On Friday 11 May, the 21st meeting of the OLAF Anti-Fraud Communicators' Network (OAFCN) took place at the Centre de Conférence Albert Borschette (CCAB). About 40 (spokesperson or communication) representatives from OLAF's counterparts (from police, customs, and judicial authorities) in the Member States participated.

When the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recently changed its organisation and working methods, it was decided that OLAF's activities should be extended to cover investigations on fraud related to Intellectual Property Rights.
OLAF has long been investigating the illegal trade in counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco products but its scope will from now also include other counterfeit goods that enter the EU through its external borders.

A network of companies fraudulently importing Chinese tube and pipe fittings via several countries in South East Asia to evade high EU customs duties was discovered in investigations carried out by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and authorities in several EU Member States, in cooperation with Indian and Taiwanese customs. The investigations led to the recovery of nine million euros in customs duties and were followed up by criminal proceedings in Germany and the UK, which resulted in prison sentences for three of the persons involved.

Customs operations are organised not only to safeguard the EU’s financial interests but also to protect our citizens and on this occasion, our cultural heritage. Joint Customs Operation (JCO) Colosseum was the first joint customs operation to target the illicit trade of cultural goods. From 7 to 18 November 2011, within the activities coordinated by the Customs Cooperation Working Party of the Council of the EU, this joint customs operation was carried out with the aim to fight against the illicit movement of cultural goods.
Among the seizure where these 18 ancient books found by the Italian Customs at Malpensa Airport in Milan.  The books date back to the 16th or 17th century. Their approximate value is 30 000 euros. > Read more ...

Brussels, 27 February 2012 – Around 1.2 million cigarettes were seized in the first joint customs operation targeting rail traffic along the EU Eastern border. Twenty-four EU Member States, Croatia, Turkey, Norway and Switzerland participated in the operation which was organised by the Polish Customs Service in close cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The operation took place from 18 to 27 October 2011. The final results of the operation were made public today at the Polish Customs Service in Sopot in Poland. The results could only be made public now not to interfere with further enquiries which had to be performed by the various customs authorities. > Press Release

On 30 January, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published the results of his general survey of compliance with the Data Protection Regulation. The survey showed that the efforts OLAF has made in this area are bearing fruit. OLAF was found to have the highest level of compliance on all six criteria addressed in the report.

The EDPS analysed the performance of all 58 EU institutions and bodies, in each of the following areas: completion of the inventory of processing operations, completion of notifications, completion of prior checks with the EDPS, follow-up given to EDPS recommendations, adoption of data protection implementing rules, and the appointment and role of the Data Protection Officer.  More...

On the 1st of February 2012 the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has introduced important changes to its organisation and working methods. These changes are the result of an internal review launched in March 2011 by OLAF Director-General Giovanni Kessler who took office on 14 February 2011. The new organisational structure and investigative procedures aim at focusing resources on prioritised activities and increasing the efficiency and quality of OLAF's investigations. More...