Why do we cooperate?
Our aim is to ensure that EU funds, whether spent in Member States or abroad (in the form of e.g. development assistance) reach their intended beneficiaries, without being diverted by fraud and corruption.
In particular, international cooperation is important because large amounts of EU funds are disbursed in non-EU countries and territories or channelled through other donors or international organisations.
Who are OLAF partners?
OLAF’s partners are investigative, administrative and judicial partner services in EU and non-EU countries and territories as well as international organisations who have the competence to exercise controls over projects financed by the European Union, and also to investigate and/or prosecute cases of fraud, corruption and other illegal activities affecting those funds.
OLAF's partner services are often responsible for monitoring EU-funded aid projects, performing administrative or judicial investigations into fraud and irregularities and bringing prosecutions where necessary.
Each Member State has a service in charge of facilitating cooperation with OLAF. These are the Anti-Fraud Coordination Services (AFCOS). More on AFCOS here.
In November 2017 the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) was established and it has been operational since 1 June 2021. It is one of OLAF’s most important partners in prosecuting crimes brought to light by OLAF investigations. OLAF supports and complements the EPPO’s activities.
OLAF also cooperates extensively with Eurojust. Both are part of the EU Network of National Experts on Joint Investigation Teams (JITs Network). In the context of this cooperation, a new Joint Investigation Teams (JIT) practical guide was published in December 2021.
How do we cooperate?
- OLAF’s partners assist OLAF in doing inspections and on the spot checks in non-EU countries;
- OLAF and its partners share information and expertise;
- OLAF mutually cooperates with the EPPO by providing information, analyses, expertise and operational support;
- OLAF is an active member of several networks, such as: European Partners against Corruption/ /European Anti-Corruption Contact-point Network (EPAC/EACN), Conference of International Investigators (CII), Economic Crime Agencies Network (ECAN), and participates in events and conferences addressing fight against fraud and corruption at international level, such as the OECD Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum;
- OLAF has signed Administrative Cooperation Arrangements with some partners in order to facilitate practical day-to-day cooperation (List of signed arrangements)