Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-10-Speech-4-068-000"
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"en.20120510.9.4-068-000"2
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"Mr President, there are currently 32 European agencies employing 5 500 people, with operating costs of about EUR 700 million. There is no doubt that their activities are, in large part, justified: after all, they carry out work on behalf of European institutions and facilitate the decision-making process, as well as discharging the Union’s obligations, as in the case of Frontex, which protects our borders. Even so, it is necessary to review how they function and, in particular, the rules by which they operate as regards conflicts of interest, since many examples of the latter have come to light in recent years. This issue could undermine the credibility of the assessments, expert opinions and certificates issued by some agencies and, as a result, undermine the authority of the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The financial policies of agencies should also be reviewed. Some of them, such as, for example, the Human Rights Agency in Vienna, are incapable of using their budgets and hastily spend most of their funds in the final month of the year, or else try to carry funds over to the following year. Consideration should be given to the future appointment of a temporary committee in Parliament to review the operations of agencies both from the point of view of the grounds for their existence as a separate entity and as regards their operational rules and, in particular, issues concerning conflicts of interest, impartiality or leaks of confidential information. These are very important issues. There should certainly be a debate about what constitutes a conflict of interest in order both to ensure high standards for agency employees and to ensure procedural transparency. We have to remember that, at a time of economic crisis, when budgetary restraint is expected of Member States, it is particularly important that the European Union should manage its resources carefully and reduce waste or irregularities and even fraud."@en1
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