The European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s annual report 2023 has revealed that organised crime continues to take disproportionate advantage of EU funds amid an alarming lack of control over the final destination of these resources.
With a total of 1,927 active investigations, the estimated damage to the EU budget amounts to €19.2 billion and reveals a fraud that stands out for its sophistication and magnitude.
The report points to a trend towards the targeting of new EU funding lines, with 206 active investigations related to NextGenerationEU funding projects involving more than €1.8 million in estimated damages.
The report has highlighted the extent of the problem in Spain, where a total of 29 investigations were opened in 2023 for fraud involving EU funds and irregularities have been detected in mask purchases. These cases, involving the regional governments of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands – as part of the Koldo plot – reflect the vulnerability of the system to misuse of resources earmarked for the health crisis.
The annual report puts the number of cases opened in Spain at 47, with an estimated damage to EU coffers of 217.3 million euros.
Political parties such as VOX have called for a more thorough investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the EU’s Anti-Fraud Office, and have stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability.
European Public Prosecutor Laura Kövesi has been quick to warn of the serious involvement of organised crime groups in these frauds and has called for a firm strategy to undermine the financial capacity of these criminal networks.
