Tackling tax fraud:

The European Commission recently launched the process to start negotiations with Russia and Norway on administrative cooperation agreements in the area of Value Added Tax (VAT).

These agreements, subject to approval from EU Member States, would be to establish a framework of mutual assistance in combating cross-border VAT fraud and in helping each country recover the VAT it is due. VAT fraud involving third-country operators is particularly a risk in the telecoms and e-services sectors.