Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-04-Speech-4-005"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031204.1.4-005"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, I am both proud and honoured to be back in the House. As usual, only the early birds are present. Nonetheless, there is an abiding memory of the best moments of all the meetings held and the hours of work undertaken together.
As concerns the EAGGF-Guarantee, we believe the number of faulty transactions is still excessive. Errors occur most frequently at the level of the final beneficiaries of aid.
A higher risk was noted for measures not subject to the Integrated Administrative and Control System. They include amongst others aid for production, rural development and export refunds.
The Court noted an improvement in the controls on structural measures. This was the case at Commission level in particular. Nevertheless, the errors are similar to those of previous years and mostly concern the management undertaken by Member States.
As you will appreciate, ladies and gentlemen, the Court’s report is somewhat mixed. If improvement is to be effected, it will be necessary to continue strengthening the management systems of the Commission and of the Member States. This is the
for attaining a totally satisfactory Statement of Assurance in the future.
I shall now turn to the observations on budgetary management in Chapter 2 of the report. Firstly, a swift change in the structure of revenue is apparent. Traditional own resources such as customs and agricultural duties have fallen by 23% compared with the previous year. At the same time, revenue from GNP has risen by 32%.
Secondly, it was noted that the budgetary surplus had fallen appreciably. The surplus has dropped from EUR 15 000 million to EUR 7 000 million. Nonetheless, the figure remains high. It is indicative of systematic problems that must be rectified.
One of the main reasons for the surplus is the difference between planned and actual expenditure. For the financial year 2002 the Member States overestimated expenditure in the Structural Funds by almost EUR 5 000 million. Consequently, the financial year 2002 closed with more than EUR 66 000 million in outstanding commitments known in French as the RAL. This was almost EUR 10 000 million more than in the previous year.
The Commission should adopt a more active policy in this regard. It should undertake budgetary adjustments to maintain the balance between anticipated revenue and expenditure.
On a positive note, I should like to mention the general improvement in the rate of payments. One notable exception to this is the SAPARD programme for rural development in applicant countries. Only 2% of the available funds have been transferred to the final beneficiaries, although this programme has been in operation for three years.
Finally, I should like to point out that the Commission has implemented the recommendations of the Court and improved its report on budgetary and financial management. This report will prove very useful throughout the whole budgetary cycle.
Mr President, honourable Members, Budget Commissioner, colleagues from the Court of Auditors, ladies and gentlemen, on 17 November of this year I presented the annual report for the financial year 2002 prepared by the European Court of Auditors to the Committee on Budgetary Control at its meeting. I was also able to take the opportunity of providing the committee with a detailed account of the observations and conclusions contained in the report.
I shall now turn to the budgetary management of the European Development Funds. The Commission has accelerated the decision-making process for the financing of programmes. Nonetheless, the rate of implementation is still low. At the close of the financial year 2002, the available balance amounted to almost EUR 3 000 million. Outstanding commitments awaiting settlement amounted to more than EUR 8 000 million. The Court is of the opinion that management would improve if the EDF were integrated into the general budget.
Allow me to move on now to the state of the administrative reform. The Court has paid particular attention to analysing the degree to which internal control standards have been put in place. The assessment is along the lines of ‘could do better’. Despite the progress made in all Directorates-General, standards had not reached the required level by the end of 2002. Priority must be given to attaining these levels without delay.
One of the main difficulties facing the Commission is the control of measures managed jointly with the Member States. This mostly concerns EAGGF-Guarantee and Structural Funds. Article 274 of the Treaty does confer full responsibility for management on the Commission. In practice, however, the Commission is limited by activities of the national administrations. Stronger control by the Member States is needed to improve management of European funds. The activity management plans for the Directorates-General have improved. Nonetheless, it is recommended that the objectives be specified more clearly. It would also be advisable to introduce indicators to allow results to be measured and compared.
Activity reports and statements by the Directors-General have also improved. Most of the measures detailed by the Commission following the summary of the reports for the financial year 2001 have been implemented. The Commission has improved its procedure for drafting reports in line with the recommendations made by the Court. Nonetheless, Directors-General should provide more detail concerning the content of their reservations about the way control systems work. They should also provide a clearer description of the shortcomings noted.
Lastly, the Court recommends updating the White Paper adopted in 2000 in the interests of greater transparency and in order to facilitate following up the reform. The Court also recommends revising the timetable set.
To conclude, reform did make progress in 2002. The Commission proved capable of diligently implementing the new provisions of the Financial Regulation. Progress was noted in all areas. Much remains to be done, however, as the Commission itself recognises.
In my view, the content of the Commission’s reform plan is adequate, and the plan itself consistent. It will no doubt require adjustment and amendment. At this juncture, however, it would be a mistake to reject it or to launch into reforming the reform. The latter would be a risky venture. The plan does actually contain appropriate measures to improve management and control. A sustained effort is now needed to ensure these measures are applied with a will across all the Commission’s services. This is the Commission’s main responsibility. The same applies to all the institutions. Simply launching plans is not enough. It is essential to ensure that the plans are implemented. I believe that is one of the lessons to be learnt from the Eurostat affair.
Ladies and gentlemen, I trust you will allow me to depart briefly from the agenda just before I finish. I would like to say a few words on the Intergovernmental Conference and the draft European Constitution.
The Court of Auditors has expressed concern because it is not mentioned by name as part of the institutional framework, alongside Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Justice. The Court of Auditors is the body charged with external control of European public finances. It is not acceptable for it to be placed at a lower level than the institutions it is required to control. It must not be placed in a position where it is dependent on them either. If that were to happen, the Court would be deprived of the independence it needs in order to discharge its obligations. All those involved in the Intergovernmental Conference have been made aware of this concern. I trust it will be taken into account.
Thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen.
Today, I should like to draw the attention of the House to the conclusions concerning three areas, namely the Statement of Assurance, budgetary management, and the process of reforming the Commission.
The first chapter of the Court of Auditors’ report contains the Statement of Assurance, known as the DAS. The latter will be published in the Official Journal together with the Community’s consolidated accounts. This is sound practice and should provide greater transparency.
The Court is adjusting its DAS methodology to bring it into line with the process of reforming the Commission’s financial control. The intention is to provide more accurate information about the areas where problems arise and about their causes. This is in response to requests by Parliament and the Council.
To this end, our observations and conclusions centred on four main elements. Firstly, they were based on the quality of control systems in the Community institutions and Member States. Our assessment is based on several indicators. We also examined the extent to which the Commission followed up our earlier observations. The second element entailed examination of a sample of transactions and payments for each area of expenditure. Thirdly, the annual declarations of the Directors-General at the Commission were considered. Work undertaken by other auditors constituted the fourth element.
Further to this audit, it is the Court’s opinion that the annual accounts for 2002 submitted by the Commission were drawn up in accordance with the Financial Regulation. The accounts accurately reflect the revenue and expenditure for the financial year, and the financial position of the Community.
Nonetheless, as in previous years, the Court expressed a number of reservations regarding the Commission’s accounting system. It should be noted that last December the Commission adopted an action plan to modernise its accounting system. This plan is due to come into force in 2005. I would urge caution concerning the timetable. The scope and quality of the necessary reforms should not be jeopardised by undue haste.
With regard to revenue, commitments, administrative expenditure and pre-accession aid, the Court believes that the transactions are legal and regular. In the latter case, however, controls must be strengthened."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples