Deputy director-general of the European anti-fraud office (Olaf) Salla Saastamoinen on Wednesday urged Cyprus to seek support from the EU’s anti-fraud programme.

Olaf is the EU body responsible for investigating fraud, corruption, and irregularities affecting the union’s financial interests. 

During her visit to Cyprus, Saastamoinen said Cypriot authorities show “willingness, responsiveness and constructive engagement at all levels”, but urged them to consider making full use of the union anti-fraud programme.

She explained that Cyprus has not yet applied for the programme’s first phase, which offers technical assistance and training. She described this as “a lost opportunity, because the programme is very successful and provides financial support through grants and specialised tools”.

Her visit focused on strengthening cooperation ahead of Cyprus assuming the EU Council Presidency. She said the timing is crucial as the EU is reviewing its anti-fraud architecture ahead of the next multiannual financial framework.

“Immediate communication with our partners helps ensure that cooperation is not only well designed but effective in practice,” she said.

Saastamoinen met the finance minister, the auditor-general and officials from anti-money laundering unit Mokas to assess operational work on the ground. She highlighted the importance of national systems in preventing and detecting fraud, noting that EU-wide risks include procurement manipulation, conflicts of interest, inflated invoices, customs fraud, smuggling and product falsification.

She stressed that these challenges are not unique to Cyprus, but said the country could reinforce its capacity through available EU funding.

She praised past joint work, including customs operations, the dismantling of smuggling networks, and the identification of irregularities in EU-funded projects.

These “demonstrate that when Cyprus and Olaf cooperate closely, we can achieve significant and tangible impact,” she said.

Saastamoinen confirmed that Cyprus remains committed to completing and implementing a national anti-fraud strategy. Olaf continues to support this through training, operational tools, and expert coordination.

“Adequate funding for key systems, such as IT and data management, is essential to ensure controls are effective,” she said.

She concluded that the visit marks “a first step towards closer and more results-focused cooperation between Cyprus and Olaf in the coming months”.