{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2007-617/article-12",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2007-617/article-12.json",
  "legislation": "eur/2007/617",
  "legislation_title": "Council Regulation (EC) No 617/2007 of 14 May 2007 on the implementation of the 10th European Development Fund under the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2007-617",
  "path": "article/12",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "12",
  "heading": "Protection of the financial interests of the Union",
  "text": "1. The Commission shall take appropriate measures ensuring that, when actions financed under this Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are protected by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, by the recovery, or where appropriate by the restitution, of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, by effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative and financial penalties.\n2. The Commission or its representatives and the Court of Auditors shall have the power of audit, or in the case of international organisations the power of verification in accordance with agreements reached with them, and verification, on the basis of documents and on-the-spot checks, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors and subcontractors who have received Union funds under this Regulation.\n3. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations including on-the-spot checks and inspections, in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in connection with a grant agreement or grant decision or a contract funded under this Regulation.\n4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, cooperation agreements with third countries and with international organisations, contracts, grant agreements and grant decisions resulting from the implementation of this Regulation shall contain provisions expressly empowering the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits, on-the-spot checks and inspections, according to their respective competences.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Substituted by Council Regulation (EU) No 566/2014 of 26 May 2014 amending Regulation (EC) No 617/2007 as regards the application of the transition period between the 10th EDF and the 11th EDF until the entry into force of the 11th EDF Internal Agreement."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 ( OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1 )."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities ( OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2 )."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2007/617/article/12",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T14:52:55.110061+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}