Download or read book Preventing Fraud and Corruption in the European Structural and Investment Funds written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With approximately EUR 460 billion allocated for the 2014-2020 programming period, the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds (consisting of the Cohesion Fund (CF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)) represent almost a third of the EU budget. ESI Funds finance operational programmes (OPs) in Member States (MS), each aimed at achieving specific objectives within the areas defined as EU priorities. About 400 OPs are funded through ESI Funds for the 2014-2020 programming period and managed by competent authorities within each EU Member States. The European Commission (EC) and MS share responsibilities for the implementation and management of ESI Funds, and both must ensure funds are spent properly and achieve the greatest possible impact. Moreover, they must put in place the proper safeguards to limit the risks of fraud and corruption. Fraud is defined by the Convention on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests as the deliberate act of deception intended for personal gain or to cause a loss to another party. A definition of corruption used by the EC is the abuse of (public) position for private gain. Example of fraudulent and corrupt practices can include but are not limited to conflict of interest, double funding, bribery or falsification of document. Authorities in the MS have the legal obligation to safeguard EU funds as per Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 59(2) of the Financial Regulation. This obligation was specified and reinforced in 2013 by Article 125(4)(c) of the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR). Article 125(4)(c) requires the implementation of risk-based, effective and proportionate measures to prevent fraud in managing and controlling the OPs.