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European Anti-Fraud Office
The European Anti-Fraud Office (commonly known as OLAF, from the ) is a body mandated by the European Union (EU) with protecting the Union's financial interests. It was founded on 28 April 1999, under the European Commission Decision 1999/352. Its tasks are threefold: * to fight fraud affecting the EU budget; * investigate corruption by staff of EU institutions; and * develop anti-fraud legislation and policies. OLAF achieves its mission by conducting, in full independence, internal and external investigations. It coordinates the activities of its anti-fraud partners in the Member States in the fight against fraud. OLAF supplies EU member states with the necessary support and technical know-how to help them in their anti-fraud activities. It contributes to the design of the anti-fraud strategy of the European Union, and takes the necessary initiatives to strengthen the relevant legislation. OLAF conducts administrative investigations. It has no judicial powers to oblige n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1999 Establishments In The European Union
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA. * January 25 – The 6.2 Colombia earthquake hits western Colombia, killing at least 1,900 people. February * February 7 – Abdullah II inherits the throne of Jordan, following the death of his father King Hussein. * February 11 – Pluto moves along its eccentric orbit further from the Sun than Neptune. It had been nearer than Neptune since 1979, and will become again in 2231. * February 12 – U.S. President Bill Clinton is acquitted in impeachment proceedings in the United States Senate. * February 16 ** In Uzbekistan, an apparent assassination attempt against President Islam Karimov takes place at government headquarters. ** Across Europe, Kurdish protestors take over embassies and hold hostages aft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
General Services In The European Commission
The term General Service refers to a collection of Directorates-General and ''Services'' within the European Commission that provide services to the policy-making DGs. They are not policy-making themselves. Structure * European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) * Eurostat * Communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ... * Publications Office * Secretariat General External links European Commission DGs and Services General Services {{EU-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Internal Audit Service (European Commission)
The Internal Audit Service or IAS is a Directorate-General (DG) of the European Commission that was established in 2001 to contribute to an increased accountability of the Commission. The Commissioner responsible for the IAS is Piotr Serafin, who chairs the Commission’s Audit Progress Committee. The director-general of the IAS is the Internal Auditor of the Commission. Mission The mission of the IAS is to: * provide independent assessment (‘assurance’) of the effectiveness of the governance, management and internal control systems, in the form of the audit opinions, * present recommendations aimed at ensuring the efficient and effective achievement of the Commission's objectives, * provide advice and insight. History Background The European Commission adopted its first Financial Regulation in 1962, in which internal control was implemented by separating the roles of authorising officer, financial controller and accounting officer. However, as the Commission grew a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Institutions Of The European Union
The institutions of the European Union are the seven principal decision-making bodies of the European Union and Euratom governed under the Treaties of the European Union and European Union law. They are, as listed in Article 13 of the Treaty on the European Union: * the European Parliament, * the European Council (of heads of state or government), * the Council of the European Union (of member state ministers, a council for each area of responsibility), * the European Commission, * the Court of Justice of the European Union, * the European Central Bank and * the European Court of Auditors. Institutions are distinct from both advisory bodies to the European Union and agencies of the European Union. History Most EU institutions were created with the establishment of the European Community in 1958. Much change since then has been in the context of shifting the balance of power away from the council and towards the Parliament. The role of the commission has often been to medi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Public Prosecutor
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) is an independent body of the European Union (EU) with a juridical personality, established under the Treaty of Lisbon between 24 of the 27 states of the EU following the method of enhanced cooperation. The EPPO was established as a response to the need for a prosecutorial body to combat crimes affecting the financial interests of the European Union (EU). The idea of establishing the EPPO gained momentum with a legislative proposal put forth by the European Commission in 2013. After lengthy negotiations and discussions within the European Council, the European Parliament, and Member States, Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 was adopted on October 12, 2017, formalizing the creation of the EPPO. The EPPO Regulation is the EPPO's legal basis, as it outlines the objectives, structure, jurisdiction, and operational procedures. Directive (EU) 2017/1371, also known as the PIF Directive, specifies the criminal offences affecting the EU's financial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Court Of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors (ECA; French: ''Cour des comptes européenne'') is the supreme audit institution of the European Union (EU). It was established in 1975 in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and is one of the Institutions of the European Union, seven EU institutions. The Court comprises one member from each EU member state (currently ) supported by approximately 900 civil servants. History The ECA was created by the Treaties of the European Union#Budgetary treaties, 1975 Budgetary Treaty and was formally established on 18 October 1977, holding its first session a week later. At that time the ECA was not a formal institution; it was an external body designed to audit the finances of the European Communities. It replaced two separate audit bodies, one which dealt with the finances of the European Economic Community and Euratom, and one which dealt with the European Coal and Steel Community. The ECA did not have a defined legal status until the Treaty of Maastricht when i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giovanni Kessler
Giovanni Kessler (born 11 June 1956 in Trento) is an Italian prosecutor. He was until 2017 the Director-General of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). OLAF is a department of the European Commission, but it is independent in its investigative function. Based in Brussels, OLAF is tasked with protecting the financial interests of the European Union by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities. It also investigates serious matters relating to the discharge of professional duties by members and staff of the EU institutions and it supports the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, in the development and implementation of anti-fraud legislation and policies. In 2023, he was sentenced to one year in prison, later reduced on appeal, for unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the former EU Health Commissioner. Early life and education Giovanni Kessler is the son of Bruno Kessler (1924–1991), a former President of the Autonomous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corporate Europe Observatory
The Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a non-profit research and campaign group whose declared aim is to "expose any effects of corporate lobbying on EU policy making". It is based in Brussels. The team (2021) consists of 13 staff members. Areas of work EU decisions and policies often mirror the interests of big business, as a result of the corporate capture of EU decision-making processes. This has consequences in terms of social and economic injustice and inequality, climate change and environmental destruction. Thus, CEO has developed a particular expertise in the following EU policy areas: agriculture, food safety, energy, climate change, EU lobbying regulation, trade, investment, economy, and finance. Corporate Europe Observatory's reports often attract the attention of media from all over the world. Recently, it gained international attention by announcing (in a joint publication with Global Witness and Corporate Accountability) that at COP26 the fossil fuel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snus
Snus (, ; ) is a Swedish smokeless tobacco, tobacco product. It is consumed by placing a pouch of powdered tobacco leaves under the lip for nicotine to be absorbed through the Mucous membrane, oral mucosa. Snus, not to be confused with Nicotine pouch, nicotine pouches, consists of ground up tobacco leaves, salt, an alkalizer (e.g. sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate) and (optionally) flavorings. The final product is sold as both loose tobacco, and in portions with the tobacco mixture contained in a small teabag-like pouch. The manufacturing process of snus differs from that of other oral tobacco products. Snus tobacco is heated and pasteurized rather than cured or fermented, resulting in a less harmful product which contains a lower concentration of TSNA carcinogens in comparison to other traditional tobacco products. Though research on the connection between snus and disease such as cancer is not conclusive, and some studies find no associations between snus consumptio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Morris International is often referred to as one of the companies comprising Big Tobacco. The company ranked No. 121 in the 2025 ''Fortune'' 500 list of the largest US corporations by total revenue. The company originated in 1847 in London, but Philip Morris International itself was established in 1987 as an operating company of Philip Morris Companies Inc.. In 2003, Philip Morris Companies changed its name to Altria Group. In March 2008, PMI was spun off from Altria and has been an entirely separate entity since then. Philip Morris USA, a subsidiary of PMI's former parent, keeps ownership of the Philip Morris brands for the US market. The company's legal seat is in Stamford, Connecticut. PMI's operational headquarters are in Lausanne, Sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
