Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-047"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2000-04-11"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:1998 discharge, budgetary control2
dcterms:Language	"de"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20000411.3.2-047"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2000-04-11-Speech-2-0482
lpv:speaker	lp:Herbert Bösch2
lpv:spokenAs	member; PETI (1999-09-16--2002-01-14)3 vice-chair; CONT (1999-07-21--2001-12-11)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Cyprus Joint Parliamentary Committee (1999-10-08--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; BUDG (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 member; Delegations to the parliamentary cooperation committees and delegations for relations with Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova (1999-10-06--2002-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this debate is probably one of the most important matters which this Commission has to negotiate with Parliament at the present time and not just for the reasons which have already been addressed. The fact has been overlooked today that, if memory serves me well, this is the first time the finance ministers of this Union have not unanimously recommended that the Commission be granted discharge. So things are not improving, Commissioner Schreyer; they are obviously going in the opposite direction, which is why we must follow the recommendations proposed by Mrs Stauner in the Committee on Budgetary Control as closely as possible. As far as the information policy is concerned, I am in full agreement with Mr Elles. We are not holding you responsible for past errors, but I believe that, pragmatically speaking, we are entitled to expect two things of you. Firstly, you must ensure that monies paid in error or, as in the Fléchard case, sums waived in error are recovered. In other words, you must repair the damage to the taxpayer, insofar as it can still be repaired. Secondly, you must ensure that the people responsible for mismanagement and erroneous developments are punished consistently, if necessary by making them compensate for part of the damage caused out of their own pocket. That would represent two innovations at the Commission because, as far as I am aware, officials implicated have never yet had to pay money back into the EU budget. The provisions of the financial regulation on this point do not need to be revised. We need no reforms for the purpose, we merely need to apply these provisions, otherwise they will remain dead letter. Having said this, you will understand, I think, that we have serious doubts about some of the proposals which you have put before the European public in the much-publicised Commission reform. I need only refer to your plan to do away with independent – I repeat – independent financial control or your plan to delete provisions on the financial liability of authorising officers from the financial regulation. It is obvious that some people have been living in glass houses in Brussels for a very long time. If any of us goes to our constituency and tells our voters, now that one Commission has had to resign because of fraud and misconduct, that independent financial control and the liability of officials are to be deleted from the relevant provisions, then, by God, we shall have done Europe a bad turn. Mrs Schreyer, Members of the Commission, use the postponement of discharge for the 1998 budget as an opportunity to show that the new team is strong on management and able to act."@en1

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