Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-18-Speech-1-108"
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"en.20080218.22.1-108"2
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"Mr President, Mr Musotto’s report covers two years of efforts to improve the protection of the financial interests of the European Union. A sound system of financial management needs to focus on expenditure and the control and fighting of irregularities, and especially those committed with fraudulent intent.
Value added tax and customs fraud is where the big money is. Sadly, it is an area where cooperation with Member States is often difficult. I will be very brief, and refer to what I will say on the Newton Dunn report, and thank the European Parliament for its ongoing support in underlining the useful role that cooperation at EU level can bring in this area.
My fourth and last comment will be on the revision of the OLAF regulation. The Commission tabled a proposal in this regard in May 2006. I remain convinced that it raises the main important issues relating to the effective functioning of the anti-fraud office, namely the flow of information, procedural rights and the complaints mechanism, the role of the supervisory committee and, more generally, governance and accountability. I very much hope that we can enter into interinstitutional discussions on finding solutions in the very near future and make progress on these important points.
The Musotto report reiterates the desire to group together anti-fraud legislation. From a political viewpoint I fully support this, but technically it will be a challenging task. The Commission will be ready to forward the requested analysis to the European Parliament by May this year.
The report contains many of the same preoccupations as the discharge report, with the protection of financial interests being viewed, of course, as a core element of sound financial management, but the focus is different.
I would like to warmly thank the rapporteur, Mr Musotto, for a very focused report, which concentrates on the main issues and makes many calls on the Commission to strengthen efforts.
Allow me to comment on four of them. Firstly, the role of Member States: the report makes use of the wealth of figures and statistics on irregularities by Member States, and their financial impact. It does not hesitate to point out that some Member States perform better than others. I would stress once again that a high number of irregularities does not necessarily mean a high level of fraud, but it can be a good indicator of effective and thorough controls.
When I presented the Commission report in July, I emphasised the need for Member States to ensure a correct, complete and timely communication of data on irregularities. A good flow of information between the Member States and the Commission is essential for effective recovery and joint action against fraudsters. Many of them are doing this, but for some there is still room for improvement. The Commission, with the support of the European Parliament, will not shy away from reminding them of their responsibility.
I fully agree with the invitation expressed in the report for the Council to take up the annual reports and consider them at ministerial level. The EU’s financial management system is complex, because responsibility is shared with the Member States. The increased focus on the national declarations, placing responsibility for spending with the Member States, should go hand in hand with cooperation over tackling irregularities and fighting fraud.
I very much welcome the report’s focus on systemic and general issues rather than on individual cases, for which, as you know, OLAF is independent in its investigations.
The Commission fully agrees with the European Parliament on the need to analyse in greater depth the structures existing in Member States in charge of combating irregularities, to support them and facilitate cooperation and the exchange of information. This will be taken up in the 2008 report. This year’s Commission report highlights the topics of risk analysis and risk management, exclusion databases and early-warning/whistleblower tools. In addition, the report examines the steps taken by Member States to improve recovery of amounts not collected or wrongly paid, as well as the mechanisms under national law for recovery by offsetting. The report also contains information on amounts recovered and the financial corrections, in particular when a payment has not been made in conformity with Community rules.
The role of organised crime, such as the Mafia, in undermining the EU’s financial interests is a subject close to the heart of the rapporteur. OLAF has contributed to the Organised Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) produced by Europol. I am happy to report that I have asked both bodies to continue to cooperate on the matter."@en1
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