EPPO at work: legislation and implementation

2026-07-22

The protection of the European Union’s financial interests (PIF) is now in a new phase: the operational consolidation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is consolidating and OLAF’s role in administrative investigations is evolving. Despite improvements, several challenges persist: overlaps in competences, lack of mutual understanding of institutional mandates, fragmentation in investigative approaches, limited data interoperability, uneven awareness or training across Member States. In light of the above, the project aims to promote the goals of the EUAF Programme, by combining legal reflection and strategic dialogue and exchange within two events, a conference and a seminar, that will ensure both in-depth exploration of topics and extensive dissemination of practical insights. Key project items: Background Paper: it will clearly identify legal-institutional frameworks of the conference topics and key issues for the participants. Multidisciplinary group of stakeholders (legal professionals, enforcement officers, policymakers, academics): it will guarantee a comprehensive outlook on challenges and opportunities in cross-border financial investigations and fraud prevention, focusing on the PIF Directive and its implementation; A two-day conference in Rome: top-notch speakers and proactive moderators will promote the general discussion. Focus: the interplay between OLAF, EPPO, and national authorities; emerging fraud risks (digital fraud, VAT schemes, recovery fund misuse). A post-conference online seminar: a 2.5-hour interactive focus on a practical case study deriving from the conference discussions. Technical in nature, it will be addressed to judicial operators, investigators, legal advisors, lawyers. An e-book to consolidate the project’s results and promote their dissemination. It will be a “compendium” of the project’s outputs, extending the impact of the project beyond its end and promoting dialogue and knowledge sharing across the EU.

Italy

2026-03-01