Brussels, 17/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission adopted a series of measures for its new financial management structure. This includes the implementing rules for the Financial Regulation, which applies from 1 January 2003, as well as specific provisions on recoveries. The measures put an end to centralised ex-ante financial control, the functions of which will be undertaken by the spending departments. The Commission also decided to disband the Directorate General for Financial Control, whose staff will be reallocated to the spending departments.
Under the financial regulation, the entire responsibility for budgetary management, including all financial control aspects, is transferred to the operational services. Prior approval by the central financial controller, the accounting officer and, where required, a centralised procurement committee is replaced by decentralised controls, audits, decentralised accounting checks and procurement advice. This decentralisation of responsibility recognises the practical realities of an expanding EU budget, an enlarged Union, complex operational programmes and an ever-widening area of operations.
Today, the Commission considers that, overall, the requirements for the full decentralisation of responsibility for control of financial operations have been met. The decision to disband the Directorate-General for Financial Control is supported by a number of flanking measures, such as training, advice on procurement procedures, strengthened audit activity, and the establishment of a mobile help desk which will provide on-the-spot advice on request. Discontinuing central ex ante controls by financial control, the accounting officer and the procurement committee does not mean any reduction in the human resources available for these tasks. A total of 600 posts (200 in May 2000 and a further 400 in the 2001 budget) have already been assigned to DGs and departments to strengthen financial management. The rights of the staff concerned were safeguarded by appropriate accompanying measures.