Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The EU Anti-Fraud Programme (2021-2027) has the following general objectives:
- protecting the financial interests of the European Union by supporting action to combat irregularities, fraud and corruption affecting the EU budget
- supporting mutual assistance between administrative authorities in EU Member States
- ensuring the correct application of the law on customs and agricultural matters by supporting cooperation between administrative authorities in EU Member States and the European Commission
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The EUAF Programme pursues the general objective to protect the EU financial interests. To achieve this general objective, the EUAF sets a specific objective to prevent and combat fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the EU financial interests.
The AWP 2024 provides for a technical assistance call for projects having as their main purpose the acquisition of specialised equipment, tools and data technologies, including a compulsory accompanying training component on the use of purchased equipment. Hence, all technical assistance applications should demonstrate a training component on the use of purchased equipment.
The call will support the following four topics in 2024:
- EUAF-2024-TA-01 — Investigation and surveillance equipment and methods
- EUAF-2024-TA-02 — Digital forensic hardware
- EUAF-2024-TA-03 — Data analytics technologies and data purchases
- EUAF-2024-TA-04 — Detection of illicit trade
Detailed Call Description
Within these topics, the following activities can be funded:
Investigation and surveillance equipment and methods: The purchase and maintenance of investigation and surveillance equipment and methods used by beneficiaries to prevent and fight against irregularities, fraud, and corruption detrimental to the financial interests of the Union. The purchase of adapted transport equipment, IT hardware and software, and audio-visual equipment may be included, if an applicant can clearly demonstrate that the purchase helps to prevent and combat fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union. Specialised training to enable staff to operate these tools must be included as part of the action.
Digital forensic hardware: The purchase and maintenance of digital forensic equipment and software, mobile forensic tools, and computer forensic collaborative systems used to prevent and fight against irregularities (and fraudulent irregularities in particular), fraud, and corruption detrimental to the financial interests of the Union. Cross border cooperation enabling the exchange of information and best practices, in particular at operational level, is strongly encouraged. Projects may also include updates of existing software systems and associated training. Specialised training to enable staff to operate these tools must be included as part of the action.
Data analytics technologies and data purchases: The purchase and maintenance of: (i) commercial specialised databases; (ii) data-analysis platforms capable of running analyses in ‘big data’ environments; (iii) risk and predictive analysis tools; (iv) data mining tools; and (v) systems supported by artificial intelligence used in preventing and combating irregularities, fraudulent activities and corruption, detrimental to the financial interests of the Union; (vi) data collection tools for the purpose of risk and anti-fraud analysis. These purchases include capacity building in Member States to develop, use and share databases and business-intelligence tools. These purchases may also enable the acquisition of integrated packages that comprise: hardware, software (including tools using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, block chain technology and biometrics) and training. Specialised training to enable staff to operate these tools must be included as part of the action.
Detection of illicit trade: The purchase and maintenance of equipment and IT tools to strengthen beneficiaries’ operational and technical capacity to detect smuggled and counterfeited goods, including cigarettes and tobacco, imported into the Union with the intention of evading VAT, customs duties and/or excise taxes. Specialised training to enable staff to operate these tools must be included as part of the action.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
80%
You can apply for a higher project funding rate (90%) if your project is a ‘priority action’, i.e.
- the proposal reflects the findings of the annual reports on implementation of Article 325 TFEU on combating fraud, in particular the identification of situations that are vulnerable and that raise the greatest threat to the protection of the financial interests of the Union; or
- the proposal reflects the findings of the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report 19/2017 on import procedures.
Project budgets (total estimated project costs) are expected to be: minimum €100.000. Maximum grant amount that could be requested is up to 15% of the available call budget (meaning: maximum €1.560.000).
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
Eligibility for Participation
- Educational Institutions
- International Organisations
- Local Authorities
- Other Beneficiaries
- State-owned Enterprises
- Training Centres
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies) which are:
- national or regional public authorities or international organisations whose task is to protect the EU financial interests.
Consortium composition
Only applications by single applicants are allowed (single beneficiaries; affiliated entities and other participants are allowed, if needed).
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: OLAF-FMB-HERCULE-TA@ec.europa.eu