Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-16-Speech-1-106"
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"en.20021216.9.1-106"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, rapporteur, the report drawn up by Mrs Langenhagen, which was adopted unanimously at the last meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control, principally reiterates the main criticisms contained in the special report by the European Court of Auditors concerning certain shortcomings in the design or management of the programmes. It concerns, in particular, recourse to a Technical Assistance Office and, although this is not clearly defined, to national agencies, as well as delayed and incomplete implementation.
As the Commission indicates in its response to the Court, it has already introduced improvements with regard to the implementation of the new Socrates and Youth for Europe programmes, which replaced the programmes examined by the Court as of the year 2000. This is, in particular, the case as regards relationships with national agencies in managing the decentralised parts of the programmes, or its intention to make progress, as soon as possible, in the direction indicated by the Court, in other words dismantling the temporary Technical Assistance Office as soon as the Commission is able to use an implementing agency for the educational programme.
As regards improving the management of the decentralised parts of the programmes, the Commission decisions adopted in 2000 establish, with the necessary changes made, for each programme, the responsibilities of the Commission and the responsibilities of the national authorities with regard to national agencies and beneficiaries. These decisions also specify in their annexes the tasks to be carried out by the agencies. Furthermore, the clauses of the contracts between the Commission and the national agencies have been clarified and simplified.
With regard to control of the national agencies, the Commission decisions adopted in 2000 stipulate that the ministries are to establish systems to control and audit the operation of the agencies, including their management of decentralised actions. The Commission, within the scope of contractual relations with the national agencies, carries out controls and audits of both their operation and projects funded. The control carried out by the Commission on the national agencies and regular exchange of information between the national authorities and the Commission allow increased monitoring of the implementation of decentralised actions by the agencies. The agencies’ financial accounts are certified by approved bodies before being submitted to the Commission.
Progress has also been made in terms of the management of centralised actions. The internalisation of certain tasks, some of which fall within the public sphere of competence, that were previously entrusted to the Technical Assistance Office, has taken place, until the Commission can have recourse to an implementing agency. The preparatory work for the establishment of the agency has begun, and the agency should be operational in 2004 with a view to taking on tasks currently carried out by the temporary Technical Assistance Office as well as certain management tasks currently carried out by the Commission. At her request, various documents attesting to this progress were given to Mrs Langenhagen after she had drawn up her draft report.
Despite a number of shortcomings in the design or management of the programmes during the period 1995-1999, it should be emphasised that the Court recognises the European added value of these programmes since it also indicates, by way of introduction, that these two programmes have contributed to increasing cooperation between universities in the Union and in other participating countries and have enabled young people to take part in multicultural exchanges and, in conclusion, they have had an undeniable impact on young people and students.
Lastly, the Commission will give the greatest consideration to the opinion of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, which stresses the importance it will attach to the interim evaluation of these two new programmes for the period 2000-2006 and to the simplification of the new generation after 2006, in order to guarantee the implementation of more effective management as well as simplified procedures, in particular where the granting of small subsidies is concerned."@en1
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