Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-04-21-Speech-3-040"
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"en.20100421.3.3-040"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin with a word of thanks. The outstanding and thorough work by Mr Staes and the Court of Auditors of the European Union have made it possible for us to prepare a careful accounting for the use of the 2008 budget as regards Parliament. I also owe thanks to my fellow Members whose proposed amendments contributed to refining the report.
There was general agreement among us on the assessment of the facts; the differences that emerged mainly concerned the ways in which the identified errors could be corrected. Now, when we are voting on the discharge, we, elected MEPs, assume full legal responsibility for the 2008 budget. We certify to the citizens of Europe that Parliament used the monies spent for the purposes for which they were designated and in accordance with the rules. These days, when the crisis places great burdens on each citizen, we must be particularly careful in spending taxpayers’ money. The standards we impose on ourselves must be higher than those we impose on others, as this is the key to our credibility and integrity. At the same time, we must also be clear that the oversight we exercise is not in itself sufficient to guarantee that funds have been spent intelligently and in compliance with the rules. That is possible only if we also put in place a reliable, solid, internal control system. We socialists consider this to be the most important. Therefore, I would like to focus on this point.
We need to place great emphasis on the appropriate functioning of the internal control system of the institutions under supervision, because our conviction is that it is better to prevent problems than to have to find solutions for them later on. Institutional independence is an important guarantee of a properly functioning internal control system. This is the guarantee of objectivity and the way to ensure compliance with international accounting rules and best practices. The standards in themselves do not, however, guarantee an effective internal control system. There were improvements in 2009 in this regard. There is no internal control system – no matter how complex – that is free from error, since it is the work of human beings, and that is why we give a discharge every year
It is important to stress, in my view, that we supported all those proposed amendments that were concrete, attainable and realistic, but we rejected every generalisation that does not improve but rather obscures our standpoint. We rejected all proposals that would reduce the political groups’ independence. We are convinced that the independence of the European Parliament’s groups is inseparable from their financial responsibility. The Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats performs its work in full awareness of this responsibility. If the other political groups wish to improve their own activities, let them do so. Offering these thoughts, I would ask that you accept this report and give a discharge on behalf of the European Parliament"@en1
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