The role of the OLAF Supervisory Committee is to "regularly monitor the implementation by the Office of its investigative function, in order to reinforce the Office’s independence in the proper exercise of the competences conferred upon", in accordance with Regulation 883/2013.
OLAF keeps the Supervisory Committee regularly informed of the Office’s activities, the implementation of its investigative function, and action taken by way of follow-up to investigations.
Main activities of the OLAF Supervisory Committee
The Supervisory Committee:
- delivers Opinions to the OLAF Director-General concerning OLAF's activities without, however, interfering with the conduct of investigations in progress;
- adopts an Annual Report on its activities which is sent to the EU institutions;
- may submit reports to the EU institutions on the results of OLAF's investigations and the action taken on the basis of those results.
Supervisory Committee Members and Secretariat
- The Supervisory Committee comprises 5 independent outside experts appointed by common agreement of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission.
- Members should be independent and may neither seek nor take instructions from any government or any institution, body, office or agency. Their mandate is for five years.
- In accordance with Regulation 883/2013, to preserve the experience within the Committee, the Members are to be alternately replaced. The current Members are Mr Dušan Sterle, Ms Teresa Anjinho, Mr Angelo Quaglini and Ms Marita Salgrāve. CVs of the Members
- The Supervisory Committee is supported in its work by a Secretariat which functions independently and under the instructions of the Committee.
- The European Commission has taken different measures to strengthen the independent function as regards the management of the Committee's budget and Secretariat. Effective as of 1 January 2016, the responsibility for the implementation of the budgetary appropriations for the Supervisory Committee Members was moved from the Director-General of OLAF to the Commission, by way of an amendment of Decision 1999/352/EC. In addition, on 26 October 2016 Regulation 883/2013 has been amended so that the Secretariat of the Supervisory Committee is provided directly by the Commission and no longer by OLAF.
More information can be found on the website of the Supervisory Committee.