MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The European Union’s budget has lost almost $1 billion last year as its funds were given out to fraudulent claimants, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said in a report Tuesday.
"Through its recommendations, OLAF creates the conditions for inappropriately spent EU funds to be recovered to the EU budget. In 2015, the Office issued 364 recommendations to the relevant EU and national authorities and recommended the financial recovery of EUR 888 million [$989 million]," the report read.
31 May 2016, 02:07 GMT
According to the report, most fraudulent claims involved Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece. OLAF’s investigations regarding the first two countries regarded misuse of funds from the Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD).
The figure of 888 million euros represents a slight decrease as compared to the 2014 value which stood at 901 million.
