Social protection systems are large, complex cash payment systems that deliver millions of pensions, unemployment benefits and social assistance benefits every month. In countries in Europe and Central Asia, they tend to absorb about a fifth to a third of all Government spending. Although every country's social protection program aims to pay the right beneficiary the right amount at the right time, complex systems mean that some level of error and fraud is unavoidable.
To minimize waste of public funds, countries such as Albania, Croatia, Moldova, and Romania have started to put in place effective systems, tools and instruments to combat error, fraud and corruption (EFC) in their social protection systems.
In Croatia, from 8-12 June, representatives from these countries will share their experiences with high-level policy makers and practitioners from other Europe and Central Asia countries involved in the prevention and detection of EFC.