Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-09-Speech-2-057"
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"en.20020409.3.2-057"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to start with the observation that we have six reports, all of which recommend discharge – with the exception of one part in Mrs Morgan's report, which we have already discussed. I think that is something we have not seen for a long time.
I want to congratulate the rapporteurs most warmly, but would also like to mention that the highest levels of the Commission were represented in many of our meetings, and this made management easier – something mentioned by you, Mrs Schreyer.
To give or withhold discharge is actually the greatest power Parliament possesses, in which Parliament is superior to the Council, and that is why it is a highly political instrument. Let me emphasise that again. This time, the judgment on the way that the Budget was managed in 2000 was indeed lenient, especially, too, in the report on the Commission.
So I would just like to mention three points, and briefly. One is the issue of the large surplus that remains. I am less concerned about whether this money reverts to the Member States or is set off, than that it should not be used to achieve political objectives, especially in the areas of structural policy and enlargement, and that makes me very vigilant. There is room for improvement here, and another surplus of this sort for 2001 will not be acceptable.
The second point is the Statement of Assurance that the Court of Auditors did not grant. This instrument is evidently not that fully applicable. It is very difficult for us, in the absence of percentages of errors, to judge whether errors have been committed, and how many.
The third issue I wish to address is that of monitoring, in which field the Commission, being responsible for the Member States and also, already now, for the candidate countries – one can take Chapter 28 as an example – must take great care that the European Union's financial interests are effectively safeguarded. I therefore see the Green Paper on the creation of a European public prosecutor as showing the way ahead."@en1
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