Operational anti-fraud coordination underway for EU-accession

�The last enlargement has shown how efficiently new and well co-ordinated administrative structures for the fight against EU fraud can work�, OLAF Director-General Franz-Hermann Br�ner told the participants. �We have to build on this experience�, he added.

The event in Bucharest is a meeting of the Anti-Fraud Coordinating Structures (AFCOS) which have been established since 2002 in all EU-accession countries. These central contact points for the co-ordination of all legislative, administrative and operational aspects of the protection of the EU�s financial interests have been promoted by OLAF with whom they coordinate in the fight against fraud on EU funds. The AFCOS meet about once a year in various locations. On this occasion Bucharest was chosen as the venue in order to focus on the accession of both Romania and Bulgaria. The agenda is focused on the fight against fraud both in terms of investigations and on anti-fraud training.

Croatia and Turkey will also be represented as they themselves consider the establishment of their own AFCOS in their preparations for future EU-membership.