Strasbourg, 18/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - Eluned Morgan (Socialist group, Britain) spoke in the discussions over the parliamentary procedure of budgetary discharge. This discussion exceeded the specific case he raised (the discharge for the 1998 budget) and took on a more general character. Mrs. Morgan supported a procedure that is less political, purely management based and that will remain in the hands of the budgetary control committee (COCOBU) without merging with the budgets committee; though its working methods, as well as the Court of Auditors, should be modified.
The Labour MEP developed this position in a document presented to the COCOBU, in view of "encouraging exchanges of opinions" within the EP and with the European Commission and the Court of Auditors. For Eluned Morgan, the discharge procedure must have "as objective to determine the problems that present themselves in the administrative provisions and that are the origin of an unsatisfactory administration or an insufficient financial control." It must not be "an exercise of political one-upmanship" or the opportunity "to designate or judge people."
Eluned Morgan is also very critical of the work by the Court of Auditors. She calls for the drafting of "succinct" reports, that "stick to the facts." The Court will have to inform the COCOBU of its work timetable, so that the COCOBU may organise its own. Eluned Morgan also calls for the COCOBU to be informed by July, in a "confidential "session", of the contents of the preliminary annual report (that the Court sends for comments to the Commission). While insisting on the non-politicisation of the discharge procedure, Eluned Morgan would like to transform the hearing of auditors and civil servants in the COCOBU into interrogations where the emphasis - and the speaking time - would be increasingly attributed to the MEPs questions rather than the introductory speech by the person heard.