Staff And Budget

• Year: 2015

36

The OLAF report 2015

. Sta and budget

The number of OLAF’s staff has declined in 2015 by

4%, and is set to do so further in the coming years, in

the context of the general reductions in staff numbers

and budgets in the EU public service.

At the end of 2015, the total number(23) of staff mem-

bers in OLAF stood at 422 .

Despite the cuts, OLAF managed to maintain the rel-

ative share of staff allocated to the fight against fraud

at 78% and to anti-fraud policy work at 12%. The re-

maining 10% were allocated to overhead functions

such as HR, finance and ICT.

Figure 27:

So far OLAF has coped with the combination of a

structural increase in workl oad and reduction in st aff

numbers through efficiency gains. Indeed, a number

of organisational changes were introduced since 20 12

to streamline support func tions and processes, im-

prove the distribution of responsibilities and compe-

tences, and reduce non-core activities, overheads and

administrative burdens. These changes have improved

(23) Ocials, temporary agents , contract agents, seconded

national experts and interim sta employed on 31/ 12/2015;

excluding trainees and intramuros st a

the efficiency of investigations, despite the addition-

al notification duties and legality checks imposed

by Regulation 883/2013. On 1 October 2015, O LAF

abolished one unit from the Investigation Support

Directorate in order to create an additional investiga-

tion unit to handle the increasing complexity of inves-

tigations in the Structural Funds sector.

Figure 28:

OLAF increasingly requires staf f with a wide range

of skills, training and professional backgrounds . Also,

OLAF needs to be able to function and investigate in

all EU languages. OLAF’s staff profile in 2015 met the

necessary standards . However, the challenges which

OLAF faces in maintaining its current level of profes-

sional expertise go beyond the budgetary restrictions

outlined above. OLAF will have to renew its ageing

workforce, as investigative staff recruited from na-

tional services in the early days of the Office retire,

and will have to manage the increasing demand from

other Commission services and EU bodies for staff

with the skills and background of OL AF professionals.

Figure : Number and breakdown of OLAF sta from  to  (*)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

72

37

359

59

22

355

60

46

360

53

33

351

53

35

347

56

34

350

59

18

362

55

11

356

436

468 466

437 435 440 439 422

Ex ternal sta



Establishment posts

vacant



Establishment posts

occupied

       

(*) These st a f‌igures include f‌illed and vacant posts