Romania Reported Highest No Of Irregularities In ’08 On Pre-accession Funds

Romania saw in 2008 a 103% growth compared to 2007 concerning the number of suspicions of fraud or irregularities with regard to pre-accession funds (PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD), to 246 file reports, while the total sum involved by these reports incraesed 90%, a report of the European Commission on cases involving sums higher than EUR10,000 shows.

The European Commission has to recover from Romania EUR25.5 million following the irregularities reported with regard to the use of the pre-accession funds, which accounts for half of the total sum (EUR51 million) it has to recover from the 12 member states which joined the EU after 2004, plus Turkey.

The Commission recovered so far EUR18.3 million from Romania, with a recovery rate at 41.78%.

The EC report indicates that Romania and Bulgaria reported 73% of all cases at EU level in 2008, while other ten member states which joined the bloc in 2004 sent 19% of the total number of files. Croatia and Turkey reported 7% of the total.

The total amount involved in the reported cases climbed by 152% in the case of Romania and Bulgaria, and by 8% in the case of the ten states which joined the EU in 2004.

The report defines in the introduction the difference between fraud and other irregularities.

Thus, an irregularity is any infringement of a Community provision by an economic operator which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the Communities’ financial interests.

Fraud is an irregularity committed intentionally which constitutes a criminal offence.

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