EU Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna will address the opening session of the 4th OLAF Expenditure Conference on Wednesday and will officially launch the first National Anti-Fraud Strategy of the Republic of Cyprus, for the protection of the financial interests of the European Union.
A press release by the Cyprus EU Presidency says that the Conference will be attended by high-level representatives of European institutions, national authorities and specialized services from EU Member States, including representatives of OLAF, the European Court of Auditors, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), AMLA, Europol, FIUs, the European Commission, as well as national authorities involved in the prevention, detection and investigation of fraud.
The Conference will take place on 3 and 4 June in the coastal town of Ayia Napa. The opening session will also feature a welcome address by OLAF Director-General Petr Klement.
The organisation of the Conference in Cyprus highlights the importance the Presidency attaches to the protection of the EU’s financial interests, the sound management of European funds and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant institutions and authorities, the press release reads.
It is also pointed out that at a time when the debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, on strengthening fraud prevention and detection mechanisms and on the complementarity of European and national institutions is taking on particular importance, the Conference is an important forum for political and technical dialogue on the future of the protection of the EU’s financial interests.
The work of the Conference will focus, inter alia, on the role of National Anti-Fraud Strategies in the next MFF, on the latest developments in the European anti-fraud architecture and on the link between European financing and money laundering, with particular reference to the cooperation with the European Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Authority (AMLA) and the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).
On the second day of the work, the Conference will also focus on the use of advanced data for risk management and fraud prevention, on the dual administrative and criminal protection of the new MFF, as well as on national experiences from the implementation of the EU Anti-Fraud Programme.