000 litres of liquid for electronic cigarettes. 

The  General  Inspectorate  of  the  Romanian  Police  has  acquired  investigative  and 
surveillance  equipment  to  reinforce  the  capabilities  of  the  Directorate  for  Investigating 
Economic Crimes. This equipment is being utilised in operations aimed at combating fraud 
and cigarette smuggling, as well as the counterfeiting of tobacco products, with a particular 
focus on regions bordering the external eastern frontier of the European Union. In the context 
of  a  recent  operation  targeting  two  organised  crime  groups  involved  in  the  illicit  trade  of 
cigarettes and excise goods, significant seizures were made, including 41,669,859 cigarettes, 
64,460 kg of tobacco, and 8.3 tons of pyrotechnic materials. The estimated loss to the state 
budget resulting from these criminal activities amounts to €12.7 million. 

The Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania has 
benefited  from  a  grant  aimed  at  modernising  the  vehicle  number  plates  and  containers 
recognition  system  at  the  external  borders  of  the  European  Union.  Since  its  deployment  in 
2023,  the  equipment  has  significantly  enhanced  the  capacity  of  the  Lithuanian  customs 
authorities to combat irregularities and suspected fraud. Notably, in 2024 alone, the utilisation 
of  this  equipment  has  led  to  the  detection  and  seizure  of  95.2  million  cigarettes,  with  an 
estimated value of €26.6 million, thereby marking  a substantial  success  in  the fight against 
illicit trade and revenue evasion. 

The National Anticorruption Directorate in Romania has improved its technical capabilities 
in digital forensics. The project aimed to enhance the protection of EU financial interests by 
upgrading the agency's equipment and training for investigating fraud and corruption cases. 
The acquired equipment and software, including digital evidence forensic acquisition systems 
and data processing systems, enable IT experts to execute digital search warrants and analyze 
analyse  electronic  evidence  more  effectively.  To  further  bolster  expertise,  five  computer 
forensics  specialists  completed  online  training,  while  three  additional  experts  underwent 
multiple specialised courses on the Magnet Forensics Axiom Suite, enhancing their proficiency 
in digital forensic analysis. As a result, the project has significantly improved the DNA’s ability 
to investigate and process digital evidence, reinforcing the protection of EU financial interests. 

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has successfully completed the "A New Hope" project, 
which aimed to modernise surveillance systems for combating financial fraud and safeguarding 
the  EU’s  financial  interests.  The  project  involved  the  installation  of  a  High-Performance 
Computing (HPC) system, optimising data processing for complex workloads, alongside an 
AI-powered integrated video platform deployed in May 2025, enabling real-time analysis of 
video  intelligence.  Both  systems  feature  automatic  number  plate  recognition  systems, 
significantly enhancing surveillance efficiency, while reducing processing times. As a result, 
the  initiative  has  strengthened  the  Guardia  Civil’s  investigative  capabilities,  improved 
operational  effectiveness,  and  fostered  greater  cross-border  cooperation  with  other  EU 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Member  States  -  ultimately  contributing  to  a  more  robust  protection  of  the  EU’s  economic 
interests. 

The  Hellenic  Police  has  bolstered  its  investigative  and  operational  capabilities  through  the 
project, "Dismounted Operations for Covert Container Kits", which involved the procurement 
of advanced covert surveillance equipment for deployment at the major ports of Piraeus and 
Thessaloniki. The acquired systems include a Covert Monitoring System (CMS) for real-time 
audio surveillance and a Video Management System (VMS) for secure video transmission and 
digital evidence management, alongside a portable Raman spectrometer to enable safe, on-site 
substance analysis. This  new equipment is  fully interoperable with existing systems funded 
under prior EU initiatives, ensuring seamless integration into ongoing operations. The impact 
has been immediate and tangible, with the technology supporting two successful operations in 
September and October 2023, leading to the arrest of six individuals. Ultimately, the project 
has  significantly  enhanced  the  Hellenic  Police’s  capacity  to  combat  organised  crime  and 
safeguard the EU’s financial interests. 

3.2  Examples of training projects funded under the UAFP, finalised in 2025  

An overview of the training projects finalised in 2025 (for which grants had been awarded under 
the UAFP) is given in Annex I, Table 6 (Training, conferences, staff exchanges and studies). 

Examples of projects for training and conferences that ended and were reported on in 2025: 

The  project  Best  Anti-Corruption  Practice  Exchange  (BACPE)  was  implemented  by  the 
Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania serving as the Secretariat of the 
European  Partners  against  Corruption  (EPAC)  and  the  European  Contact-Point  Network 
against  Corruption  (EACN).  The  project  involved  more  than  500  practitioners  from  39 
countries,  representing  EU  institutions,  international  organisations,  and  national  anti-
corruption bodies.  

The implemented activities were intended for EPAC/EACN members to promote the exchange 
of  knowledge  and  best  practices,  capacity  building,  long-term  institutional  partnership  and 
enhanced cross-border cooperation with a particular focus on protecting the financial interests 
of the EU.     

The main results of the project consisted of: 

• establishment of a permanent international network of practitioners and experts; 

• two high-level international conferences in Ireland and in Romania; 

• 49 study visits on six thematic areas for 145 experts; 

•  and  integration  of  the  outputs  of  the  project  into  the  EPAC/EACN  Secretariat’s  regular 
activities, which will ensure sustainability and replication of the project. 

BACPE project resulted in increased visibility of the UAFP objectives within the broader anti-
corruption and police oversight community. The dissemination outputs (e.g. e-publication and 
16 

 
 
 
 
practice case studies) were presented on EPAC/EACN website and the Special Investigation 
Service  of  the  Republic  of  Lithuania  website  Completion  of  the  EU-Funded  International 
Project BACPE | STT. 

