Infographic: Hungary Worst In The EU For Financial Irregularities (2024)

The European Anti-Fraud Office (commonly known as OLAF from its French title of Office européen de lutte antifraude) is tasked with investigating fraud against the EU budget, corruption and serious misconduct within European institutions. It is also responsible for developing anti-fraud legislation and policies. OLAF released its annual report on the protection of the EU's financial interests which found that Hungary once again had the highest share of financial irregularities of any EU member state this year.

Between 2015 and 2019, OLAF carried out 235 investigations into the misuse of European Structural and Investment Funds and agricultural payments with the recommendation that the European Commission recovers 0.36 percent of total funding due to irregularities. Hungary experienced 43 probes and the recommended rate of recovery was the highest by far in the EU at nearly 4 percent. By comparison, Slovakia had the second highest recommended recovery rate at just 0.44 percent. The Hungarian government responded to the report by blaming policies initiated by the preceding socialist government such as the Metro 4 project in Budapest which has been mired in controversy amid allegations of corruption.