Representatives of the ESBU, OLAF and DG JUST discussed the Implementation of EU Legislation in the area of fighting against fraud

Recently, an online meeting was held with the participation of representatives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU), the Government office for the coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Mission of Ukraine to the EU, as well as their colleagues from the European anti-fraud office (OLAF) and the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission (DG JUST).

During the meeting, OLAF experts noted the progress achieved by the Ukrainian side in fulfilling the commitments set out in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, in particular regarding the introduction of effective criminal law mechanisms to combat fraud into Ukraine’s national legislation. At the same time, it was emphasized that further efforts are needed to achieve full compliance.

The European side also stressed the importance of implementing EU legal acts aimed at combating fraud that harms the financial interests of the Union. This refers to Directive (EU) 2017/1371 (so called PIF Directive) and the relevant regulations of the European Parliament and the Council.

Deputy director of the ESBU Andrii Pashchuk reported that the ESBU’s specialists have already prepared draft legislative acts providing for liability for illegal action involving EU budget funds or assets. The adoption of these laws will create a legal framework for the effective protection of the financial interests of both Ukraine and the European Union.

At the end of the meeting, the participants discussed further steps for cooperation between the ESBU, other Ukrainian bodies/authorities , and European institutions on integrating effective criminal law tools for combating fraud into Ukraine’s legislation.