“ADRIACUSTOMS” project was launched under the leadership of the Italian Customs and 
Monopolies  Agency  (ADM)  with  the  participation  of  the  customs  authorities  of  Albania, 
Croatia,  Montenegro  and  Slovenia.  The  project  aimed  at  strengthening  regional  customs 
cooperation to fight against customs fraud and illicit trafficking in the Adriatic Region. 

Staff exchange sessions were organised in strategic locations in Bari, Brindisi, Ancona, Durrës, 
Vlora,  Tirana,  Bar,  Podgorica,  and  Debeli  Brijeg.  Each  exchange  featured  theoretical 
workshops,  technical  demonstrations,  site  visits,  and  field  activities  at  ports,  airports, 
laboratories, and border crossings. Key themes addressed during these exchanges included:  

• Intellectual Property Rights enforcement and the fight against counterfeit goods, including 
visits to manufacturing sites affected by product piracy;  

• illicit tobacco trade, with analysis of trafficking patterns and operational responses;  

• illegal waste trafficking, examining common routes and seizure cases;  

•  food  and  product  safety,  including  laboratory  analysis  of  imported  goods  and  passenger 
luggage controls. 

One of the key deliverables of the project was the Guidelines document for future cooperation 
including  Joint  Operations  and  the  development  of  the  shared  Customs  Risk  Management 
framework for the Adriatic region, which were disseminated to the relevant authorities. 

Examples of projects for legal training and studies that ended and were reported on in 2025: 

The EU CYBER VAT project was conducted by the Centre of Security and Crime Sciences 
(CSSC) of the University of Trento and the University of Verona (Italy). Cyber VAT fraud 
(i.e.  VAT  fraud  enabled  or  facilitated  by  digital  technologies)  represents  an  increasingly 
serious  threat  to  the  EU’s  financial  interests.  In  this  context,  the  EU  CYBER  VAT  project 
assessed  the  adequacy  of  European  and  national  legal  frameworks  across  the  EU27  in 
addressing cyber VAT fraud and identified measures to strengthen their effectiveness. Using 
a  multidisciplinary  and  comparative  approach,  the  study  combined  the  first  EU-wide 
criminological  analysis  of  digital  VAT  fraud  with  an  assessment  of  the  transposition  and 
implementation of the PIF Directive at national level. The project focused on criminal conduct 
affecting EU revenue in line with the UAFP objectives. 

The EU CYBER VAT project demonstrates that digital technologies play a structural role in 
contemporary VAT fraud schemes by facilitating the falsification of tax documentation, the 
creation  of  “false  virtual  companies”  and  the  exploitation  of  e-commerce  for  fraudulent 
purposes, often within Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) schemes. These practices are 
frequently  transnational  and  linked  to  organised  economic  crime  networks,  significantly 
increasing risks to the EU’s financial interests. 

17 

 
 
 
 
The comparative legal analysis concludes that existing VAT fraud offences under national law 
and  the  PIF  Directive  are  generally  adequate  to  cover  its  digital  manifestations.  The  main 
challenges lie instead in fragmented enforcement, uneven implementation of the PIF Directive 
at  national  level,  limited  cross-border  cooperation  and  insufficient  harmonisation  of  digital 
investigative tools. The findings also highlight the importance of involving online platforms 
and  payment  service  providers  in  developing  and  implementing  prevention  and  detection 
strategies. 

The  project  developed  evidence-based  policy  recommendations  based  on  three  pillars:  1) 
enhanced horizontal cooperation through shared standards and mutual recognition of digital 
evidence;  2)  technological  and  institutional  integration,  including  investment  in  advanced 
digital tools; 3) and balanced and coordinated enforcement combining national administrative 
action with EU-level investigative coordination and proportionate private-sector involvement. 

The project enhances the protection of the EU’s financial interests by equipping policymakers, 
tax authorities, law enforcement and judicial bodies with actionable knowledge on emerging 
fraud  patterns,  enabling  earlier  identification  of  high-risk  schemes  and  more  targeted 
preventive measures. For instance, the identification of digital MTIC and e-commerce based 
fraud  patterns  through  the  criminological  analysis  supports  the  development  of  risk-based 
mechanisms for detection. By identifying the phases of cyber VAT fraud, the results streamline 
early intervention, preventing fraud before this materialises and thus reducing potential losses 
to the EU budget. 

Concrete added value is also provided through operational guidance on digital investigative 
tools,  service  provider  accountability  and  coordinated  enforcement  strategies.  Clearer 
cooperation with online platforms and, more generally, the private sector is instrumental to the 
early  disruption  of  fraudulent  transaction  chains  and  the  limitation  of  opportunities  for 
systematic VAT evasion, also through the use of digital means. 

A  European  network  involving  experts  from  25  EU  Member  States  was  established.  The 
permanent Digital Workshop enables authorities to obtain practical guidance through an open 
access  platform 
the  project: 
the  policy 
https://cssc.unitn.it/eu-cyber-vat-digital-workshop/?lang=en. 

recommendations  developed  during 

to 

The  “ELEVADMIN”  study,  conducted  by  the  University  of  Luxembourg,  addresses  a  key 
challenge  in  protecting  the  EU’s  financial  interests:  enabling  enforcement  authorities  to 
lawfully and effectively obtain electronic evidence from online service providers (OSPs) in 
investigations of fraud, corruption and other illegal activities affecting the EU budget. 

As digital infrastructure, online platforms and cross-border data flows become increasingly 
used  in  fraud  schemes,  electronic  evidence  has  become  essential  for  detecting  and  proving 
irregularities in EU expenditure and revenue, including customs duties and VAT. While access 
to electronic evidence is well-regulated in criminal cases across the EU, the study highlights 
that administrative enforcement is largely overlooked despite its importance in safeguarding 
the  EU  budget  and  its  role  as  a  gateway  to  criminal  proceedings.  Based  on  a  comparative 
analysis  of  EU-level  frameworks  and  national  law  and  practice  in  nine  Member  States 
(Belgium,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Ireland,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  the  Netherlands,  and 

18 

 
 
 
Poland), the study covers five key enforcement areas directly relevant to the protection of the 
EU financial interests: customs, VAT, financial markets, competition law, and data protection. 
Particular attention is given to the legal framework and practical constraints governing OLAF 
investigations. 

