L 136/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 31.5.1999 COUNCIL REGULATION (EURATOM) No 1074/1999 of 25 May 1999 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OCAF) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 203 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (%), (1)  Whereas the institutions and the Member States attach great importance to the protection of the Communities’ financial interests and to the fight against fraud and any other illegal activities detri- mental to the Communities’ financial interests; whereas the Commission’s responsibility in that connection is closely bound up with its duty to implement the budget under Article 179 of the Euratom Treaty; whereas the importance of action to that end is confirmed by Article 183a of the Euratom Treaty; () Whereas the protection of the Communities’ finan- cial interests extends not only to the management of budget appropriations but also to all measures affecting or liable to affect their assets; (3  Whereas all available means must be deployed fully to attain this objective, notably in the context of investigative ~ duties  devolving  upon  the Community, while the current distribution and balance of responsibilities as between the national and Community levels should be maintained; (4) Whereas to reinforce the means available for combating fraud, while respecting the principle of each institution’s internal organisational autonomy, the Commission has established among its own departments by Decision 1999/352/EC, ECSC, Euratom (%), a European Anti-Fraud Office (herein- after ‘the Office’) with responsibility for conducting administrative fraud investigations; whereas it has (") OJ C 21, 26.1.1999, p. 10. () Opinion delivered on 6 May 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () Opinion delivered on 15 April 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () See page 20 of this edition of the Official Journal given this Office full independence to exercise its investigative function; (5)  Whereas the responsibility of the Office as set up by the Commission extends beyond the protection of financial interests to include all activities relating to safeguarding Community interests against irreg- ular conduct liable to result in administrative or criminal proceedings; (6)  Whereas it is appropriate to provide that the Office ensure cooperation between the Member States and the Commission to protect the Communities’ financial interests; (7)  Whereas, given the need to step up the fight against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activ- ities detrimental to the Communities’ financial interests, the Office must be able to conduct internal investigations in all the institutions, bodies and offices and agencies established by or on the basis of the EC and Euratom Treaties (hereinafter ‘the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies’); (8) Whereas Decision 1999/352/EC, ECSC, Euratom provides that for the purposes of investigations the Office shall exercise the powers conferred by the Community legislator, subject to the limits and conditions laid down thereby; (9)  Whereas the Office should be entrusted with the exercise of the powers conferred on the Commis- sion by 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 (°); whereas the Office must also be allowed to exercise the other powers conferred on the Commission to conduct on-the-spot checks and inspections in the Member States, notably for the purpose of detecting irregularities as required by Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 18 December 1995 on the protec- tion of the European Communities’ financial inter- ests (°); () OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. () OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1.