Hercule III programme for fighting fraud in Europe: new calls for proposals published

07/07/2015

PRESS RELEASE N°10/2015
7 July 2015
PDF version

This year, the European Commission will make available grants totalling EUR 9.5 million under the Hercule III anti-fraud programme to support Member States in fighting fraud, corruption and other illegal activities. It has now published three calls for proposals which encourage applications for financial support for actions to protect the Union’s financial interests. The financial support consists of a grant for an action, such as the purchase of technical equipment or the organisation of training and conferences for law enforcement staff.

Applications for a grant that can be submitted under the three calls for proposals address different types of actions and beneficiaries.

The first Call for Proposals will support actions undertaken by national and regional administrations to strengthen their technical capacity to fight EU fraud (“Technical Assistance”). Applications can be submitted for example by customs services for the purchase of x-ray scanners used at the EU’s external borders. This will enable them to better check containers and vehicles for the presence of smuggled goods. An application can also be made for the purchase and interconnection of Automated Number Plate Recognition Systems (ANPRS) that customs and police forces use for tracking suspected cars or trucks. Training, feeding and housing of sniffer dogs is another example for which the Hercule III program provides financial support.

The available amount for technical assistance grants in 2015 is EUR 8.1 million and applications must be submitted by Tuesday, 15 September 2015 at the latest. The awarded grant may cover up to 80% of the eligible costs of the action. The budget for the proposed action shall be at least EUR 100,000. In exceptional and duly justified cases set out in the Call, the grant may even cover up to 90% of the eligible costs.

The second Call for Proposals is targeted at Universities and research institutes (“Legal Training”). They can submit applications for the organisation of conferences, seminars and studies on various topics in relation to the prevention of fraud to the detriment of the EU and to the best ways to combat fraud, corruption and other irregularities perpetrated against the Union’s financial interests. The available amount for legal training grants is EUR 500,000 and applications must be submitted by Tuesday, 22 September 2015 at the latest. The grant may cover up to 80% of the costs of the action, and even up to 90% of the costs in exceptional and duly justified cases. The minimum budget for the proposed action has been set at EUR 40,000.

The third Call for Proposals (“Training”) concerns the organisation of conferences and seminars for law enforcement staff, policy makers and academics to enable the exchange of information on best practice in the area of fraud prevention and the fight against EU fraud. Applications can be submitted by national and regional administrations as well as research institutes and universities. The grants may cover up to 80% of the eligible costs of the action and applications must be submitted before Tuesday, 29 September 2015. The available budget for the “Training” grants is EUR 900,000. The minimum budget for the proposed action has been set at EUR 40,000.

Background:

Hercule III is a financial programme specifically dedicated to fighting fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the EU. It provides for the collective procurement of specialised equipment and databases to be used by national law enforcement agencies and training for anti-fraud specialists. The programme covers the period 2014-2020 and will provide a total of EUR 104.9 million in support to Member States. In 2015, the European Commission will make available EUR 14.1 million under Hercule III out of which EUR 9.5 million will be available in the form of grants.

Each application submitted under the three calls will be examined on the basis of the selection criteria mentioned in the three calls.

Information for the applicants on the calls for proposals is available from OLAF's Hercule III website.

_{OLAF mission, mandate and competences:}

_{OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.}

_{OLAF fulfils its mission by:
• carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can stimulate the creation of jobs and growth in Europe;
• contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;
• developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.}

_{In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:
• all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;
• some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;
• suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.}

Contact for applicants and institutions interested in Hercule III funds:
OLAF-FMB-Herculeec [dot] europa [dot] eu (OLAF-FMB-Hercule[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu )

Contact for journalists:
Florian OEL
Deputy Spokesperson
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Phone: +32 2 29 69115
E-mail: olaf-mediaec [dot] europa [dot] eu ( olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu )
http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud