Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-13-Speech-2-031"
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"en.20011113.2.2-031"2
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"Mr President, when I read the Never-Ending Story to my grandchild, Niklas, I think of the Court of Auditors’ annual report. There are an incredible number of problems which crop up again and again, year after year. Lamentable control systems in the Member States, lost income from VAT, bureaucratic and complicated export refund arrangements, farmers who overstate how much land they have, misappropriation of structural funds, fraud involving research funds in the form of over-payment, and long-winded and bureaucratic procedures concerning the EU’s external aid. It is the same old story every single year. However, it is now the Member States that are the biggest culprits. It cannot be said often enough. The agricultural and structural funds are what cause us problems. There is a very tough approach this year to the management of the structural funds. I proposed last year in my discharge report that the Commission should impose fines upon those Member States which offend again and again, and I am extremely pleased that Mrs Schreyer and the Commission have promised to look constructively at this possibility.
Denmark is also mentioned a couple of times in the annual report, and that is a couple of times too many. There are problems with farmers’ overstating how much land they have, and pathetic control systems at quite a few custom houses. The Danish practice of collecting users’ fees for the issue of export refunds has also been found to be illegal. It is thanks to the Court of Auditors that the Commission has finally realised what is unlawful about this practice. I am also pleased that we are working on the problems caused through the pile of work involving guarantee payments in Denmark, which are a disaster. In this area, too, the Commission has been a good and effective partner.
I would also say to Mr Karlsson that I should never in my life have believed that a Dane would end up missing a Swede. That is, however, the case and, since I, myself, am also leaving Parliament after this parliamentary term, we must set up a club for former Scandinavian MEPs in which we can rhapsodise about the old days. I think that the children’s book, ‘Karlsson-on-the-Roof’ was written with you in mind. Thank you for your fruitful cooperation over seven years."@en1
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