Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-03-Speech-3-139"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031203.10.3-139"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Bösch’s report is a critical but also a very constructive one, and I congratulate him on his intensive work. Of course, we could have voted on its outcomes and possible implementation at an earlier stage if the Commission had submitted its evaluation of OLAF’s three years of work on time, as envisaged in the Regulation, instead of over nine months late. Some of the mismanagement and irregularities could then have been addressed more effectively than is possible now, at the end of the parliamentary term and the Commission’s term in office. Eurostat is a case in point.
We know the background to OLAF’s establishment: an interim structure was all that could be achieved because a Treaty amendment was not envisaged at that stage. As a result, OLAF was in a paradoxical position from the outset. In its work, it is independent – we insist on that – but it is subordinate to the Commission administration in organisational terms. Nonetheless, delays, cumbersome processes and inadequate application of the OLAF Regulation by both parties – the Commission and OLAF – have regrettably characterised this agency to date. Let me cite just a few examples: its protracted recruitment process, its excessively long investigations, its failure to inform the Supervisory Committee as required, and above all the poor training and the failure to adequately respect the defence rights of the individuals under investigation. I take the Supervisory Committee’s clear statement on this latter point especially seriously, as it directly highlights the need to create a European Public Prosecutor to protect the Union’s financial interests. This House has called for such an appointment for a very long time and the Commission has now added its voice to these calls in the Convention and at the Intergovernmental Conference. I am grateful to President Prodi for now having addressed this issue in his action plan. The fundamental rights of the individual can only be guaranteed within a judicial framework based on the rule of law. Until this objective is achieved, I fully support strengthening the Supervisory Committee, both as regards the Secretariat – we need to discuss its allocation to the European Parliament budget – and also, and especially, the appointment of highly qualified, independent persons as members of the Supervisory Committee. In sum, what we need is not a new regulation but a number of amendments, as the report makes clear. We need a strong OLAF. I ask the Commission to take our demands seriously so that we can move closer to a zero tolerance policy."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples