Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-22-Speech-3-314"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2009-04-22"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:2007 discharge: EU general budget - Council (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20090422.53.3-314"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2009-04-22-Speech-3-3152
lpv:speaker	lp:Bart Staes2
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 unknown; Groen (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 member; G/EFA (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 substitute; ENVI (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 substitute; REGI (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 member; CONT (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3
lpv:translated text	". Thank you, Mr Søndergaard, your report is a gem, covering, as it does, all the pertinent points. I should, however, like to ask the President and this Parliament’s Bureau to take note of the Council’s absence and not to leave it at that. We should not let them run rings around us. I should like to urge the Bureau to consider sending the Council a very firm letter of protest with the message that this is unacceptable. Indeed, as things stand at the moment, we refuse to grant an extension. This is beyond question now. We cannot grant discharge to the Council. This is not so much about fraud, as it is about a matter of principle, namely transparency. EUR 650 million from the European budget is managed by Mr Solana in the area of defence, security and foreign policy, but without any form of monitoring. This is not acceptable in a democracy. It has to stop. Hence the justified demands for an activities report, transparency and clarity. That is not all, however. As a rapporteur on VAT fraud, in my report that was approved on 4 December, I clearly asked the Council to answer a number of questions. We are now four or five months down the line, and this period has been marked by a deafening silence from the Council, while the estimated fraud involved is between EUR 60 and 100 billion annually. The Council must act. Coordination is what is needed in the fight against VAT fraud, and as long as there is no willingness to act on their part, I will not grant discharge to the Council."@en1
lpv:videoURI	<go to Events_and_structure europarl>2

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