In 2025, freezing orders of €1.13 billion were granted by competent authorities in EPPO cases. This corresponds to the value of damages recognised by the competent authorities as potentially to be recovered from the defendants, based on the elements uncovered in EPPO investigations
In the course of the year, the EPPO froze assets in value of €288.93 million. This corresponds to existing assets frozen, in view of confiscation after final judgement. Extended confiscation was requested in 19 instances, in order to restrain assets that the suspects had sought to protect from confiscation. The EPPO made extensive use of value-based confiscation to enable recovery. The seizure of instrumentalities of crimes or their equivalent value was ordered in 30 instances. The EPPO also made several confiscation requests (52) with the intention of securing the payment of a possible monetary penalty.
The main assets seized were cash or bank accounts, followed by real estate properties, business activities, vehicles, other movable properties, as well as gold, shares, cryptocurrencies, financial products and luxury items. Criminal merchandise - such as smartphones, wine bottles or leather accessories - has been seized and removed from the market, effectively depriving the criminals of the benefit of their illicit activities.
In order to enable the European Commission to follow up on EPPO initiated judicial proceedings, in view of recovery for the EU budget, the EPPO notified indictments and simplified prosecution procedures amounting to €162.7 million of estimated damage related to expenditure fraud. As regards revenue fraud, the EPPO notified the European Commission of indictments and simplified prosecution procedures amounting to €1.19 billion of estimated damage.
