Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-04-Speech-4-034"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000504.3.4-034"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, when I saw that it was you in the chair, I thought about scrapping a few things from my text, but I am pleased with the attitude you are taking. Ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, on behalf of the Committee on Budgetary Control, I am able to give Mr Laschet our full backing. I am delighted that the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy and the Committee on Budgetary Control are taking exactly the same line for once. The proposal under discussion today is intended to provide a legal basis at Community level to cover the financing of the United Nations’ interim mission in Kosovo and of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Mr Laschet has made very clear, so far the EU contribution to the financing of these bodies has been made under the common foreign and security policy. We are talking very large amounts: EUR 28 million for the Office of the High Representative, 53% of which is actually to be funded by the European Union, and EUR 12 million to be funded by UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo). The advantage of this new arrangement is that the amounts will in fact be raised from the common foreign and security policy pillar.
What have we noticed happening in the past? We noticed that the European Commission, which is responsible by virtue of the Treaties for implementation of the budget, had no control over events under the existing arrangement, which is something the Committee on Budgetary Control pointed out time and again. This meant that, in practice, the Commission was actually only acting as paymaster and accountant, which ultimately produced lax policy, lax behaviour and a lack of commitment. A recent special report by the Court of Auditors has shown what this can lead to. We know, for example, that the Financial Controller in Bosnia-Herzegovina invoiced his services to the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia as part of a contract signed with a company of which he himself was manager. That is what I call a conflict of interests. Incidentally, our Committee on Budgetary Control intends to come back to this special report at a later date.
Be that as it may, this draft regulation will enable Parliament to exert more influence over the financing of these peace agreements and so, for example, we will be able to place appropriations in the reserve if we want to secure better financial management. Responsibility for implementing the appropriations will no longer be shared between the Commission and the Council but will soon fall solely to the Commission. That is a positive development to my mind, because it means that in future we will also be able to use our discharge procedure as a means of control.
This draft regulation fits neatly into the framework of a policy that is directed at good management and which takes notice of what becomes of taxpayers’ money. I think we should give Mr Laschet’s report our full backing and vote unanimously in favour of it."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples