Mission and mandate

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The OLAF report 2019

1. Mission and mandate

MISSION

Detect, investigate and work towards stopping fraud

involving European Union funds.

MA NDAT E

The European Anti-Fraud Office’s (OLAF’s) mandate is:

to conduct independent investigations into fraud

and corruption involving EU funds so as to ensure

that EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can

stimulate the creation of jobs and growth in Europe;

to investigate serious misconduct by EU staff and

members of the EU institutions, thus contributing to

strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU institutions;

to develop EU policies to counter fraud.

COMPETENCES

OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud,

corruption and other offences affecting EU financial

interests con cerning:

 all EU expenditure – the main spending categories

are European Structural and Investm ent Funds,

agricultural policy and rural d evelopment funds,

direct expenditure and ex ternal aid;

 some areas of EU revenue, such as money from

customs duties or value added tax (VAT)

OLAF can also carr y out investigations into suspicions

of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the

EU institutions.

OLAF is part of the European Commission and, as

such, under the responsibility of the Commissioner for

Budget and Administration. In 2019, that position was

occupied by Commissioners Günther H. Oettinger and

Johannes Hahn.

However, in its investigative mandate, OLAF acts with

full independence.

WHAT WE DO

OLAF’s investigative work broadly involves:

assessing incoming information of potential

investigative interest to determine if there

are sufficient grounds for OLAF to open an

investigation;

conducting administrative anti-fraud investigations,

where appropriate in cooperation with national

criminal or administrative investigative authorities

and with EU and international bodies;