Article 33 Co-operation with Member StatesX1F1

The Commission shall maintain appropriate contacts with the Member States concerned for the purpose of supplementing the information supplied on the irregularities referred to in Article 28, on the procedures referred to in Article 30, and, in particular, on the possibility of recovery.

Without prejudice to the contacts referred to in paragraph 1, where the Commission considers that, due to the nature of the irregularity, identical or similar practices could occur in other Member States, it shall submit the matter to the advisory Committee for the Coordination of Fraud Prevention set up by Commission Decision 94/140/EC ^f1 .

The Commission shall, each year, inform that Committee and the committees referred to in Articles 103 and 104 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 of the order of magnitude of the Funds affected by the irregularities which have been discovered and of the various categories of irregularities, broken down by type and number.

The Commission shall organise information meetings at Community level for representatives of the Member States in order to examine with them the information obtained pursuant to Articles 28, 29 and 30, and paragraph 1 of this Article. The examination shall focus on the lessons to be learned from the information in connection with irregularities, preventive measures and judicial proceedings.

At the request of a Member State or of the Commission, the Member States and the Commission shall consult one another for the purpose of closing any loopholes prejudicial to Community interests, which become apparent in the course of the enforcement of provisions in force.