BUDGET: COMMISSION ANTI-FRAUD STRATEGY.

• Position: European Commission on budget 2001-2003 - Brief Article

Without pre-empting the more specific initiatives of each Directorate-General, nor the operational tasks handed to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Commission plans to launch a number of specific measures over the next three years. The Commission's action plan for 2001-2003 is the first working programme fully covered by the overall strategy adopted in June 2000. The action plan adopted for 2001-2003 sets out four main objectives:- developing an overall anti-fraud policy: the approach is based on Article 280 of the Treaty, which combines measures to prevent and combat fraud in order to afford effective and equivalent protection throughout the Community. Concrete measures will include a Communication on "fraud-proofing", i.e. legislation will be systematically submitted to a risk analysis to filter out highly sensitive cases, particularly where there could be an impact on the Community's financial interests; a system is to be set up for exchanging information between Member States, allowing tenderers who have been convicted of certain offences to be excluded from public contracts; training and assistance programme in the area of the protection of the Euro against counterfeiting; the conclusion of a anti-fraud Co-operation Agreement with Switzerland.- fostering a culture of co-operation between all the responsible authorities: The creation of OLAF has given the European Union a powerful instrument for the protection of the Communities' financial interests. The Commission now wants to optimise this...