Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-18-Speech-1-106"
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"en.20080218.22.1-106"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to begin by thanking Mr Kallas for his valuable cooperation with Parliament during its work. I am likewise grateful to OLAF, in the person of the Director, Franz-Hermann Brüner, for its unstinting support and for the vital work it does, which is far from easy. Finally, I would thank all my colleagues for their helpful contributions, as well as all the national bodies and institutions that have cooperated with us in this arduous task, especially - if I may - the Italian
whose approach in this field has been highly professional.
Simplification of the rules is another fundamental point touched upon in the report. The 2000-2006 programming period in fact proved that overly complicated rules contributed to the irregularities detected.
Finally, despite a slight improvement in recovery activity, recovery is still a problem which causes immense damage to the Community budget. In particular, a period of 39 months between the time when an irregularity is committed and the time when it is notified to the Commission is unacceptable, as such a delay makes recovery more difficult if not impossible.
Protection of the Communities' financial interests is a subject of capital importance which affects us directly as States and as citizens; it must therefore be tackled with all due rigour and determination.
Today’s resolution is intended as a practical response to the alarming phenomenon of Community fraud. The data gathered…
Thank you, Mr President. We are talking about transparency and there is also a need for common courtesy.
Today’s resolution is intended as a practical response to the alarming phenomenon of Community fraud. The data gathered are worrying: in the areas of own resources, agricultural expenditure and structural actions, irregularities notified in 2006 totalled EUR 1 143 million, compared to EUR 1 024 million in the previous year. The statistics reveal an ever-increasing number of irregularities.
I would however point out that a large number of irregularities does not necessarily imply a high level of fraud; it may also demonstrate that the supervisory arrangements in place are effective and that there is close cooperation between the Member States and the Commission. In its annual report for 2006, the Commission rightly emphasised the importance of such cooperation for prevention purposes and for recovery work. So far, the statistics have relied on very diverse national structures with different administrative, judicial, supervisory and inspection systems.
In particular, we consider it unacceptable that Spain and Germany have not been forwarding information on irregularities to the Commission in electronic form, despite an obligation on all Member States to do so. The Community rules and the obligations arising from the fight against fraud must be implemented in the same way by all countries. To this end, closer cooperation between Member States and the Commission is vital to protect the Community's financial interests, which must be perceived as common interests going beyond those of individual states.
Greater synergy is required between the supervisory authorities and local administrations in terms of coordinating and exchanging information. Keeping the organisation and disbursement of funds at central level necessitates complex implementation arrangements and increases distances between the financial authorities and the final beneficiaries."@en1
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"(The President interrupted the speaker to reprimand some Members who were causing a disturbance)"1
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