Brussels, 24/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - As luck would have it, the day when the latest developments in the case of financial malpractice at Eurostat were announced (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7), the European Commission adopted draft guidelines defining officials' financial liability in cases where they are proved to have caused financial damage to the EU budget through a serious personal error. The proposal featured in the March 2000 White Paper on administrative reform at the Commission and takes account of the new Financial Regulation that came into force on 1 January 2003.
The document will be discussed with staff representatives before it is formally endorsed by the Commission. It details cases where officials can be held liable for financial loss tot he EU budget, setting the scope and limits on their financial liability. It foresees the reimbursement of financial losses due to an official's gross negligence or deliberate fault. The document notes, however, that staff will not be held responsible for simple errors that have no major impact. The measures will apply without prejudice to penalties arising from other proceedings justified by the fault in question.