Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-049"
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"en.20000411.3.2-049"2
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"Mr President, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, do not try to argue that what is wrong is right. That is the attitude we must adopt in this difficult exercise constituted by the annual discharge. Mrs Theato was right in stating that granting discharge is a serious matter. To grant discharge is, when all is said and done, to grant a certificate of good management. I would like to thank all rapporteurs, but also the Committee on Budgetary Control, for all their hard work. The Stauner report, including the explanatory note – which I fully support, by the way – is very critical of the European Commission. The four largest groups have reached a compromise in which it is recommended that discharge be delayed and that the European Commission be given a list of 17 specific questions. I am in favour of this approach and as such, would like to ask you to adopt Mrs Stauner’s report without any further ado.
Secondly, I would like to comment on the Kuhne report. I am not trying to argue that what is wrong is right. I wish to make it absolutely clear here that the Kuhne report does not follow this theme. Mr Kuhne has completed an excellent piece of work. His report incisively denounces what is going wrong in our institutions. Mrs Morgan told us a moment ago that we do not want witch-hunts. But Mrs Morgan, this is not happening. What we denounce is stated quite clearly in the courageous report of our financial controller, Mr O'Hannrachain. The complaints are staggering and include a faulty inventory and many thefts. I was a victim of this myself in a previous life when my computer and printer were stolen.
Secondly, there are far too many restricted and private allocations. These should be the exception, but we have noticed that in 1998, 50% of the cases were awarded privately. This is no longer the exception.
Thirdly, I would like to mention buildings policy, a policy in which decisions are taken step-by-step, rather like slicing a salami, and which is made up of faits accomplis. Ladies and gentlemen, we need a long-term building policy, to ensure that policy is not only carried out correctly, but that unnecessary expenditure is also avoided, a case in point being the underground tunnel being built here in Strasbourg which links the printing department in the IPE-I building to the distribution department in our building. The price tag is FFR 27.4 million. This is ludicrous! Mr Kuhne has hit out in the press and also here today at the stance taken by my Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance. He is blaming us for playing a party-political game. Well, Mr Kuhne, I can assure you that this is not the case. What we
doing is being consistent in our approach, however. Surely, asking for our offices to be treated in the same way as the Commission is not a political game. Hence our amendment which recommends postponement of discharge for Parliament’s budget and which has given the Secretary-General a list of queries which we expect to be answered by 15 May. I am delighted to state that Mr Deprez has adopted the same stance a moment ago. I am delighted to state that Mr Elles has tabled a similar amendment on behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party and European Democrats. I therefore hope to receive more support for our amendment which was completely voted down in the Committee on Budgetary Control. I am now counting on a majority in the plenary meeting."@en1
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