WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1153/97 by Eva KJER HANSEN to the Commission. Proposal for a Council Regulation on the implementation of Member States' action programmes on control of EAGGF Guarantee Section expenditure
Date: 1997-03-21
Institutions: European Parliament, KJER HANSEN
Subjects: EAGGF Guarantee Section, EU control, EU financing, action programme, agricultural expenditure, fraud, management audit













EUR-Lex - 91997E1153 - EN






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91997E1153

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1153/97 by Eva KJER HANSEN to the Commission. Proposal for a Council Regulation on the implementation of Member States' action programmes on control of EAGGF Guarantee Section expenditure  


Official Journal C 367 , 04/12/1997 P. 0088 





WRITTEN QUESTION P-1153/97 by Eva Kjer Hansen (ELDR) to the Commission (21 March 1997)Subject: Proposal for a Council Regulation on the implementation of Member States' action programmes on control of EAGGF Guarantee Section expenditureIn 1994, confirmed undue payments from the EAGGF Guarantee Section totalled ECU 416.8 million, of which only ECU 79.1 million, or less than 20%, has been recovered. This figure shows that efforts must be stepped up. Moreover, the rate of utilization of EU financial resources available to Member States for carrying out controls during the 1991-94 period was low (only 41%).Following on from last year's consideration of the Council proposal, will the Commission explain what measures have been taken to improve the fraud clear-up rate and recover undue payments?Will it also explain what measures have been taken to ensure that Member States make greater use of the EU financial resources available for this purpose?Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (17 April 1997)In its last anti-fraud work programmes, the Commission (COM(95) 23 final, COM(96) 17 final) emphasised the necessity to improve the level of recovery. In the field of the European agriculture guidance and guarantee fund (EAGGF) guarantee section, several measures have recently been implemented to speed up recovery. In particular, the Commission asked the Member States to verify all cases of irregularities communicated before 1993 in which an amount was still to be recovered. As a result of this exercise, the recovery rate increased to 32%. For another 34%, legal proceedings are pending. In the other cases, the Commission will have to decide whether the failure to recover the amount in question is due to negligence of a Member State, in which case the amount should be charged to the Member State.The Commission is fully aware of the sometimes low level of use of anti-fraud appropriations by certain Member States. As indicated by the Honourable Member, the Commission has made a proposal for a regulation on the implementation of Member States' action programmes on control of EAGGF-guarantee section expenditure. An agreement in principle was reached in the Council in March 1997. Regarding the question of the actions to be co-financed, the purpose of the new regulation is clearly to extend the use of anti-fraud appropriations (Article 1 allows any other means of reinforcing the effectiveness of controls), to achieve structured control programmes and to encourage strongly the Member States to define a coherent strategy.