Spaanse klokkenluider op Van Buitenens lijst Europa-Transparant (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission's former chief accountant, Marta Andreasen has announced that she will stand in the European Parliament elections to be held 13 June in the 25 EU member states.

She will stand second on the new list `Europa Transparant' in the Dutch European elections, despite being a Spanish citizen, born in Argentina with a Danish father.

The list was launched last week and is headed by another whistleblower, Paul van Buitenen.

"There is a lot to be done about transparency, accountability and the fight against fraud in the EU. I am happy to join forces with Paul - now at the European Parliament - to make this finally become a reality in the coming legislature", Marta Andreasen told the EUobserver.

She was dismissed from her post as Accounting Officer in May 2002 after revealing that the Commission's accounting system is widely open to fraud.

The responsible Commissioner, Neil Kinnock, has still not launched an official disciplinary procedure against her.

"After more than two years where I raised my concerns about the accounting system being vulnerable to fraud, nothing has changed".

"At the European Parliament Budgetary Control Committee, I will not accept promises for the future, ignorance of the problems or blaming the member countries, as a response. The treaty is clear: the responsibility for the control of the funds entrusted to the European Communities lies exclusively with the European Commission", Mrs Andreasen said.

Muted reaction

Top candidate on the Dutch liberal VVD's list in the EP-election, Jules Maaten, was relatively muted in his reaction towards these newcomers to Dutch politics.

"There are a lot of parties in the European Parliament which have been fighting for transparency and against corruption and fraud. The liberal party has been at the forefront of this. I do not see what a new party has to add in this respect", he told the EUobserver.

Mr Maaten added that the European Parliament has achieved tremendous successes in this field in the past few years.

"We have, for example, secured transparency with regard to policy documents and we have been closely researching the Eurostat scandal. The Parliament is fully awake when it comes to these issues", he said.

Asked whether he thinks that Mr van Buitenen's list `Europa Transparant' could get as many as six seats in the European Parliament, he said, "Let's say I wish him lots of success".

And the fact that Marta Andreasen is Spanish should be no problem, according to Mr Maaten.

"In European elections her nationality should not be a problem. It fully depends on her presentation to the voters. I assume she will be campaigning in the Netherlands herself. As any other politician she will need to get across a good message", he said.