The project has strengthened the capacity of EU institutions and national authorities to address 
fraud affecting the EU budget by clarifying how electronic evidence can be lawfully gathered 
and used in administrative proceedings that often precede or accompany criminal proceedings. 
In  particular,  the  project  highlights  how  deficiencies  in  data  access  powers,  procedural 
safeguards, and evidence transfer mechanisms may hinder the effective protection of the EU 
financial interests. 

On the basis of these findings, the study formulates a set of policy recommendations aimed at 
strengthening  administrative  enforcement  while  fully  respecting  fundamental  rights.  It 
recommends the establishment of clear and explicit legal bases at EU level for administrative 
authorities, including OLAF, to access electronic evidence from OSPs, with a differentiated 
approach reflecting the nature and intrusiveness of the data concerned. The study is published 
as  an  open  access  book  entitled  “Gathering  Electronic  Evidence  from  Private  Actors  in 
Administrative Punitive Proceedings” (available at: https://orbilu.uni.lu/handle/10993/65423), 
offering  a comprehensive analysis of legal  and practical  approaches to  obtaining  electronic 
evidence from OSPs in administrative punitive proceedings across the EU. 

The  “FUTURFRAUD”  project  of  the  University  of  Luxembourg  aimed  to  strengthen  the 
protection  of  the  EU’s  financial  interests  by  promoting  forward-looking  reflection  and 
structured  dialogue  on  the  future  of  the  EU  anti-fraud  architecture.  The  project  brought 
together key stakeholders from Member States, EU institutions, specialised anti-fraud bodies, 
academia,  and  civil  society  to  examine  emerging  risks,  evolving  fraud  patterns,  and 
institutional  challenges,  and  to  identify  strategic  directions  for  improving  prevention, 
detection, and enforcement capacities in the medium to long term. 

The  project  pursued  two  closely  linked  objectives:  first,  to  create  a  high-level  forum  for 
discussion on the future of anti-fraud policy and practice in the EU; and second, to reinforce 
cooperation  and  networking  among  associations  active  in  protecting  the  EU’s  financial 
interests, so that their expertise could feed into broader policy debates. 

Its central activity was the conference “The Future of the Anti-Fraud Architecture” held on 20-
21 November 2025. The conference enabled  a multidisciplinary exchange on major future-
oriented issues, including the effects of digitalisation and artificial intelligence on fraud risks, 
challenges in cross-border cooperation, and the changing roles of national and EU-level actors. 
The  programme  of  the  conference  can  be  found  at  this  link:  https://www.uni.lu/fdef-
en/events/the-future-of-the-anti-fraud-architecture/. 

The conference facilitated a comprehensive and future-oriented debate on the main challenges 
facing the EU anti-fraud architecture and highlighted the need for stronger cooperation across 
institutional levels, greater use of data-driven tools while safeguarding fundamental rights, and 
sustained investment in expertise and capacity-building. 

19 

 
 
 
A particularly  important  component of  the FUTURFRAUD  project  was  the Meeting of the 
Representatives of the Associations for the Protection of the EU Financial Interests, held on 
19 November 2025. This dedicated meeting provided a structured platform for representative 
associations to exchange experience, align priorities, and discuss how their activities can better 
support  EU-level  anti-fraud  objectives.  It  significantly  strengthened  networking  among 
associations, reinforced their role as relevant stakeholders in policy reflection and awareness-
raising,  and  helped  consolidate  common  perspectives  on  fraud  affecting  the  EU  budget.  It 
further  identified  opportunities  for  closer  collaboration  between  associations  and  EU  and 
national authorities. 

4 

Irregularity Management System (IMS) – implementation in 2025 

4.1  Main activities  

To protect the EU’s financial interests, EU law requires Member States managing EU spending 
under shared management and countries benefiting from pre-accession assistance to notify the 
Commission of any irregularities (including suspected and proven fraud) detected in areas where 
the EU provides financial support.  

To facilitate the reporting of irregularities, the IMS has been developed and put at the disposal of 
the Member States and other beneficiary countries. This dedicated electronic system is currently 
being used by 36 countries.  

Member  States,  candidate  countries  and  other  non-EU  countries  have  set  up  a  hierarchical 
reporting structure with  multiple levels  of responsibility.  Around  740 reporting organisations, 
covering around 3 000 IMS users, are responsible for the timely reporting of irregularities.  

The reporting workflow includes multiple hierarchical levels and various roles within the same 
level  to  ensure  that  several  quality  checks  are  performed  before  the  reports  are  sent  to  the 
Commission. 

Reporting authorities have responsibilities in one or more of the following fields: 

FIELD 

EU FUND 

Agriculture 

(EAGF),  European 
European  Agricultural  Guarantee  Fund 
Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD),  European 
Agricultural  Guarantee  and  Guidance  Fund  –  Guidance  Section 
(GUID) 

Home Affairs 

Asylum,  Migration  and  Integration  Fund  (AMIF),  Instrument  for 
Financial  Support  for  Border  Management  and  Visa  Policy  (BMVI) 
Internal Security Fund (ISF) 

Cohesion 

Cohesion Fund (CF), European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), 
European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF),  European  Social 
Fund (ESF), European Social Fund plus (ESF+), Just Transition Fund 
(JTF) Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) 

20 

 
 
Fisheries 

European  Fisheries  Fund  (EFF),  European  Maritime  and  Fisheries 
Fund  (EMFF),  Financial  Instrument  on  Fisheries  Guidance  (FIFG), 
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 

Most deprived 

Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) 

Neighbourhood 

Cross-border Cooperation – European Neighbourhood Policy (CBC-
ENP) 

