By Martin Banks - 19th May 2010
Fraud is a problem everywhere
Nicholas Ilett
The acting director general of Olaf, the EU's anti-fraud office, has hit back at suggestions that parliament was "snubbed" over his appointment.
Some MEPs were incensed when Nicholas Ilett was made acting DG following the death of Franz-Hermann Brüner in January, who had been DG of the office since it was set up in 2000.
But, speaking exclusively to this website on Wednesday, Ilett countered the attack, saying there was "no legislative reason" why parliament should have been consulted.
Ilett, who was deputy for several years under Brüner, said, "I understand that some members felt parliament should have been consulted over the matter but that is not the point.
"There is nothing in the legislation that says parliament should be consulted over the appointment of an acting DG."
He added, "My job is to keep the machinery of Olaf going and I note that while parliament says it is regrettable it was not consulted it now accepts the matter is closed.
"I want to stress that I did not take the criticism personally but, rather, as an institutional issue."
Ilett, a British national, is one of "several" people who are in the running for Olaf's top job.
Despite a protracted selection process that requires consultation of parliament and member states, the commission recently said it hopes a new DG will be appointed by the end of this year.
Ilett, who was attending a commission-organised seminar in Brussels on how Olaf can work more closely with commission director generals, also revealed that the resources afforded to the organisation had now reached a "plateau".
He said, "We have gone from 200 staff at the start to 500 and have now been told that is the absolute limit. I recognise that in the present climate we have to accept this."
Olaf has faced constant criticism, not least from MEPs, over its effectiveness and Ilett accepted that some of this was valid.
"It is natural we will be criticised and, yes, some of it is fair but the key issue is the added value it brings to the EU to target fraud," said Ilett.
"We already cooperate quite closely with the commission in our investigations but I would like to see even more collaboration.
"We are in the business of having to take more risks and be what I call the 'nasty side' of the EU. That means clearing things up when they go wrong.
"It may not be what the Brussels 'bubble' is used to and will make us a possible target for conflict and criticism but it is something we have to do."
Ilett also outlined what he sees as its biggest challenges in the next few months.
"This year, we need to maintain sufficient level of activity in the newest member states and accession countries" he said. "Fraud is a problem everywhere but the enlargement process has created its own challenges.
"There is no secret, of course, there are problems in some of these countries, not least with the efficiency of their national judiciary systems.
"All this, of course, must take place against a background where Olaf will have no increase in its resources."
Applications for the DG job have now closed and the commission will shortly draw up a shortlist of candidates. They may include Ukip deputy Marta Andreasen, who has applied for the post.
Olaf's DG is in charge of running the investigative activities of the office, which are carried out in full independence of any EU institution or other body.
In addition, he or she must also manage Olaf in its non-investigative role.
The post is responsible for 500-strong staff and budget of around €50m.
This includes contributing to the commission's overall anti-fraud strategy and assisting in the coordination of member states' activities to tackle fraud.
Among the requirements listed in the vacancy notice for this post are at least 15 years of post-graduate professional experience, of which five must have been in a high level managerial post.
Candidates must also have considerable professional experience in either the senior judicial or executive investigative fields.
The vacancy notice was drawn up in coordination with the European council and parliament, who, together with the Olaf supervisory committee, will also be fully consulted in the selection procedure under the applicable rules.
This will include hearings of short-listed candidates.
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