Changing the culture of the European Commission: the new anti-fraud measures

After the ignominious resignation en masse by the European Commission last March, a series of initiatives have been launched to tackle the deep-rooted problems of fraud and corruption in the administration of the European Union. Joanna Gray of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne reviews Brussels’ strategy.

The allegations of fraud and financial irregularities within the European Commission which led to last year’s major stand-off within the European Union between the European Parliament and the Commission are by now well-documented and rehearsed. It led to the establishment in June last year of an independent Anti-Fraud Office (independent of the European Commission) known as OLAF – Office Europeene de Lutte Anitfraude. OLAF has recently announced a major recruitment drive and a wish to recruit a reserve list of temporary “fraud-busting” new staff. In a necessary complementary move, on 1 March this year the Commission published a two volume white paper entitled, “Reforming the Commission” which provides a comprehensive guide to what it seeks to do to by way of a Reform Programme in order to prevent such crises of public confidence and political legitimacy occurring again.