Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that fighting fraud and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the EU is a common task for both the EU and the Member States.
The EU helps Member States to fight fraud by:
- continuing to protect the EU’s financial interests through financial support (previously offered by the Hercule III programme), in particular technical support, operational support for investigations, specialised training and research activities;
- organising mutual administrative assistance and cooperation in customs and agricultural matters, notably via the Anti-Fraud Information System (AFIS);
- operating the Irregularity Management System (IMS) so Member States can report irregularities.
Bringing together these previously separate strands will: (i) help the UAFP to benefit from closer cooperation; (ii) promote budgetary flexibility; and (iii) simplify management. The UAFP is open to applications from EU Member States and from countries associated to the EU.
The programme has a budget of around EUR 181 million for the period 2021-2027, divided as shown in the graphic below.
