Press release no. 15/2025
PDF version
More than 100 anti-fraud experts from across the European Union met this week in Finland for the 2025 Helsinki OLAF Conference aimed at defining the next chapter in EU anti-fraud action. Organised by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) on 11-12 June, the event brought together representatives from EU Member States’ Anti-Fraud Coordination Services as well as key EU bodies involved in protecting the Union’s financial interests.
This year’s conference offered a unique platform to discuss policy and operational challenges in fighting fraud and irregularities affecting EU expenditure. Opening speeches were delivered by Ville Itälä, OLAF Director-General, and Riikka Purra, Finland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, highlighting the strategic importance of effective fraud prevention and detection.
A particular highlight of the conference was a discussion on the future of the EU Anti-Fraud Architecture, led by OLAF Deputy Director-General Salla Saastamoinen. The panel brought together senior representatives from OLAF and other Commission services, Europol, and Eurojust to examine how the anti-fraud framework must evolve to tackle increasingly complex and cross-border threats.
Ville Itälä, OLAF Director-General, said: “We gather just before the Commission presents its proposals for the next multi-annual financial framework. This conference is about building a shared vision for how we protect the EU’s financial interests in an increasingly complex environment. Fraud is evolving, and so must we. Cooperation should be the cornerstone of our response. OLAF plays a unique role at the intersection of policy, investigation and coordination, bringing together institutions and Member States to ensure that EU funds are protected and, if necessary, recovered to the Union budget.”
The conference also featured panel discussions and interactive workshops covering a wide range of topics, from the protection of Cohesion Policy and Recovery and Resilience Facility funds, to the use of Artificial Intelligence in administrative investigations, and exploring the advent of increasingly performance-based EU funding instruments. It addressed emerging risks, such as money laundering linked to EU funding and conflicts of interest in fund management.
By gathering operational and policy-level anti-fraud professionals in person, the 2025 OLAF Conference set out to prepare all EU actors for dealing with an evolving financial framework and new financial instruments being rolled out in a context of ever more complex digital and international fraud challenges.
OLAF mission, mandate and competences:
OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.
OLAF fulfils its mission by:
• carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds, so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can create jobs and growth in Europe;
• contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;
• developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.
In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:
• all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;
• some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;
• suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.
Once OLAF has completed its investigation, it is for the competent EU and national authorities to examine and decide on the follow-up of OLAF’s recommendations. All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a competent national or EU court of law.
For further details:
Pierluigi CATERINO
Spokesperson
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Phone: +32(0)2 29-52335
Email: olaf-media
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
LinkedIn: European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
X: x.com/EUAntiFraud
Bluesky: euantifraud.bsky.social
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