Systems and tools, when effectively used and implemented, can considerably reduce the fraud risk.
The European Commission has made a substantial effort to develop Systems & tools to be used by the Member States. In addition to this, such systems are available at international and national levels.
Systems and tools at the national level aim to provide public information in order to make governance and access to information more transparent and easier. They also provide valuable information on companies, land, insolvency, immovable and movable property, tax registration and others. All this information is essential to ensure proper representation and access to information for and by the stakeholders involved in the spending of EU funds.
Below you will find examples of public and useful tools for all EU Member States
Arachne is an IT database developed by the European Commission and used for risk scoring of projects funded by the ESIF. Its primary objective is to support managing authorities in their administrative controls and management checks but can also be used by other authorities with similar functions. Arachne gathers data from ESF and ERDF managing authorities and from external data sources, such as ORBIS and World Compliance and Vies. Data subjects concerned are legal entities and natural persons.
See also: Arachne Charter
See also: Information on Arachne on the European Commission’s website – DG EMPL
National business registers in the Member States may provide valuable information for the implementation and control of ESI funds. These are national databases but can be accessed through the dedicated webpage maintained by the European Commission on the European Justice portal. The core services provided by all registers are to register, examine and store company information, such as information on a company's legal form, its seat, capital and legal representatives, and to make this information available to the public.
EDES Database stands for Early Detection and Exclusion System. EDES is an IT database developed by the European Commission in order to reinforce the protection of the Union's financial interests and to ensure sound financial management. The system replaced the Early Warning System and the Central Exclusion Database as of 1 January 2016. The purpose of the IT system is to provide information for unreliable persons and entities applying for EU funds of having legal commitments with the Commissions or other Institutions, bodies, offices or agencies. The database is used on national level by managing authorities and other authorities and provides with a publicly accessible list of economic operators excluded or subject to financial penalty here.
See also: Legal framework of EDES in Financial Regulation 2018/1046
See also: Information about EDES on the European Commission’s website.
National Land registers in the Member States may provide valuable information for the implementation and control of ESI funds. These are national databases but can be accessed through the dedicated webpage maintained by the European Commission on the European Justice portal. The core services provided by all registries are to register, examine and store land and property information, such as location and ownership, and to make this information available to the public and professional customers.
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union and produces European statistics in partnership with National Statistical Institutes and other national authorities in the EU Member States. On the dedicated search webpage you may find various information regarding General and regional statistics, economy and finance, population and social conditions, industry and travel services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, international trade in goods, transport, environment and energy, science, technology and digital society, policies of EU and many other.
The webage of European E-Justice is maintained by the European Commission and provides for different Tools for finding legal professionals in EU countries, such as:
If you are confronted with a legal dispute or seek legal advice you may need to turn to a lawyer by searching here.
If you need to ensure legal security and effectiveness for a private document or enforce a deed or seek an arbitrator for a dispute or, even simply, obtain legal advice, you may need to turn to a notary by searching here.
If you:
need to understand and be understood during a hearing held in another Member State,
need legal translation for a document or a contract,
need interpretation in court, at a police station or before administrative authorities you may want to turn to a legal translator or a legal interpreter by searching here
If you decide to use mediation you would meet with a mediator who can help you talk things through and reach an agreement, you can search here
If you need to examine an object or a situation requiring a specialist in the field you can ask for the services of a forensic expert by searching here.
If you want to go directly to all search engines, click here:
All EU member countries have insolvency and bankruptcy registers for which you can find information. These registers are in the process of being connected and becoming searchable from a central point. The registers record, analyse and store insolvency information and make it available to the public, albeit in different forms, depending on the country:
- countries with dedicated registers – publish information on all stages of the insolvency proceedings and the parties to the proceedings.
- countries using other registers – the situation is more diverse. Some only publish the name and the status of a company, others include information on all stages of the proceedings.
The information and documents you can find in these registers should be available for free on the dedicated webpage.
More information about the search engine you may find here:
IMS stands for Irregularity Management System. IMS is an IT database developed by the European Commission, accessible through the portal called "AFIS", which allows Member States to draw up and submit irregularity reports to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The program is widely used for statistical purposes and analysis of the reported irregularities. The annual PIF Reports from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council are based on the information provided in IMS.
See also: Handbook on “Reporting of irregularities in shared management”, 2017, OLAF.
SEDIA stands for Single Electronic Data Interchange Area. The Funding and tender opportunities database is the entry point for participants and experts in funding programmes and tenders managed by the European Commission and other EU bodies. On the dedicated webpage you may find all necessary information about funding opportunities on EU level, calls for proposals, calls for tenders. The participation into the different initiatives is structured into 5 steps:
- Find an OPPORTUNITY
- Find PARTNER(s)
- Create an ACCOUNT
- Register your ORGANISATION
- Submit your PROPOSAL or OFFER
VIES is an IT database developed by the European Commission and used for verification the validity of a VAT number issued by any Member State. It is an electronic mean of validating VAT-identification numbers of economic operators registered in the European Union for cross border transactions on goods or services. It is available for all citizens and public authorities here.
See also: Frequently asked questions about VIES