Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-07-Speech-1-078"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050307.11.1-078"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, first of all, I should like to thank Mr Lipietz for his report on the European Investment Bank’s activities. We saw last year in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs with Mrs Ridruejo’s draft report that it is not easy to draft a report on the EIB’s activities. Thinking about European institutions to such extremes is unproductive and does not do any justice to the situation in which the institution has to work. The concise report we are discussing today, however, is balanced, and I have a few remarks to make about it.
What I find regrettable about Mr Lipietz’ report is the lack of attention given to the impact that the granting of credit has on the environment. The EIB’s environmental report is, in my view, too restricted. The granting of credits to businesses must also be assessed in terms of its environmental effect, and that is why I would argue in favour of including an environmental impact report in credit assessments. The rapporteur is right to conclude, in paragraph 20, that greater attention should be paid to improving the auditing to which the EIB is subject. In addition to assessing the credits and the conditions under which they are granted, the EIB’s organisation should also be assessed. Questions should be raised about the organisation’s efficacy and the way it accounts for the resources that have been spent. The EIB is a financial EU institution that has been set up by treaty, and should therefore also be subject to scrutiny by the European Court of Auditors. A good relationship with the Court of Auditors and OLAF can contribute to growing confidence.
Thirdly, I should like to draw your attention to the ethical aspects of granting credits. Are the credits granted by the EIB consistent with the ethical standards that we in this House uphold? Examples that spring to mind are the funding of scientific research and investments in technological development. Are credits granted for research and development for which there is no political or moral support in Parliament? I hope to have these questions answered during this debate.
Finally, we particularly welcome the reference to microcredits in paragraph 6. When small-scale initiatives are supported, it is possible to deliver a custom-made service and it is gratifying to see that this instrument receives the recognition that it deserves. In this respect, I would call for stress to be laid on the quality of the projects themselves and of the credits granted. The sudden increase in this type of credit involves the risk that the quality of the projects and of the credits is insufficiently questioned. Since careful thought should be given to the type of projects that are eligible, I would call for a firm approach, involving cooperation with institutions that have experience of microcredits. To avoid the instrument becoming a victim of its own success, the EIB must actively commit to a permanently high quality of microcredits."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples