European Organisations Call 22 Member States to Implement EU Anti-Vat-Fraud Package

A group of 10 organisations voiced the need to pay a greater attention to fraud in the energy sector, calling all 28 Member States to implement the EU anti-vat-fraud package.

‘Following the large-scale VAT fraud discovered in the CO2 emissions market in 2009, criminal networks are now targeting other tradable goods such as gas and electricity’ reads a note released on Wednesday. 

Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom are the only six countries that converted the package into law.  

‘Until all 28 Member States of the European Union transpose and apply the RCM, the integrity of the European energy wholesale markets remains significantly threatened’ adds the joint statement. 

According to a spokesman from Europol quoted in the document, there are several ways for criminal organisations to infiltrate. 

“These can range from creating bogus companies with the sole purpose of stealing millions of euros of VAT from European governments, and therefore ordinary European citizens, to hijacking the activities of reputable companies in the market, therefore damaging legitimate trade.