AFCOS (Anti-Fraud Coordination Service) is a coordination system for legislative, administrative, and operational activities aimed at protecting the financial interests of the European Union and for cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). In Montenegro, the AFCOS system has been in operation since 2013 and is based on the cooperation of institutions responsible for preventing, detecting, and dealing with cases of irregularities and fraud in the use of EU funds.
The AFCOS system in Montenegro consists of three key segments. The first segment is the AFCOS offices—the Directorate for the Protection of the EU’s Financial Interests within the Ministry of Finance—which has a central coordinating role and represents the main point of contact for cooperation with OLAF.
The second segment consists of institutions involved in combating irregularities, fraud, corruption, and other forms of unlawful activity, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, the Police Administration, the Customs Administration, the Tax Administration, CHU, the Audit Authority, and the Anti-Corruption Agency (the so-called Working Body of the AFCOS system).
The third segment is the Structure for Reporting Irregularities, which brings together institutions involved in the management of EU funds, particularly within the IPA III programme and the Instrument for Reform and Growth.
In April 2021, the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro and the Audit Authority signed a Cooperation Protocol, which defines the areas of cooperation and exchange of information within the AFCOS system.
Email address for anonymous reporting of irregularities and/or potential fraud when using IPA funds nepravilnosti.eu@mif.gov.me