Today the European Commission published its Annual Report on the Protection of the EU's Financial Interests and the Fight against Fraud. This report outlines important measures taken by the Commission and Member States in 2009 to prevent, detect and tackle irregularities and fraud. It gives a statistical overview of all the irregularities notified to the Commission by Member States in 2009, including cases where fraud is suspected, and details the recovery of EU funds. The report notes an improvement in Member States' compliance in reporting irregularities compared to previous years and points out recommendations on how to further improve the protection of EU taxpayers' money. [more]