Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-04-Speech-3-022"
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"en.20021204.2.3-022"2
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"Mr President, Mr President of the Court of Auditors, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to welcome this report by the Court of Auditors, in particular for the innovations it makes and for the wealth of its content, and to pay special tribute to the President, Mr Fabra Vallés. I would also like to thank the Commissioner for her kind words to me and I wish to offer her my particular thanks for the cooperation I have received from the Commission services in this discharge process.
The framework of budgetary implementation in 2001 outlined by this report is characterised by a very strong implementation of the budget, which in particular affects appropriations for the pre-accession and Structural Fund programmes, due to ongoing shortcomings in Community accounting procedures, which need to be reformed as a matter of urgency, and also due to the persistence of long-standing problems, such as the lack of transparency in the Commission’s handling of the system of protection for the European sugar industry.
Amongst the shortcomings of the budgetary implementation it is particularly shocking to see that the stated concern at the lack of preparation of the candidate countries appears to have varied in a way that is inversely proportional to the Funds that have actually been made available to the final beneficiaries, especially to the farmers of these countries. It sometimes appears that the myriad consulting companies that hover around the European institutions, often composed of former officials or of officials on temporary leave, are more important than the citizens. The rules are also taking on an absurd and increasing complexity, which is out of step with reality.
In the much needed revision of the accounting system everything – and I mean ‘everything’ – that is considered necessary to ensure that the EU’s accounting systems adhere to international best practices and public accounting standards must be done. The modernisation of accounting and payment procedures, with clear, accessible and exhaustive codification of all expenditure, with the systematic notification of final beneficiaries and with clear and consistent terminology, are projects that we would like to see implemented.
The transparency of relations between the European institutions and the outside world is a recurring concern. The Court’s account of the case that led to the sugar system not being reformed demonstrates how one of the most anachronistic farming systems in the Community has been able to hold out for almost four decades without making any significant changes. In a complex high level intermediation system it is sometimes easy to forget the citizens in favour of the pressure groups, overlooking those in greatest need in favour of those who are able to exert the most and the most effective pressure. It is therefore crucial to make the fight for transparency and fairness part of our daily work."@en1
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