Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-13-Speech-1-045"
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"en.19990913.5.1-045"2
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"Madam President, as Vice-President of the Committee on Budgetary Control, I will have plenty of time in the coming weeks to exchange ideas with Mr Kinnock and other Members of the Commission on this report. I want to restrict the comments I make now to a few major points.
Firstly, we must not forget why this all started if we are to guard against losing the support of the European people as we embrace the major challenges of the future. And we need to aim high in the face of such major challenges. That is why I see this report not as a panacea but as a modest starting point for the reforms which are to take place. And so I challenge the Commission not to regard this report as the ultimate yardstick but merely as the minimum level to which we should aspire. Listening to Mr Kinnock, I also hope that we can trust him to push his proposals for reform this far and that he will do all that is necessary and not just work through a wish list like the one we have here.
Secondly, this report could be used by some individuals in this Chamber, and also outside it, to pass the buck to the Commission, so that they get all the blame for the crisis in Europe. This has happened in the past and I want to warn everyone to guard against it happening again. The Commission is now being investigated and we applaud this, for it is a first step towards improving the situation. But we cannot blame the Commission alone for the crisis of confidence as regards Europe. The European Parliament has its own role to play here and it is also time now for us to hold up our hands and put our own house in order, just as if a report had been written on our working practices. Nor should we forget the part played by the national parliaments and governments. More than 80% of all fraud goes on there. That is why it would also be a good idea to create a legal structure for carrying out effective supervision of the way in which these Member States spend European money.
Finally, a few words about Paul Van Buitenen. He has become symbolic of the fight against fraud in Europe, probably reluctantly. The care we take over a symbol of this kind here in Europe could, to a very large extent, determine whether or not we regain the trust of the citizens of Europe, which is why we must ensure that the Commission, and particularly Mr Kinnock, live up to the pledges undertaken during the hearings with regard to Mr Van Buitenen. But I am sure the Commission was already aware that we will continue to keep a very close eye on this."@en1
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