PIF - Protection of the EU's financial interests: combating fraud annual report 2019

A parliamentary special committee is calling for more to be done to tackle financial crimes, tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Recommendations include better cooperation between member states, a further push to close loopholes and the establishment of new institutions to oversee the enforcement of tax rules.
Stepping up the fight against tax evasion and financial crimes © European Parliament

At the CONT meeting of 28 October 2020, Commissioner Hahn presented the 31st annual report 2019 from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council (under Article 325 of the TFEU) on the Protection of the European Union's financial interests (COM(2020)0363).

This protection, whose principles are defined in Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), is being continuously stepped up through action taken by the EU and its Member States, by means of legislation and in the day-to-day implementation of the EU budget.

2019 was a milestone year, since the Member States had until July to transpose into their national laws the measures provided for in the Directive on the fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests by means of criminal law ('the PIF Directive'). Twelve Member States had done so by the deadline, with 22 having done so by June 2020.