Instrument  for  Structural  Policies  for  Pre-Accession,  Poland  and 
Hungary:  Assistance  for  Restructuring  their  Economies  PHARE),  , 
Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development 
(SAPARD), Transition Facility, Turkish Instrument for Pre-Accession 
Assistance (TIPAA),  Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance 2007-
2013  (IPA),  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  2014-2020 
(IPAII), Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance 2021-2027 (IPAIII) 

Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), on a voluntary basis 

Pre-accession 

Recovery, 
Resilience 

Ukraine 

Ukraine Facility 

Reporting authorities provide information on: 

−  who committed the irregularity/fraud (persons involved); 

− 

− 

the support measure such as fund, programme, project, budget line; 

the financial impact (expenditure and irregular/fraudulent amount); 

−  how the irregularity/fraud was committed; 

−  when the irregularity/fraud was committed; 

−  where the irregularity/fraud was committed; 

−  how the irregularity/fraud was detected; and 

−  what administrative, judicial or penal follow-up sanctions were imposed. 

4.2  What does the AWP involve? 

The  2025  AWP  has  allocated  a  budget  of  EUR 1  017  756  dedicated  to  IT  development  and 
maintenance, as well as operations and support in relation to IMS. 99.7% of the available amount 
for 2025 has been committed. 

4.3  Maintenance and development 

In 2025, several new releases went live for IMS, implementing support for dependencies on fund 
and  programming  period  when  reporting,  improving  search  features  and  providing  new 
dashbords, Several training sessions and five new manuals were provided in 2025 to support the 
users. Ukrainian AFCOS was trained and started using the system in 2025.  

21 

 
 
 
5  AFIS – implementation in 2025 

Under the programme’s third strand (AFIS), several major releases went live in 2025: 

1.  several new versions of the Import Export and Transit directory improving the processing 
of  duplicated,  updated  and  deleted  messages,  adding  new  transit  message  formats  and 
daily updates from TAXUD’s SURV3 system; 

2.  a new, technologically updated version of the Container Status Message (CSM) directory 
with additional features, new carriers and new Container Trip Information (CTI) models 
for existing carriers; and 

3.  a new version of the Mutual Assistance System implementing retention and anonymisation 

of cases and displaying additional information/details. 

A publication zone was prepared for the fraud analytical platform. In 2025, AFIS also supported 
nine joint customs operations (JCOs) through the UAFP budget. 

6  Communication 

The successful implementation of the programme and the achievement of its objectives require a 
structured  and  well  organised  approach  to  inform  potential  beneficiaries  on  funding 
opportunities, as fast and as best as possible. 

On an annual basis, the Commission also disseminates information on the achievements and the 
results of the actions that received funding, for example by means of the current document as part 
of the annual reporting by the Commission. 

On information, communication and visibility, Article 15(2) of the UAFP Regulation states: 

‘The Commission  shall on a regular basis implement  information  and communication actions 
relating to the programme, to actions taken pursuant to the programme and to the results obtained. 
Financial  resources  allocated  to  the  programme  shall  also  contribute  to  the  corporate 
communication of the political priorities of the Union, insofar as those priorities are related to 
the objectives referred to in Article 2.’ 

6.1 

Informing potential applicants 

For the anti-fraud component (Hercule related actions), the full texts of the calls’ documents and 
the related templates are made available on the Commission’s Funding and Tenders Portal.  

Potential applicants were also informed about the publication of 2025 calls via e-mails sent to the 
Delegates  of  the  Working  Party  on  Combating  Fraud  of  the  European  Council  (GAF),  the 
members of the Advisory Committee for the Coordination of Fraud Prevention (COCOLAF), the 
Anti-Fraud Coordination Services (AFCOS), the network of associations for European criminal 
law and for the protection of the EU’s financial interests, and to the Expert Group on Mutual 
Assistance in Customs Matters (EMAC), as well as AFIS-correspondents in the Member States, 
for further dissemination to their colleagues in the Member States. 

6.2  Dissemination of results 

Disseminating the results of technical assistance projects (Hercule) is not always possible since 
most  of  the  achievements  relate  to  investigations  for  which  (sensitive  and/or  case-related) 
information often cannot be disclosed.  

22 

 
 
The results of training activities were disseminated by distributing electronic and/or paper reports 
summarising  the  events.  Some  beneficiaries  posted  the  recorded  event(s)  and  the  projects’ 
outputs on their websites or created dedicated websites to disseminate results and conclusions.  

For the IMS, there is, in particular, the follow-up that is given to IMS notifications, either by the 
reporting Member State or by the Commission services involved in the financial follow-up of 
identified  financial  irregularities  or  cases  of  fraud  detrimental  to  the  EU’s  financial  interests. 
OLAF  reports  within  the  Commission  on  the  performance  of  the  tool  and  the  received 
notifications. It also reports annually to the European Parliament and to the public.  

There is no specific dissemination of results stemming from the use of the AFIS platform, except 
for the annual activity reporting by OLAF and the annual programme performance statements 
disseminated  by  the  Services  of  the  Commission.  In  this  reporting,  the  (yearly)  number  of 
information  items  on  mutual  administrative  assistance  made  available  in  the  relevant  AFIS 
applications is communicated as a monitored performance indicator. 

6.3  Visibility of EU funding 

On information, communication and visibility, Article 15(1) of the UAFP Regulation states: 

‘Except  where  there  is  a  risk  of  compromising  the  effective  performance  of  anti-fraud  and 
customs operational activities, the recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin of 
those  funds  and  ensure  the  visibility  of  the  Union  funding,  in  particular  when  promoting  the 
actions and their results, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information 
to multiple audiences, including the media and the public.’ 

Equipment purchased under grant projects for technical assistance is often labelled with logos or 
stickers  referring  to  EU/Commission  funding  (except  for  covert  equipment  and  operations). 
When possible, beneficiary organisations disseminate information  about  purchased equipment 
on project websites or press releases, mentioning the support from EU funding. 

