Toespraak Eurocommissaris Kallas over de aanbevelingen m.b.t. het lossen van het budget van 2006 (en)

SPEECH/08/72

Siim Kallas

Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud

2006 Budget Discharge recommendations

ECOFIN

Brussels, 12 February 2008

President, Ministers,

Let me first thank you for recommending to Parliament that it should grant discharge for 2006.

I believe we have deserved the discharge. In terms of areas covered by a clean bill of health from the Court, the 2006 report is the best declaration of assurance (DAS) ever.

President, Minister Bajuk, you will soon go to the Parliament's Budgetary Control Committee (COCOBU) to present this recommendation.

I think I should warn you not to expect an easy ride in Parliament.

Despite the positive developments, several Members of Parliament's budgetary control committee are considering postponing the discharge.

This is mainly because the Court stated that at least 12% of structural funding in 2006 should not have been reimbursed.

In making these payments, the Court found that your administrations made too many errors; did too little to recover erroneous payments and gave the Commission limited or unreliable information about these efforts.

The Court also found that we, at the Commission, have done too little to hold you accountable, and to report and act on the problems found.

The Commission accepts things have to improve in this area, and the Commission is taking the necessary steps. Also, I already told COCOBU that - as I read the conclusions before you now - the Council is showing emerging recognition that Member States will have to make considerable improvements in their management of EU structural funds. If you do, a positive DAS can be achieved.

The conclusions before you also send messages to the Commission, which we will follow-up. For instance, for Structural funds, you say suspension and corrections act as a "deterrent with a positive impact on the legality and regularity", and you encourage us to take "remedial action as quickly as possible". I would like to announce that such "remedial action" is under consideration.

I also think it is positive that you reiterate your "firm commitment" to send us annual summaries of the available audits and declarations on time and in full compliance with the Financial Regulation. However, I must tell you that you have only three days left to do that before the set deadline, and I am concerned to hear that some member states - including perhaps the next Presidency - may in fact not intend to respect this "commitment".

I have written to you already in December about this, and my colleague, Ms Hübner, wrote last month to national ministers responsible for the shared management of Structural Funds. We have made it absolutely clear what we expect to receive by the 15th February, on Friday. We expect to receive the annual summaries of audits and declarations covering all structural actions payments from the EU budget in 2007, whether from the 2000-2006 or from the 2007-2013 programme.

Member States which decline to make the best possible efforts to meet this obligation carry a significant responsibility for the future of the discharge procedure, and - with it - the perceived credibility of the management of EU funding.

An escalation of this problem is the very opposite of what we need during this year of Lisbon Treaty ratification. And as I started by saying, it is also the opposite of what we deserve, considering that 2006 was the best DAS ever, and considering that the Commission's determination to further improve is stronger then ever.

Thank you for your attention.