10. DISCHARGE OF THE GENERAL BUDGET 2000
(24130)
15715/02
COM(02)696
|
Commission follow-up Report on the European Parliament Resolution on discharge for the General Budget 2000.
|
| Legal base: | —
|
| |
| Document originated: | 10 December 2002
|
| Deposited in Parliament: | 23 December 2002
|
| Department: | HM Treasury
|
| Basis of consideration: | EM of 21 January 2003
|
| Previous Committee Report: | None
|
| To be discussed in Council: | 6 March 2003
|
| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision: | Cleared, but relevant to the debate in European Standing Committee B on the European Court of Auditors 2001 Annual Report and the Commission's 2001 Annual Report on protecting the financial interests of the Communities
|
Background
10.1 As part of the process of discharge (final closure
of the accounts) of the General Budget the European Parliament
and the Council make recommendations for improvements, based on
the European Court of Auditors' (ECA) report on the implementation
of the budget. The Commission prepares follow-up reports giving
an account of actions taken in response to those recommendations.
Last year for the first time the Commission published separately
its response to the European Parliament's Discharge Resolution.
We reported that document briefly to the House.[33]
The document
10.2 The follow-up report to the European Parliament's
Discharge Resolution for the General Budget 2000 sets out the
European Parliament's recommendations, which are extensive and
detailed, and follows each one with the Commission's replies.
The recommendations were in four groups and the report follows
that format:
- Regularity, Combatting Fraud and Protection of Financial Interests;
10.3 The European Parliament set its comments on the
Commission's effectiveness in the context of three criteria. They
are:
- compliance with the objectives laid down by the political
authority;
- speed and simplicity of the measures taken to realise those
objectives; and
- best possible use of the budget resources deployed.
10.4 It asked for examination of:
- the administrative machinery of the Commission;
- the regulatory procedures and the system of checks; and
- the respect by the Commission of the European Parliament's
political priorities and budget guidelines.
10.5 The overall thrust of the European Parliament's
comments on regularity, combatting fraud and protection of financial
interests was that the present system of protection of the Communities'
financial interests and prevention of fraud must be strengthened.
10.6 In the section on sectoral issues the European Parliament
comments on specific issues related to the Justice and Home Affairs
sector, agencies, the Daphne programme to prevent violence against
children, young people and women, trans-European transport and
development aid. In the section on access to documents the European
Parliament asserts its view that it, as the discharge authority,
should have the same access to Commission documents as the ECA.
The Government's view
10.7 The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly)
tells us:
"The Government welcomes this report, which shows that the
Commission is taking the European Parliament's recommendations
seriously. It is important to review the Court of Auditors' findings
and consider and take action on what is necessary. The European
Parliament's comments are detailed; however the Commission's response
is sensible and makes important reference to the reforms that
are already in progress. However, there are no policy implications
for the UK government."
Conclusion
10.8 The European Parliament's recommendations and
the Commission's comments on them in this document give additional
information casting light on how the Communities' finances are
managed and monitored. As such, whilst we are content to
clear the document, we regard it as relevant to the debate on
the ECA 2001 Annual Report we have recommended in paragraph 2
above.
33
(22983) 14379/01; see HC 152-xii (2001-02), paragraph 20 (16
January 2002). Back
| 