Under  the  training  type  of  actions,  all  beneficiaries  of  grants  were  requested  to  mention  the 
support from the UAFP (or Hercule for previous grants), where applicable: 

1.  in  every  publication  (title  page)  or  related  material  developed  (e.g.  studies,  booklets, 

newsletters and leaflets); 

2.  in electronic information (e.g. websites, audiovisual material, videos and software); 
3.  at information events (conferences and seminars); and 
4.  by creating a link from their website to the programme’s site.  

This aspect of EU-support visibility is not applicable to AFIS and IMS components, as no similar 
grant projects are implemented. 

7  Feedback from programme participants  

As indicated in Section 3, beneficiaries of UAFP grants for training, conferences and seminars 
carry  out  surveys  among  the  participants  to  collect  information  on  the  perceived  quality  and 
relevance of the event attended. According to the final reports received in 2025 for the training 
grants,  a  total  number  of  3  257  participants attended  training  activities  co-financed  by  the 
programme (both physical and virtual training activities).  

The  Commission  received,  from  grant  beneficiaries,  reports  based  on  1  497  filled-in 
questionnaires,  which  reflected,  in  the  assessments  done,  a  high  level  of  satisfaction.  The 

23 

 
 
feedback  received  was  overwhelmingly  positive,  with  90%  of  the  participants  assessing  the 
events as ‘good’ (with a score of 4 out of 5) to ‘very good’ (with a score of 5 out of 5). Participants 
appreciated the opportunities for cooperation and exchange of information offered by the training 
events and considered that the activities had a practical impact on their daily work.  

Based  on  the  feedback  results,  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  events  have  largely  met  their 
objectives and have helped increase awareness on the risks to which the EU’s financial interests 
are exposed.     

For technical assistance grants, the beneficiaries provide feedback on the programme in the final 
technical report. The satisfaction question concerns the suitability of the purchased equipment 
and tools for the needs of the beneficiary organisation. In 2025, all beneficiaries submitting a 
final report for their projects expressed an ‘excellent’ level of satisfaction (with a score of 5 out 
of 5). 

For the use of the IMS tool, the Commission (OLAF) holds a yearly survey on the satisfaction 
rate expressed by the users on the use of the tool and the support received. The latest IMS users’ 
feedback from 2025 showed a satisfaction level of 74.5%. 

For the AFIS platform, used for information exchange, there is no specific reporting on feedback 
from participants or beneficiaries. OLAF has the task to keep the platform up to date and running. 
OLAF  registers  as  a  performance  indicator  the  number  of  information  items  on  mutual 
administrative  assistance  made  available  in  the  relevant  AFIS  applications:  the  Customs 
Information  System,  the  Customs  File  Identification  Database,  and  the  Mutual  Assistance 
System. 

8 

 Conclusions and way forward  

The Union Anti-Fraud Programme continues to play a crucial and effective role in safeguarding 
the financial interests of the European Union. By providing Member States with the necessary 
tools and support, the programme helps to prevent, detect, and combat fraud that threatens EU 
resources. Its ongoing efforts not only ensure that funds are used appropriately but also strengthen 
the integrity and transparency of EU financial management. 

Regarding the anti-fraud component (Hercule), the various outcomes detailed in the preceding 
chapters highlight the critical role of funding provided to Member State authorities in preventing 
and  combating  fraud,  corruption,  and  other  illegal  activities  that  threaten  the  EU’s  financial 
interests. In practical terms, the programme contributed to safeguarding taxpayers’ money from 
misuse or diversion from its intended purpose. 

The programme continuously strives to adapt to the evolving anti-fraud priorities with a stronger 
focus of support on the expenditure side. This shift in focus reflects both the stringent needs for 
prevention and investigation related to the increased EU budget and its new forms of expenditure 
(e.g.: the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Ukraine Facility, etc.) as well as the new available 
EU  funds  dedicated  specifically  for  Member  States’  customs  authorities  (under  the  Customs 
Control Equipment Instrument for example).  

The programme is also aligning more strongly with the Commission’s anti-fraud strategy. This 
strategy was revised in 2023 and places a much larger focus on the collection and use of data-
driven tools for anti-fraud purposes. The programme’s three components will continue to aim at 
building and strengthening the necessary capacities in Member States to develop, use and share 
digital information, databases and business-intelligence tools. 

24 

 
 
In  addition,  the Union Anti-Fraud Programme will remain a vital  tool in  strengthening cross-
border  cooperation  among  the  national  law  enforcement  authorities  of  Member  States.  By 
fostering  greater  collaboration,  information-sharing,  and  coordinated  efforts,  the  programme 
plays an essential role in combating fraud on a broader scale. Its continued success will further 
ensure that Member States are equipped to address emerging challenges, ultimately contributing 
to a safer and more secure European Union for all. 

As the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework is currently being prepared, it is essential 
that it includes sufficient funding for operational anti-fraud activities to safeguard the proper and 
justified use of public money. Therefore, the current programme will continue and enhance its 
activities  in  the  framework  of  the  future  ‘Single  Market  and  Customs  programme’,  with  an 
increased financial envelope compared to the current one. Only by investing in robust anti-fraud 
measures,  the  EU  can  protect  its  financial  interests,  maintain  the  integrity  of  its  budget,  and 
uphold  public  trust  in  the  responsible  management  of  taxpayers’  money.  Ensuring  that  these 
activities are adequately financed within the next financial framework will be key to fostering 
accountability and securing the long-term sustainability of EU investments. 

