Author: Ilaria Sticchi
Committee: Academic Committee
Date: 08/03/2025
On 3rd March, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) published its 2024 Annual Report.
The Report shows that more than 1 500 new investigations were opened in 2024 (almost 10% more than in the previous year), representing €13.07 billion in estimated damage. This increase is mostly the result of improved cooperation between the EPPO and the relevant national authorities, and the EPPO’s determination to target criminal organisations, particularly active in VAT fraud, but also in fraud involving EU funds.
By the end of 2024, the EPPO was handling 311 active cases related to the NextGenerationEU, the majority of which (307) stemmed from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The estimated damage to the EU’s financial interests amount to €2.8 billion, which represents 30% of the overall estimated damage for subsidy fraud. This number is expected to increase, in the context of the accelerated implementation of NextGenerationEU funding.
For instance, in 2024, the EPPO processed 6 547 crime reports. Over 70% came from private parties, close to 27% from national authorities, and less than 1% from OLAF.
The EPPO’s report notes that there has been a steady rise in criminal investigations since the Office was launched in 2021, ‘proving that the prevalence of crime against the financial interests of the EU has long been underestimated.’ Indeed, these criminal investigations have resulted in 205 indictments filed in 2024 (a 47% increase from 2023) and in the freezing of assets worth 849 million euro.
In the coming years, it will continue to increase, as detection and reporting of EU fraud will continue to improve, and its Polish and Swedish offices become operational. This year’s numbers demonstrate that the EPPO has become central to any serious reflection on the future of the so-called EU anti-fraud architecture.
The full Annual Report, available in English, can be found here. The EPPO’s dedicated page, ‘2024 in numbers’, can be accessed here. The page dedicated to Italy can be found here.