By Cynthia Kroet and Oscar Pandiello ( May 8, 2026, 13:25 GMT | Comment) -- Rising use of trade diversion schemes to evade EU duties is a growing concern, the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, has warned, and European companies are increasingly bringing complaints to it as the European Commission struggles with a mounting trade defense backlog. Delays risk prolonging harm to EU industry, so OLAF probes look attractive, not least as they can lead to retroactive payments, but they are unlikely to offer a quick fix.A recent warning by the EU's fraud investigator of a rise in “sophisticated trade diversion schemes” has put the spotlight on the EU's struggles to get on top of a mounting backlog of trade-defense cases....
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