25 

 
 
Annex 1: Grants and contracts awarded and finalised under the 2025 Financing Decision 

Table 1 – TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE grants AWARDED under the 2025 Financing Decision  

  MS 

Beneficiary 

Title and description 

CRIMEQ - Strengthening the investigative 
capacity to step up the fight against economic 
crime, corruption and any 
other illegal activities affecting the financial 
interests of the European Union 
InkDating - Building forensic document 
examination capacity to fight fraud, financial 
and economic crimes 
MINDAT - Implementation of GPU-based 
infrastructure to enhance AI-driven fraud 
detection, risk assessment, and x-ray image 
analysis in support of EU border and financial 
interest protection by NTCA 

Awarded 
grant (EUR) 

Co-
fin 
% 

275 999.99      80 

247 028.00      80 

570 593.60      80 

1  RO 

Botosani County Police 
Inspectorate 

2 

LV 

State Forensic Expertise 
Office 

3 

HU 

National Tax and 
Customs Office 

4 

LT 

Financial Crime 
Investigation Service 
under the Ministry of 
Internal Affairs 

5 

ES  Ministry of Interior 

FCISDF - Purchase of digital forensics 
equipment 

158 512.80      80 

TFL - The Fallen Leaf - A project to increase 
operational capacity and reduce illicit fraud 
and smuggling activities 

572 535.20      80 

6 

LV  State Revenue Service 

AMS - Customs Inspections: Hard Evidence via 
Advanced Monitoring Solutions 

358 494.39      80 

7 

LT 

Customs Criminal 
Service 

8  RO 

Mures County Police 
Inspectorate 

9 

SK 

Financial Directorate of 
the Slovak Republic 

10  DE 

General Customs 
Directorate  

RETIS - Development of X-ray Inspection Data 
Exchange System 
MARC - Mureș Against Racketeering and 
Criminality. Enhancing forensic capacity and 
capability for the protection of the European 
Union’s financial interests 
SURTECH - Surveillance and monitoring 
equipment acquisition to combat fraud, 
corruption and protect financial interests of EU 

1 672 099.19      80 

378 091.99      80 

548 938.88      80 

Video - Video Data Analytics 

507 406.50      80 

11  PL 

Olsztyn Police 
Headquarters 

WTO - Improving effectiveness in the fight 
against financial fraud to the detriment of the 
EU by equipping the 
Warmia-Masuria Police with a mobile center 
for obtaining information from the 5G 
network. 

1 206 000.00      80 

26 

 
 
 
 
12  PL 

National Police 
Headquarters 

13  CZ 

Directorate General of 
Customs 

14  PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in Radom 

15  PL 

Fiscal Administration 
Chamber in Olsztyn 

ANCRIM-PCBI - Countering the use of AI by 
organised crime groups to the detriment of the 
financial interests of the European Union 
AUDIUS II - Enhancing CZ Customs capabilities 
to combat drug smuggling, counterfeiting, tax 
and customs fraud to strengthen economic 
security of the EU, the Czech Republic and 
safety in cross-border transport. 
CyberEnforcement - Strengthening the police's 
competences in detecting online crimes that 
harm the EU's financial interests. 
Digitalera- Adapting the standards of analytical 
and investigative activities of the Customs and 
Tax Control Office in olsztyn to the 
requirements of the digital era 

526 640.00      80 

480 000.00      80 

185 018.00      80 

462 171.00      80 

16  HR  Ministry of Finance 

DAS - Digital Analytical Software 

1 296 845.60      80 

17  PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in 
Katowice 

NETFORCE - Network for Financial Crimes 
Against European Union Enforcement 

400 799.00      80 

18  RO 

National Anticorruption 
Directorate 

FORENSIQ - Strengthening digital forensics 
capabilities to protect the financial interests of 
the European Union 

642 622.00      80 

19  PL 

Police Headquarters in 
Gorzów Wielkopolski 

JUPITER - Purchase of operational equipment 
for the Lubuskie Police 

136 452.00      80 

20  FR  Ministry of Interior 

FLICKER - Forensic Laboratory for 
Investigation, Calibration and Key Evidence 
Recovery 

351 244.00      80 

21  ES  Ministry of Interior 

MAF – Means Against Fraud 

424 500.00 

73 

Table 2 – TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE grants FINALISED in 2025 

MS 

Beneficiary 

Title 

TOTAL  11 399 992.14 

Amount paid 
(EUR) 

Amount 
paid as 
% to 
initial 
commit-
ment12 

12 Final payment as percentage of the awarded grant. A percentage lower than 100% means that the action was either not 

fully implemented or that the beneficiary managed to achieve considerable cost savings. 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
1 

ES  Ministry of Interior 

ANH- A NEW HOPE-Surveillance systems 
update 

691 396.00 

99 

2 

RO 

Directorate for the 
Investigation of 
Organized Crime and 
Terrorism - DIICOT 

TECH-Strengthening the special 
investigation methods for the prosecution 
of smuggling organised groups at the EU 
borders 

218 723.02 

91 

3 

RO 

National 
Anticorruption 
Directorate 

4 

RO 

National 
Anticorruption 
Directorate 

5 

PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in 
Gdansk 

CSS- Better protection of EU financial 
interests by improving the DNA’s 
investigative capacity through surveillance 
equipment and know-how 

DIGIFOR- Improving the protection of the 
EU financial interests in Romania by 
enhancing the technical endowment of 
DNA in the field of digital forensics 

DIGIT POL- Digitalization and 
modernization of the Pomeranian Police 
to protect the financial interests of the 
European Union 

400 448.00 

100 

582 967.55 

91 

181 774.06 

97 

6 

ES  Ministry of Interior 

RVSC- ROVSCAN 

258 745.42 

85 

7 

RO 

National 
Anticorruption 
Directorate 

8 

IT 

Ministry of Economy 
and Finance 

OCULUS- Better equipped in fighting fraud 
against EU funds at national and European 
level 

256 625.95 

97 

RAF- Research and Analysis of Frauds 

566 080.00 

58 

9 

RO 

Suceava County Police 
Inspectorate 

4FRONT- Increasing the investigative and 
operative capacity in view of stepping up 
the fight against fraud, corruption and any 
other illegal activity affecting the EU 
financial interests at EU borders (RO-UA) 

85 006.47 

95 

10 

PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in 
Gdansk 

CYBERPOL- Pomeranian Police in the fight 
against cybercrime to the detriment of the 
European Union 

103 052.86 

87 

11 

FI 

Finish Customs-TULLI 

ENDCANES- Enhancing Data Capacity and 
Network Speed 

269 528.67 

89 

12 

RO 

General 
Anticorruption 
Directorate 

STAR- Strengthening AGD’s capacities for 
investigating corruption 

251 198.40 

100 

13 

PL 

Police Headquarters 

OMOS 2- Purchase of an Operational 
Modular Observation System 

199 070.25 

94 

28 

 
 
14 

PL 

Provincial Police 
Headquarters in 
Bialystok 

FORENSIC- Support of economic 
proceedings, based on digital evidence. 

