Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-08-Speech-2-019"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-04-08"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:2001 discharge procedure2
dcterms:Language	"fi"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030408.1.2-019"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-04-08-Speech-2-0202
lpv:speaker	lp:Esko Seppänen2
lpv:spokenAs	member; Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3,3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Estonia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3,3 unknown; Vasemmistoliitto (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3,3 member; Delegation to the European Economic Area Joint Parliamentary Committee (EEA) (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3,3 member_of_the_bureau; EUL/NGL (1999-10-13--2004-07-19)3,3 substitute; BUDG (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3,3 member; Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3,3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Members of the European Parliament have exceptionally good grounds for self-criticism in this debate. As a former member of the Committee on Budgetary Control I myself am also guilty. I did not draw the right conclusions from the reports produced by the Court of Auditors regarding the flaws in the accounting system. I did not believe that the Commission’s accounts could be so very badly organised in a budget of almost EUR 100 billion. Looking back, we Members of Parliament received all the relevant information from the Court of Auditors, on the basis of which we should have reacted earlier to the weaknesses in the system. We were not equal to the task. We are responsible for the weakness in the monitoring procedures, the Commission itself for the weaknesses in the system. The problems are not individual cases of malpractice, but are themselves inherent in the accounting system. The action taken by the Commission’s former chief accountant, Martha Andreasen, made it possible for the problems to be exposed. Just a while ago Mrs Andreasen told me that the Emperor has no clothes, that the Commission’s accounting system is rotten to the core, and that things must be swiftly put right. It is thanks to her that we can now speak about the real problems we used to turn a blind eye to. For her pains, Mrs Andreasen was dismissed from her job. That was an injustice. The Commission has made a mistake in protecting officials who should have been dismissed on the grounds of total professional incompetence with regard to accountancy skills. Instead, they dismissed Mrs Andreasen. We politicians do not see problems if they are too close up or too big. We did not see the flaws in the Commission’s accounting system in time, but, as we can see them now, things have to be put right. We also have to restore Mrs Andreasen’s ruined reputation. We must not just rescue Social Democrat and Green Commissioners with European Parliament Social Democrat and Green votes. As Members of the European Parliament we should feel ashamed of the role we have played. The report by the Committee on Budgetary Control lists numerous flaws, which give a gloomy picture of both the Commission’s accounting system and ourselves. If we had to be discharged from liability regarding our own actions I would vote against it."@en1

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