OLAF at the Crossroads

The authors offer many insights into the regulatory, operational and institutional opportunities and challenges for OLAF, the European Commission's Anti-Fraud Office. Since OLAF was set up in 1999, significant changes in its functional environment have taken place including in EU criminal law and especially in mutual assistance and substantive criminal law; the reconstruction of Eurojust and Europol through recent Regulations and Memoranda of Cooperation; and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.The authors advance the view that OLAF's current legal framework must address these issues adequately.The approach they take is multi-disciplinary.

OLAF is examined here through the prisms of EU politics and national, European and (to some extent) comparative law, focusing not only on the identification of current problems in regulation and procedure but also on its positioning within the context of European integration. Operational issues are then extensively discussed, making this a book for practitioners as well as policy makers and academics.The book addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of anti-fraud actions within both criminal and civil aspects of public law. Although OLAF works within an incomplete EU legal framework and with varying cooperation by national authorities, its staff have devised mechanisms that address some of these issues. Nevertheless, rules covering procedural and operational issues will need to be safeguarded within future legislation.

1 Genesis: UCLAF and the Transition to OLAF
2 Mandate
3 The Regulatory Framework: The Status Quo and Recent Proposals for Reform
4 Operational Activities and Due Process
5 Operational Safeguards for Persons and Institutions
6 Operational Effectiveness: Expanding the Civil Route
7 OLAF's Interinstitutional Relationships
8 Relationship with the Member States

“[The book] fulfils the promise of its title, providing a succinct exploration of what OLAF is and may become. It provides a useful and interesting addition to a fairly sparse field of literature.” –  Marianne L. Wade, European Law Review, Volume 38(2)

“From the Preface
This book is the only one of its kind that addresses all issues related to OLAF in such depth and breadth, that it will undoubtedly become essential reading for academics, practitioners, researchers, and beyond. I am delighted to endorse this book and to recommend it highly as a beautiful expose of OLAF, and as a sample of a most amazing combination of academic expertise with practical insight.
” –  Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Vice President, European Parliament,