Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control called on Monday 25 October for a full investigation into the misuse of EU agricultural funds in Slovakia.
The committee, which exchanged views on the subject with representatives of the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Slovak Minister for Agriculture, Samuel Vlčan, criticised the problem of double claims and called for beneficiaries of the funds to be better identified, said Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, Germany).
The Slovak Minister of Agriculture outlined the many measures that had been taken, including financial corrections, to remedy the issues.
The Commission representative pointed out that the institution had made 66 million financial corrections last year relating to EU agricultural funds in Slovakia.
Financial regulations. Furthermore, the European Parliament Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control have called for the European Parliament to play a greater role in budgetary control, respect for the Rule of law and greater transparency in revising the Financial Regulation.
In adopting (56 votes in favour, 11 against and one abstention) a report by Nils Ušakovs (S&D, Latvia) and Ms Hohlmeier, MEPs said that the planned revision of the EU’s financial regulation should “seek to modernise the rules applicable to the EU budget in line with its latest evolutions and in line with the budgetary principles and the respect of EU values, and to increase parliamentary oversight, democratic accountability, transparency, civic engagement and the ability to respond to citizens’ needs quickly and effectively, particularly in crises”.
They furthermore emphasised the clear link between respect for the Rule of law and the efficient implementation of the Union budget and called on the Commission to include the content of the Conditionality Regulation in the Financial Regulation. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)