The Transport Committee has backed digital vehicle registration certificates and compulsory sharing of mileage data and inspection results, to cut red tape and combat fraud. On Wednesday, MEPs on the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) adopted their position on the revision of the EU rules setting common requirements for vehicle registration documents, by 39 votes […]
Operation Chargeback: 4.3 million cardholders affected, EUR 300 million in damages
On 4 November 2025, an international coordinated action day targeted three major fraud and money laundering networks as part of Operation “Chargeback.” Led by the Cybercrime Department (Landeszentralstelle Cybercrime) of the General Prosecutor’s Office (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft) in Koblenz, Germany, and the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), the operation has been investigating these networks since December […]
The ELA’s fight against wage fraud
The European Labour Authority (ELA) supported a number of cross-border inspections in March 2025, of 107 companies across key sectors including construction, manufacturing, and the hotel, restaurant and catering (HORECA) industries. Particular focus was on ensuring compliance with EU and national rules on remuneration. More than 700 workers were interviewed during the inspections. […]
Parliament green lights update of VAT rules to make them fit for digital times
The update will notably require that VAT be paid for services provided through online platforms, putting an end to an unfair distortion of competition. It will also fight VAT fraud. On Wednesday, Parliament’s plenary approved the changes to the rules that member states indicated in November they wished to make to the VAT Directive. MEPs […]
OLAF in 2021: Exposing and preventing fraud
In 2021 the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recommended over half a billion euro to be recovered to the EU budget. Detecting and investigating increasingly adaptable fraudsters, and working on preventing fraud against the EU’s multi-billion Recovery and Resilience Facility, OLAF continued to protect the EU budget despite the continuous challenges posed by the pandemic. The […]
Eurojust supports Spanish action against massive VAT fraud
Eurojust has supported an operation against large-scale VAT fraud, money laundering and forgery of documents, which have cost the Spanish tax authorities EUR 26 million in missed revenues In record time, the Agency coordinated the judicial cooperation with Slovakia, Belgium and the Netherlands to halt the fraud scheme. The scammers had set up a series […]
Eurojust supports fight against fuel tax fraud in Germany and 10 other countries
A major tax swindle involving sales of fuels has been brought to an end by the German authorities, with international judicial support in 11 European countries coordinated by Eurojust. During an action day, two suspects were arrested in Austria and Poland, allegedly the leaders of a criminal network that defrauded the German tax authorities of […]
HERCULE III. Cooperation and development of networks
Hercule III-funded actions aim to protect the financial interests of the European Union by preventing and combating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union. The Commission will encourage projects related to legal training and studies having transnational and multidisciplinary dimensions. Scope Improvement of cooperation between practitioners and academics and development of […]
59 arrests in Europe for fuel fraud
Law enforcement authorities from 23 EU Member States struck a blow at organised crime groups involved in fuel fraud by arresting 59 individuals in a year-long operation. The joint operation was supported by Europol as part of the European multidisciplinary platform against criminal threats (EMPACT). Including the arrests, the operation led to: 5.2 million litres of […]