281 822.66 

83 

15 

RO 

Directorate for the 
Investigation of 
Organized Crime and 
Terrorism - DIICOT 

PONTUS 3- Improved digital forensic 
capabilities for the evidence gathering and 
prosecution of smuggling organised 
groups at the EU borders. 

164 733.78 

99 

16 

RO 

General Police 
Directorate of 
Bucharest 
Municipality 

TEN-10 for Bucharest 

17 

LT 

Customs Department 
Under the Ministry of 
Finance of the 
Republic of Lithuania 

MGIS- Modernization of tool for collecting 
and comparing of shadow economy 
spatial data 

18 

IT 

Ministry of Economy 
and Finance 

DIGIFOR - DIGITAL FORENSICS 

19 

RO 

Bistrita-Nasaud 
County Police 
Inspectorate 

HDSPECTRAL- Revealing concealed truth -a 
new and upgraded shield using the 
forensic tools in the fight againt fraud 

355 805.67 

80 

444 552.00 

88 

491 598.40 

91 

207 304.61 

99 

20 

PL 

Police Headquarters 
in Rzeszów 

mobile centers- Mobile systems for 
monitoring threats 

239 545.60 

100 

21 

RO 

Police Inspectorate of 
Bacau County 

ANTI-FRAUD- Dismantling Tax Evasion 
Criminal Groups with Professional 
Equipment in Bacau County 

289 749.32 

95 

22 

PL 

Tax Administration 
Chamber in Lublin 

PL-TA- Strengthening the operational 
potential of the Technique and 
Observation Department of the Tax 
Administration Chamber in Lublin by 
purchasing a mobile network surveillance 
device 

820 096.04 

98 

23 

ES 

State Tax 
Administration 
Agency 

SAATOS- Reinforcement of Specific 
Actions Against TObacco Smuggling in the 
Bay of Algeciras 

84 640.00 

99 

24 

LV 

State Revenue Service 

SVTD- Purchase of specialized vehicle and 
modernization of technical devices 

329 308.10 

97 

25 

LV 

State Revenue Service 

SCCVR- Strengthening Customs Capacity 
through Video Recording 

520 987.20 

87 

26 

PL 

Tax Administration 
Chamber in Lodz 

PL-TA-03- Modern data analysis 
technology at the Revenue Administration 

112 593.78 

73 

29 

 
 
Regional Office in Łódź as a chance to 
tighten up the Polish tax system and 
increase the stability of EU finances. 

27 

LV 

State Revenue Service 

ACB- Analytical Capacity Building for the 
Latvian Tax and Customs Police 

249 576.00 

91 

TOTAL 

  8 656 929.81 

Table 3 – DATABASES that were CONTRACTED under the 2025 Financing Decision 

Name 

TDM (Trade Data 
Monitor)  

Content 

Worldwide trade statistics database 

Moodys - ORBIS 

Worldwide company data information 

S&P – Maritime Portal  Worldwide vessels movement information 

1 

2 

3 

Commitment 
in Euro 

120 000 

679 661 

235 000 

Total committed under the 2025 budget  

1 034 661 

Table 4 – TRAINING, CONFERENCES, STAFF EXCHANGES AND STUDIES grants AWARDED under the 2025 
Financing Decision 

MS 

Beneficiary 

Title 

Awarded 
grant (EUR) 

Co-
fin 
% 

1 

IT 

University of the 
International Studies of 
Rome 

2 

LT 

Special Investigation 
Service of the Republic of 
Lithuania 

3 

LU 

University of Luxembourg 

CORE - Customs Operations for Risk 
Evaluation 

133 599,34 

80 

EPAC-PROTECT - EPAC/EACN 
Conferences for Strengthening the Fight 
Against Corruption and Protection of EU 
Financial Interests  
ELEV-SUSPECT - Electronic evidence in 
administrative punitive proceedings: data 
from suspected persons and their circle - 
comparative study of law and practice 

86 667,42 

80 

189 531,24 

80 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
University of Rome 
UnitelmaSapienza  

4 

IT 

GINGER - Governance and Innovation for 
Generating Education and Regularity in 
EU agricultural funds 

76 461 

80 

5 

ES 

INTEGRITY in Funding 

INTEGRITY in Funding - Capabilities for 
Enhancing Integrity: Innovative Models 
for EU Fund Management and against 
fraud practices 

99 028,06 

80 

6 

UA  Open Data Association 

ODEAC - Open Data Education Against 
Corruption & Fraud 

87 341,09 

80 

7 

IT 

Transparency International 
Italia 

SAFER-NGEU - Strengthening Anti-Fraud 
Expertise and Response in the 
implementation of the Next-Generation 
EU Plan 

163 202,39 

80 

8 

IT 

Fondazione Lelio e Lisli 
Basso – ONLUS   

2025-IT- EaW - EPPO at work: legislation 
and implementation 

69 679 

80 

9 

LT 

Lithuanian Police Forensic 
Service 

Cells training in LT - training for police 
forensic laboratory specialists  

71 694,23 

80 

TOTAL 

977 203,77 

Table 5 – ANTI-FRAUD related PROCURED CONFERENCES organised by the Commission (OLAF) under the 2025 
Financing Decision 

Dates (final 
date of the 
event) 

