Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-13-Speech-1-091"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"1999-12-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Annual Report of the Court of Auditors2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.19991213.4.1-091"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:1999-12-13-Speech-1-0922
lpv:speaker	lp:Bart Staes2
lpv:spokenAs	member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 member; CONT (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; G/EFA (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 chair; Delegations to the parliamentary cooperation committees and delegations for relations with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Volksunie (1999-07-20--2002-01-07)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Mr Karlsson, Members of the Court of Auditors. Mr Karlsson, I would like to thank you for the clear and unambiguous presentation of your annual report. The report itself does not exactly make for light bedtime reading. However, that has not stopped you and your colleagues from rubbing salt in the wound throughout 500 pages. Mr Karlsson, you have been able to take the floor here today. Third time lucky I would say. I regret that this important document could not be submitted during the previous part-session here in Strasbourg. It was leaked to the press and this prompted us to adjourn the affair. I regret that. Like Mrs Morgan, I too regret that you were unable to give a press conference. This is not a good state of affairs as far as the European Parliament is concerned. Anyhow, this is an important document. Together with the two reports by the Committee of Wise Men and the OLAF report on 1998, all these documents in fact constitute the information on which we must base our decision as to whether or not we should grant discharge for the 1998 financial year. I would like to draw three tentative conclusions. The European Commission in particular has been under fire these last few years. This led to the fall of the Santer Commission, we all know that. The new Prodi Commission was then given the explicit task of putting the house in order. This will first bear fruit in February. It is my hope that the new Commission, Mr Kinnock and Mrs Schreyer will be able to ensure that in future, the Court of Auditors will indeed be able to grant a statement of assurance. My second conclusion is that this report emphasises very clearly that we should not just look for the money-grabbers amongst the eurocrats. It is indeed the case that eighty to eighty five per cent – a number of Members have already made reference to this – of all European expenditure is undertaken not by the Commission but by national, local or regional governments. There is therefore a need for more cooperation between the European Court of Auditors and its national counterparts. Finally, Mr Karlsson, it is obvious that organised crime has set its sights on a considerable share of European money. I believe that we need to work towards more cooperation and making OLAF effective, and that ultimately we are going to have to ensure that a European Public Prosecutor will keep crime firmly within limits."@en1

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