Changed Council attitude makes 2007 discharge possible

The report recommending that Parliament grant the Council a discharge (rapporteur Søren Bo Søndergaard, (GUE/NGL, DK) was adopted in committee by a large majority this morning.

 

"We have received concessions from the Council we never received before. We have reached far. Just a year ago, Council refused to meet us and to answer our questions", said the rapporteur in the debate preceding the vote.

 

 

The three key changes in the Council's behaviour that made the discharge possible were that it agreed to meet committee representatives on 24 September, replied in writing to Parliament's questions, and published documents concerning its budget implementation on its web site. 

 

 

However, the committee was still not fully satisfied with the Council's handling of its budget. For the 2008 budget discharge, the committee will check that the Council has made the necessary changes, including closing all extra-budgetary accounts, improving the verification of  invoices, publishing of all administrative decisions used as a legal basis for budget items, sending Parliament an annual activity report and answering its questions in writing and, if necessary, orally.

 

"We have won the first battle, not the entire war. But now we have made clear that we should have meetings and answers to our questions. This new approach will be a prerequisite for the discharge of Council's 2008 budget. There won't be any new quarrels about it.", said the rapporteur.

 

 

Unlike other EU institutions, the Council has until now refused to give the Budgetary Control Committee an annual activity report or to meet its representatives. The Council has referred to a 1970  "Gentlemen's agreement" in which Parliament and Council undertook not to interfere with each other's internal administrative budgets. However, as the Council has expanded its operational activities, notably through its High Representative, Parliament has found it necessary to examine Council's budget. 

 

The main part of EU's budget, which is managed by the Commission, as well as all other institutions' budgets were granted discharges earlier this year.