Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-24-Speech-2-025"
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"en.20070424.4.2-025"2
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"Mr President, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament recommends granting discharge. We recommend that Parliament approve the budgets for 2005, but in doing so we have some comments to offer and some demands to make. We have two basic demands. Firstly, we consider it self-evident that supervision needs to be further tightened up. We do not believe that there is, as yet, sufficient control of tax-payers’ money. Secondly, we also believe that there is a need for more openness and more transparency.
In respect of the first point, it might be said that there has been some progress in this area. We do recognise that and we do laud the implementation of a new accounting system within the Commission. It has not been an easy process but it has surpassed all expectations. I also recognise that the integrated financial control system, in particular in relation to agricultural funds, has been implemented for a large proportion of the budget, and that is clearly a very positive thing. However, we are also critical in relation to those areas in which the Court of Auditors did, sadly, have some particularly marked criticisms. What are particularly at issue are internal policies and, unfortunately, a portion of the agricultural funds, too. We will, quite simply, have to tighten things up in these areas. The Commission needs to exercise greater stringency, but so too, in particular, do the Member States. The fact is that around 80% of EU funds, as Members are aware, are administered via shared management, meaning that it is out in the Member States that the money is actually put to use. In such circumstances it is clear that we are, of course, entirely dependent, – that is to say the Commission is dependent and we in Parliament are dependent – on this responsibility being taken seriously out in the Member States, and we do not feel, unfortunately, that that is being done. Political responsibility needs to be clearly assigned, and this is something that needs to be followed up in relation to next year.
Moreover, it is, of course, obvious that this whole debate on openness has been going on now for a couple of years, and that is something we are pleased about. We are also pleased about what have clearly been very positive initiatives on the part of the Commission. We believe that it must be possible for individual European citizens to log on to the Internet and see how the EU’s money has been allocated to agricultural funds, structural funds and so on. This process is under way but it must, of course, be followed up all the way to completion. What is more, we need greater openness surrounding the numerous working parties that there are. We must be given the names of those who take part in such working parties."@en1
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