After the establishment of Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) in international treaties and the implementation of the rules on JITs into German law, JITs will become a more and more useful investigative tool for the law enforcement authorities in Germany within the repertoire of their investigative measures. The aim of this article is therefore to bring this new tool home to the practitioners and give them valuable advice on the conditions under which JITs may be established and how practical problems can be solved both as regards the phase when JITs are established (part II) and during their working phase (part… Read more

This article outlines the framework of the European Community’s primary and secondary law regarding the protection of its financial interests. It starts in part I with an historical review ranging from the first attempts of the Commission to harmonise the criminal law of the Member States with regards to the fight against fraud detrimental to the EC budget, the development of the Anti-Fraud Coordination Unit (UCLAF) and the embedding of the financial interests in the Maastricht Treaty. The article continues with a presentation of the existing legal framework for the protection of the EC’s financial interests in part II. First,… Read more

The article deals with a particular area of activity of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), namely the fight against corruption – one of the oldest and most efficient techniques to influence social, economic and political self-organisation and long time without much awareness in society, as the article stresses. In the introductory remarks, the article gives an overview of the contributions made by the European Commission and OLAF in the fight against corruption. The Office’s activities have an effect in numerous areas; OLAF advises the Commission, national authorities within and outside the EU as well as civil stakeholders and other interested… Read more