Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-04-03-Speech-2-139"
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"en.20010403.7.2-139"2
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".
Mr President, this week, the Commission should be granted discharge for the 1999 financial year. That is what the Committee on Budgetary Control recommended by a clear majority last week, in line with the proposal put forward by our rapporteur, Freddy Blak, to whom I should like to pay tribute for his excellent work. However, last week's recommendation was made in the expectation that the Commission would provide final clarification on a number of outstanding points. I know that the decision of many of my colleagues – and indeed my own too – here in the House will depend on this taking place.
What are these issues? Let me sum them up in four key phrases. The first is the Fléchard case. Ms Schreyer, you have just stated clearly that the Commission would not proceed in this way today. I am gratified to hear it. But let me remind you that although you were all good enough to come to the Committee – and I thank you for that – it was rather irksome that you could not bring yourselves to respond in such unequivocal terms in the Committee. It would have made things much easier for us – for both sides – if you had done so. But I must say that we are looking to the future, and we will be able to boost confidence more effectively through openness than by wasting words and ultimately being none the wiser.
My second key phrase is the Statement of Assurance. This is the sixth time in succession that a negative Statement of Assurance has been issued by the Court of Auditors, despite some improvements in a number of areas. It is not enough for the Commission to respond to Parliament's repeated calls for the error rates to be reduced by saying that it will do its best. No, we want tangible results. The DAS must be positive by 2002. This House is prepared to work with the Commission and the Court of Auditors to achieve this goal.
The third key phrase is access to information. Many people's hopes of the Framework Agreement between the Commission and Parliament have been disappointed. I was sceptical from the outset, but as the Chairman of the Committee, I ensured that the provisions of the Agreement were strictly adhered to. Yet the Commission still failed to provide all the information requested. The long list of reports requested but not received, contained in the Annex to Mr Blak's report, speaks for itself.
Ultimately, Ms Schreyer, the Commission is cutting off its nose to spite its face. You cannot really expect that when in doubt, Parliament will intercede and defend you from unjustified attacks unless you provide us with the necessary information first.
And my last point: This House has called on the Commission repeatedly and with a broad majority to put forward proposals on the immediate introduction of a European Public Prosecutor's office. Its first task should be to deal with fraud within the European institutions. The previous speakers have also raised this issue. On this basis, a European Public Prosecutor's office could be introduced immediately and without any amendment to the Treaties. This was recommended by the five wise men in their report on reforming the Commission, as well as by OLAF's Supervisory Committee. Parliament gave the Commission until the end of March to state its position on this issue. Ms Schreyer, I asked you about this issue during the last part-session. Will I finally get a clear statement from you today?
The Committee on Budgetary Control has submitted five other reports on discharge. I would like to congratulate all the rapporteurs on their excellent work. Ms Stauner's follow-up report on the 1998 discharge should be singled out in particular. We must carefully verify whether our demands from last year have been fulfilled by the Commission, in order to strengthen mutual confidence, openness and responsibility. Unfortunately, a number of points are still unresolved, especially the issue of a positive DAS, which I have already mentioned, as well as the issue of information for Parliament.
It is this weakness, not least, which led to the recommendation by the rapporteur, Ms Rühle, that the discharge in respect of implementation of the European Development Funds be postponed – and quite rightly, in my view. Mr Folias' report is considered and coherent. It contains no proposed amendments. I should like to express my great appreciation of, and agreement with, the content of his report. The reports by Ms van der Laan and Mr Seppänen were approved and adopted by the Committee."@en1
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