Brussels, 16/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - A report by the financial controller, adopted last Friday by the European Commission, asserts that one-sixth of the transactions that have been presented to it for visa in 2000 have been controlled, all budgets included (general budget, European development fund (EDF) and decentralised agencies). The level of control covers an amount of EUR 100 million out of Euro 613 million submitted for examination. In 2000, the global rate (all budgets included) was 16%, covering 85% of the amounts in question: - for the general budget, the engagement operations have been controlled for 40% and those for payments 7%, or, respectively, 89% and 75% of the total amounts; - the rate of control for the EDF was 6.2% in terms of transactions; - the rate of control for the agencies was 84%. The global rate of error is set at 1.7% for the general budget and 3.7% for the EDF. The most frequent mistakes are linked to the absence of contractual provisions, to the justifications presented, the amounts proposed as well as the eligibility of beneficiaries.
This data is important as, in the context of the Commission reform, the Directorate General Financial Control worked to focusing on its vital duties (control and visa of financial transactions relating to spending and receipts). This change of focus had a considerable impact as of 2000. The main measures have been the transfer, during the summer, of more than half the 221 posts towards other Directorates General and the creation of a separate internal audit service. Let us recall that, the Commission White Paper envisages the transition to a decentralised approach of ex-ante control functions of financial transactions at the level of the ordering DGs. However while waiting for the Commission proposal, in view of the revision of the financial regulation, to be adopted (which is not foreseen before 2002), the centralised ex-ante controls remain obligatory from the regulatory point of view.
Other than the ex-ante control activities, the activity of the financial controller in 2000 also covered audit work, controls in the field of structural funds as well as international cooperation in control (negotiation of a modus vivendi with the United Nations in view of a Community financing of the aid operations managed by the UN and cooperation with candidate countries).