Conference title 

Location 

26/03/2025 

Joint Customs Operation (JCO) ‘Khione’ 

Czech 
Republic 
(Prague) 

23/05/2025 

Technical Workshop Investigations 

Romania 

Number of 
participants 

Amount paid 
from the 
Programme (in 
EUR) 

23 

60 

29,359.37 

98,659.17 

12/06/2025 

04/07/2025 

18/09/2025 

(anti-fraud coordinators) AFCOS + 
‘Expenditure’ related conference 

Finland 
(Helsinki) 

114 

138,247.41 

(Digital Forensic Analysis Training) DFAT 
– virtual training sessions 
(Illicit products) ‘Tobacco’ 
investigations related conference   

online  

Finland 

60 

98 

224,600.00 

176,000.10 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
09/10/2025 

AFCOS Seminar 

22/10/2025 

JCO ‘Noxia II’ 

24/10/2025 

InvestigAid conference 

13/11/2025 

High Level Conference, Denmark 
(Council Presidency) 

28/11/2025 

DFAT – in person training sessions  

Albania 
(Tirana) 

Spain 

Romania 
(Bucharest) 
Denmark 
(Copenhagen) 
Czech 
Republic 
(Prague) 

83 

56 

62 

59,899.12 

162,241.54 

12,503.76 

120 

229,807.17 

132 

1,000,223.59 

TOTAL 

808 

2,131,541.2313 

Table 6 –  TRAINING, CONFERENCES, STAFF EXCHANGES AND STUDIES grants FINALISED in 2025 

  MS 

Beneficiary 

Title 

Amount 
paid (EUR) 

Amount 
paid as % 
to initial 
commit-
ment14 

1  DE 

The Max Planck Society for 
the Advancement of 
Science   

2021-DE-EUCRIM - European Law Forum: 
Prevention - Investigation - Prosecution - 
publication of a periodical on the 
protection of the EU’s financial interests  

239 136.44 

100 

2 

IT 

University of Pisa 

AFRADE - Agricultural Frauds Detection: 
towards a more effective risk analysis 
and a stronger cooperation among 
Member States tackling frauds in 
European agricultural subsidies 

127 501.20 

100 

3  HU 

National Tax and Customs 
Administration of Hungary 

2022-HU-CORICO - Conference on 
Danube River Customs Control to fight 
against cigarette smuggling 

30 771.54 

72.40 

4  SK 

Financial Directorate of the 
Slovak Republic 

SK-2023-TRAINET - International 
workshop for customs officers focused 
on the fight against excise tax frauds - 
mineral oils, tobacco (cigarettes) and 
traceability of tobacco products using 
the Track & Trace system 

32 461.07 

74.50 

13 Four (September to December 2025) activities had a final payment taking place in January 2026 for an amount of EUR 

627,947.93 (included in the total amount mentioned here). 

14 Final payment as percentage of the awarded grant. A percentage lower than 100% means that the action was either not 

fully implemented or that the beneficiary managed to achieve considerable cost savings. 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
5 

IT 

ANCI Lombardia (National 
Association of Italian 
Municipalities – Lombardy 
Section) 

SAFE-IN - Strengthening Actions against 
Fraud: Empowering whistleblowINg 
directive compliance 

121 367 

100 

6  RO 

European Institute of 
Romania  

AFTIPA - Anti-Fraud Training Initiative for 
Public Administration 

52,431.10 

57.34 

TOTAL 

603 668.4 

Table 7 – GLOBAL OVERVIEW per Member State of awarded grants and rejected applications in 2025 

Number of 
applications 
received 

Number of 
awarded 
grants 

Grants requested 
(EUR) 

Grants awarded 
(EUR) 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 2025 

117 

21 

49 940 284.07     

11 399 992.14    

BULGARIA 

CZECH REPUBLIC  

GERMANY 

ESTONIA 

GREECE 

SPAIN 

FINLAND 

FRANCE 

CROATIA 

HUNGARY 

ITALY 

LITHUANIA 

LATVIA 

POLAND 

ROMANIA 

1 

3 

2 

1 

3 

4 

1 

5 

1 

2 

2 

4 

9 

38 

39 

- 

1 

1 

- 

- 

2 

- 

1 

1 

1 

- 

2 

2 

6 

3 

33 

1 527 900.30 

- 

934 832.80 

480 000.00     

782 932.80 

507 406.50 

94 800.00 

1 216 207.20 

- 

- 

1 817 728.69 

997 035.20 

240 400.00     

- 

3 309 678.38 

349 244.00     

1 667 150.99     

1 296 845.60     

1 117 932.60 

570 593.60     

1 549 478.40 

- 

2 095 051.18 

1 830 611.99 

3 379 300.82 

605 522.39 

15 904 737.05 

2 917 080.00 

13 377 783.46 

1 296 713.98 

 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
SLOVAKIA 

UKRAINE 

TRAINING, CONFERENCES, STAFF 
EXCHANGES AND STUDIES 2025  

BULGARIA 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

HUNGARY 

ITALY 

LITHUANIA 

LUXEMBOURG 

MALTA 

POLAND 

ROMANIA 

SLOVAKIA 

SLOVENIA 

SPAIN 

SWEDEN 

UKRAINE 

1 

1 

28 

3 

1 

1 

5 

5 

1 

1 

4 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

- 

9 

- 

- 

- 

4 

2 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

1 

577 830.40     

548 938.88     

346 539.00     

- 

3 650 485,93 

977 203,77 

180 395,15 

60 861,00 

114 199,82 

- 

- 

- 

605 598,84 

442 941,73 

476 020,71 

158 361,65 

189 531,24 

189 531,24 

137 410,26 

648 526,01 

331 413,00 

111 486,20 

62 274,00 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

112 203,95 

99 028,06 

529 650,00 

- 

90 915,75 

87 341,09 

GRAND TOTAL (Tech. Assist. & 
Training related actions)  

145 

30 

53 590 770 

12 377 195,91 

34