The European Parliament and the Council established the Union Anti-Fraud Programme for the duration of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027. The underlying Regulation (EU) 2021/785 was published in the Official Journal L 172 of 17 May 2021. The Programme succeeds the Hercule III Programme that ran until 2020.

The Regulation lays down the objectives of the Anti-Fraud Programme, the budget for the period 2021-2027, the forms of Union funding and the rules for providing such funding. The specific objectives are:

• Preventing and combating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union;
• Giving support to the reporting of irregularities, including fraud, with regard to the shared management funds and pre-accession assistance funds of the Union budget;
• Providing tools for information exchange and support for operational activities in the field of mutual administrative assistance in customs and agricultural matters.

The financial envelop for the entire period will be €181,207 million. The following actions are considered eligible for funding:

• Providing technical knowledge, specialised and technically advanced equipment and effective IT tools enhancing transnational and multidisciplinary cooperation and cooperation with the Commission;
• Enhancing staff exchanges for specific projects, ensuring the necessary support and facilitating investigations, in particular the setting up of joint investigation teams and cross-border operations;
• Providing technical and operational support to national investigations, in particular to customs and law enforcement authorities to strengthen the fight against fraud and other illegal activities;
• Building IT capacity in the Member States and third countries, increasing data exchange and developing and providing IT tools for the investigation and monitoring of intelligence work;
• Organising specialised training, risk analysis workshops, conferences and studies aimed towards improving cooperation and coordination among services concerned with the protection of the financial interests of the Union;
• Any other action laid down in Commission work programmes, which is necessary for achieving the general and specific objectives of the Anti-Fraud Programme.