An annual European Commission report on the protection of the European Union’s financial interests and the fight against fraud found that Poland had the EU’s second-highest incidence of fraudulence in applying for EU funding.

In the report, the EC discovered the highest level of fraud in the EU occurred in agriculture funding, with 79 cases under active investigation as of December 31, 2009. Investigations into these cases resulted in costs of €106.48 million. Cohesion policy and pre-accession assistance followed as the second- and third-highest areas for fraud in the bloc.

Italy, Poland, Estonia and Slovakia showed the highest “suspected fraud rates” among member states for the 2000-2006 budget period, with Italy at 1.13 percent, Poland at 0.82 percent and Estonia and Slovakia at 0.47 percent.

In 2009, Poland was one of five member states that reported suspected fraud cases, with the number of cases of suspected fraud at an estimated 262, with a financial impact of €57 million.

“However, higher suspected fraud rates may not necessarily mean that more fraudulent activity affecting the EU’s financial interests is taking place in certain member states,” the report said. “It is rather an indication that the anti-fraud systems in place are performing well … and this always produces higher results.”