Reporting a crime to the EPPO

Here you will find detailed information on reporting a crime to the EPPO. The ‘Report a Crime’ web form is available at the bottom of this page.

What types of crime can you report to us?

The EPPO is competent to bring to judgment crimes affecting the financial interests of the EU. These are intentional acts – the so-called ‘PIF offences’ such as fraud, corruption, money laundering and misappropriation – that may have a negative impact on EU taxpayers’ money. These PIF offences are listed in Directive (EU) 2017/1371, as implemented by national law. The EPPO is also competent for offences regarding the participation in a criminal organisation – if its focus is to commit a PIF offence. We are competent for the above when:

• the criminal offences have been committed, in whole or in part, within the territory of one or several participating EU Member States;
• the criminal offences have been committed by anational of a participating EU Member State;
• the criminal offences have been committed by a person who was subject to the Staff Regulations or to the Conditions of Employment of EU staff.

What can you NOT report to us?

The EPPO is not competent for crimes that do not affect the financial interests of the EU. You are invited to report such crimes to the competent national authority.

Who can report a crime to us?

Everyone (EU citizens or non-EU citizens, private individuals or legal entities) can report a crime to the EPPO, as long as there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a criminal offence affecting the EU’s financial interests has been committed.

When should I report a crime to the EPPO?

As soon as you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a criminal offence has been committed against the financial interests of the EU, you must report it to the EPPO. You are not required to provide supporting evidence if it is not available.

How can I report a crime to the EPPO?

You can report a crime to the EPPO’s headquarters in Luxembourg in any of the official languages of the EU, via the ‘Report a Crime’ web form. Please note that you do not have the option to submit your online crime report anonymously. However, if it is allowed by the national rules, you may do so directly with the European Delegated Prosecutor in your country.

How do I report a crime online?

Before you report a crime to us, you must acknowledge and accept that the information and the documents provided by you will be processed by the EPPO, in accordance with the EPPO’s data protection terms. You will be guided through the web form as you submit the crime report. Some fields are mandatory in order to proceed with the report; please complete all fields to the best of your knowledge, in a clear and concise way.  Upon submission of the web form, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt, which includes the crime report registration number. Please refer to this registration number in any potential future communication with the EPPO. At this stage of the process you will not receive any further communication from the EPPO, but you may be contacted at a later stage.

What happens next?

We will assess whether the reported offence falls under the competence of the EPPO, and whether the submitted information is sufficient to justify the opening of an investigation. If the criminal offences linked to the reported facts fall within the EPPO’s competence, we will open and conduct an investigation without undue delay. Information may be transmitted by the EPPO to other institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union and to national authorities if the wrongdoings fall outside of the competence of the EPPO, and instead fall within their competence. We may contact you if:

• it is necessary to request clarifications or additional information;
• the crime falls manifestly outside the competence of the EPPO, and the documentation you have provided needs to be returned to you.

At the conclusion of the investigation, depending on the rules of the Member State(s) in which the investigation has been conducted, the EPPO may inform you of the outcome. Reporting a crime can have serious consequences. A crime report that is subsequently proven to be intentionally false or misleading, or intentionally submitted for an illicit purpose, may lead to legal consequences for its sender, included but not limited to administrative and/or criminal sanctions.

How do we process your personal data?

For a detailed explanation on what, how and why we process your personal data, as well as what rights you have and how to exercise them, please see the dedicated privacy notice for this operation. In essence however, you should be aware that you are reporting a crime as if you were reporting a crime to local law enforcement. This means that your personal data will be used for the tasks of the EPPO – such as investigations and prosecutions, and cooperation with third parties in this respect – and that the EPPO may have a legitimate purpose to continue processing your personal data, even if you subsequently decide to withdraw your complaint. As an investigation may involve a variety of individual steps, your personal data may be processed by a larger number of parties other than the EPPO, and may also include its transfer to third parties, including outside of the Union. If we do not find your submission to be relevant for the EPPO, we may transfer it to the authority we believe could be competent, or delete it. For security, statistical and auditing purposes, the EPPO may keep a log with your name, the reference number, the date of your submission, and the record of the action taken by the EPPO. This will be stored for a period of 3 years and Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 applies to this processing operation.

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