[autom.vertaling] Barroso zoekt vooruitgang in beheer van Communautaire fondsen (en)

The public's trust in the EU depends on sound management of the Community's finances. This was the unambiguous message from Commission President José Manuel Barroso to members of the Budgetary Control Committee meeting on 12 December in Strasbourg. However, questions remain as to the efforts being made to ensure good management.

Mr Barroso, who was appearing before the committee to discuss the 2004 budget discharge, sought to reassure his audience, saying "We all expect the Member States to take the necessary measures" to "introduce the controls needed on jointly managed Community spending". Mr Barroso was thus at one with MEPs on this important issue but not on the practical steps needed. The upshot is well-known: the Court of Auditors has been unable for eleven years to provide a positive Statement of Assurance (DAS) in the absence of a reliable system for monitoring the use of Community funds by the Member States.

"And how do you plan to persuade the Council to put improved control systems in place?" asked Alexander Stubb (EPP-ED, FI) and Javier Pomes-Ruiz (EPP-ED, ES) in scarcely veiled terms. "Why is it so hard to do this?", added Jan Mulder (ALDE, NL), rapporteur on the 2004 discharge.   "I have urged the British presidency to find a solution to this problem once and for all", replied Mr Barroso.

It should be pointed out that Parliament's request for national finance ministers to be made accountable for joint management of Community funds has fallen on deaf ears at the Council.

Paulo Casaca (PES, PT) voiced concern at the endemic under-spending of the Community budget, which results in surpluses which are then returned to the Member States. To stop this Mr Barroso believes Community spending needs to be simplified. MEPs agree that simplification is "essential" and they restated this in a recent report by Reimer Böge (EPP-ED, DE) on the 2007-2013 financial perspective.

Lastly, as regards management at the Commission, several MEPs called for a system in which the Commissioners themselves, rather than the directors-general, would sign off the accounts.

12/12/2005

Committee on Budgetary Control

Chair : Szabolcs Fazakas (PES, HU)