The Parliament reaffirmed that Laura Codruţa Kövesi remains its top candidate to become the first head of the new EU Public Prosecutor’s Office.

All of the EP’s 20 standing committees and two subcommittees held their constitutive meetings on Wednesday to elect their chair and vice-chairs.

MEPs demand more thorough checks on EU spending, more efficient measures to claw back EU funds lost through fraud or irregular spending and vigorous anti-corruption policies in member countries in a resolution passed by the budgetary control committee on Tuesday.

Budgetary control MEPs suggested postponing the discharge to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Council and the European Council in votes on Wednesday.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and four EU/private new-technology partnerships must do more to show that their EU funds for 2013 were well spent before the European Parliament approves their accounts, said Budgetary Control Committee MEPs on Monday.

The Budgetary Control Committee called on the Czech Prime Minister to not participate in EU budget talks until his conflict of interest allegations are clarified.

Ministers are outlining the priorities of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU to parliamentary committees, in a series of meetings.

EU countries that disrespect the rule of law will risk losing access to EU funds, under a provisional deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators on Thursday.

MEPs sharply criticized European Commission decisions to finance the construction of airports that proved to be too large, too close to each other, hence empty and unprofitable. In a debate on Tuesday on a recent report of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) on EU support to airports, budgetary control and transport MEPs said airport development should consider trains and coaches as alternatives to air transport in order to provide viable services that meet demand.

Talks will continue in November, when the co-legislators will meet for the fifth trilogue on a mechanism to link EU funds to respect for rule of law.

The talks by the EP and Council will continue on Thursday when the co-legislators will meet for the fourth trilogue on mechanism to link the EU funds to the respect of rule of law.

Budgetary control MEPs refused to endorse Karel Pinxten as a Court of Auditors member for Belgium in a secret ballot on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Budgetary Control Committee signed off on the Commission’s 2018 budget, but rules to fight fraud and conflict of interest must be strengthened.

Ahead of crucial summit, MEPs warn EU leaders against “watering down” the mechanism linking EU funds to respect for the rule of law in the next long-term budget.

On Thursday EP Budgetary Control committee recommended that the European Parliament refused discharge to the EESC and to the Council for the budgetary year 2018.

The Committees on Budgets and Budgetary Control questioned the commissioner-designate on future budget policy and protecting the EU’s financial interests.

The European Commission managed its 2013 EU budget funds according to the rules, so Parliament should grant it a “discharge” (approval) for that year, said the Budgetary Control Committee on Tuesday. MEPs nonetheless criticised high administrative error rates in agriculture, regional and employment policy spending, which is managed mainly by EU member states. Parliament’s own management of EU funds in 2013 was also approved, in a separate vote.

The EP and Council are “on the right path to achieve a compromise”, after the second round of talks to link EU funds to the respect of rule of law.