HERCULE III 2014-2020

1. HERCULE III 2014-2020 New 2014-2020 programme aiming to fight against frauds and other activities threatening the financial interests of the EU 2014-2020 • SMART AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

2. OBJECTIVES • General: To protect the EU financial interest thus enhancing the competitiveness of the European economy and ensuring the protection of the taxpayers' money. • Specific:to prevent and combat: • fraud, • corruption and • any other illegal activities against the EU financial interest. 110M Euro

3. ACTIVITIES • Specialised technical assistance for national authorities: • Specific knowledge, specialised and technically advanced equipment and effective IT tools facilitating transnational cooperation and cooperation with the EC; • Necessary support and facilitating investigations, in particular the setting up of joint investigation teams and cross border operations; • Supporting MS' capacity to store and destroy seized cigarettes as well as independent analytical services for the analysis of seized cigarettes; • Enhancing staff exchanges for specific projects, in particular in the field of the fight against cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting;

4. ACTIVITIES • Specialised technical assistance for national authorities: • Providing technical and operational support for the law enforcement authorities of the Member States in their fight against illegal cross border activities and fraud affecting the EU financial interests, including in particular support for customs authorities; • Building information technology capacity throughout the Member States and third countries by developing and providing specific databases and IT tools facilitating data access and analysis; • Increasing data exchange, developing and providing IT tools for investigations, and monitoring intelligence work.

5. ACTIVITIES • Organisation of specialised training, and risk analysis training workshops, conferences: • Further fostering better understanding of EU and national mechanisms; • Exchanging experience between the relevant authorities in the Member States, and third countries as well as representatives of international organisations, including specialised law enforcement services; • Coordinating the activities of Member States, third countries, and international public organisations, • Disseminating knowledge, particularly on better identification of risk for investigative purposes; • Developing high-profile research activities, including studies; • Improving cooperation between practitioners and academics; • Further raising the awareness of the judiciary and other branches of the legal profession for the protection of the financial interests of the Union

6. Example: Lithuanian Customs used the opportunities offered by the Hercule Co-funding of the equipment for: • customs controls (Mobile X-ray scanner 1.8 m euro) • for investigations (modernization of Number Plate Recognition) • System (353.000 euro), evidence collection equipment (92.704 euro)

7. PARTICIPATION ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES All current EU countries and the participation of any of the following countries: acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates benefiting from a pre-accession strategy, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements, Association Council Decisions or similar Agreements TARGET GROUPS National or regional administrations:Member State or a third country, which promote the strengthening of action at EU level to protect EU financial interests; Research and educational institutes and non-profit making entities provided that they have been established and have been operating for at least one year, in a Member State or in a third countryand promote the strengthening of action at Union level to protect the Union's financial interests.

8. PARTICIPATION • FUNDING • Technical assistance – support for national authorities • Training - Conferences, e-learning, round tables, staff exchanges, training courses, seminars, symposiums, working groups. • Seminars, comparative studies, dissemination of expertise, annual meetings of presidents. • The EU funding for activities shall take the form of: • grants • public procurement • reimbursement of costs for participation in activities under the programmes incurred by representatives • The co-financing rate for grants awarded under the programme shall not exceed 80 % of the eligible costs. In exceptional and duly justified cases, defined in the annual work programme referred to in article 10, the co-financing rate shall not exceed 90 % of the eligible costs.

9. PARTICIPATION APPLICATION PROCEDURE • Through call for proposals • The Commission shall adopt annual work programmes. They shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and their total amount. They shall also contain a description of the actions to be financed, an indication of the amount allocated to each action and an indicative implementation timetable. They shall include for grants the priorities, the essential evaluation criteria and the maximum rate of co-financing. Budget allocated to communication actions to be carried out by the Commission under this Regulation shall also cover the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union. SELECTION PROCEDURE • Centralised direct management by the Commission under the responsibility of DG ENTR.

10. PARTICIPATION Where to find information at EU-level http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&reference=PE-494.676&format=PDF&language=EN&secondRef=01 http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/dossier/document.do?code=COM&year=2011&number=914&extension=null http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/semeta/headlines/news/2011/12/20111219_en.htm