Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-26-Speech-4-012"
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"en.20091126.3.4-012"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome and thank the President of the Court of Auditors, with whom we have worked productively during this period.
As Chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control, I have always maintained that the role played by the Court of Auditors is fundamental. It is fundamental because the Court operates in a very sensitive sector, which people throughout the European Union watch with great interest and with a critical eye where the transparency, accuracy and legality of expenditure and of the management of public funds are concerned.
I believe that it must be reiterated today that the Court should always be guaranteed independence and autonomy when carrying out its work because this is fundamental if we are to be able to evaluate properly and to make good decisions. Likewise, we ask the Court to put Parliament and the Committee on Budgetary Control in a position to carry out their own work as productively as possible.
We must find the right balance which allows public funds to be spent effectively and efficiently, because these funds are aimed at important objectives such as economic development and job creation. At the same time, there must be severe punishments for serious irregularities and errors, which the Court has also uncovered in the last financial year, whilst an attempt must be made to avoid unnecessary formalities and red tape. As Mr Kallas was also saying, Parliament must strive to find an equilibrium in the tolerable risk of error.
The report, which we have read with great interest, provides some insights, but also includes many grey areas. We must strive to achieve the best results regarding these grey areas.
As my fellow Members have also mentioned, the main problems primarily concern the Structural and Cohesion Funds. It is true that the Court, in doing its job, points out errors and irregularities in relation to these funds. However, those who are able to look deeply into and to analyse matters can see that, behind the errors highlighted, there are even graver issues, as the judicial experiences of several countries in recent years demonstrate. There may be fraud, there may be deception. I am specifically referring to one or two errors revealed such as the contravention of rules on procurement, over-invoicing and so on. We must endeavour to make improvements in this area.
I believe that the Commission should promote Member States which behave in a virtuous manner, and punish and penalise Member States which do comply with the rules. Furthermore, I believe it is very important for OLAF to use the Court of Auditors’ suggestions as a starting point and to further improve its work because it is in everyone’s interest that it does so. I think it is only through cooperation among various institutions, namely Parliament, the Court of Auditors and OLAF, that we will manage to safeguard the financial interests of all EU citizens."@en1
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