Audits on taxes, foreign investments and simplified customs
We recently carried out audits to assess the effectiveness of EU
funding in areas such as taxes, foreign direct investments and
authorised economic operators. Here are the key findings from our
reports:
- Special report 27/2024: Combatting harmful tax regimes and corporate tax avoidance (Lotta ai regimi fiscali dannosi e all’elusione fiscale delle imprese).
This report examines the EU efforts to combat harmful tax regimes and
corporate tax avoidance, which can lead to significant revenue losses
for member states and distortions in the internal market. The auditors
identified shortcomings in how the rules were implemented and noted the
absence of a common performance monitoring framework at EU and national
level.
- Special report 27/2023: Screening foreign direct investments in the EU (Controllo degli investimenti esteri diretti nell’UE).
In 2020, the EU established a framework for screening foreign direct
investment (FDI) that may pose a threat to security or public order in
the EU or its member states. The auditors assessed whether this
framework was effective and efficient and found that six member states
did not have a screening mechanism at all.
- Special report 13/2023: Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) (Operatori Economici Autorizzati (OEA)).
The EU’s AEO programme was put in place to simplify customs for trusted
traders, boost trade and supply chain security. Traders who meet a
range of criteria may work in close cooperation with customs authorities
and are entitled to enjoy benefits throughout the EU. The auditors
examined whether the Commission provided a sound regulatory and
monitoring framework and whether the member states implemented the
programme properly. They concluded the programme supports trade and
security, but that management, regulatory framework and implementation
required improvements.
Upcoming reports on trade and taxation
The ECA is presently engaged in various audit tasks concerning
trade and taxation. Throughout 2025, we will publish several special
reports, providing important insights into these topics. Below, we
outline two reports that will offer detailed assessments of the
effectiveness and impact of EU policies and initiatives in these areas:
- EU Aid for Trade to least developed countries (Gli aiuti dell’UE al commercio ai paesi meno sviluppati).
The world is currently facing multiple crises which have a significant
impact on growth and development in the least developed countries,
resulting in more people living in extreme poverty than before the
pandemic. Our audit will assess how effectively the EU Aid for Trade
policy is targeted and how well it is implemented in these countries.
- VAT fraud on imports (Frode IVA sulle importazioni).
Value Added Tax (VAT) fraud negatively impacts the collection of the
revenues for the EU and the member states. This audit assessed whether
the EU’s financial interests and the single market are protected
effectively against VAT fraud on imports when simplified import customs
procedures are used.
Keep up to date with ECA publications, audit reports and insights by subscribing to the monthly ECA Insights or visiting the ECA website.
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