dos Santos (PSE). – (PT) Mr President, I have three very brief points to make. Firstly, I agree entirely with the annual Statement of Assurance submitted by the Member States, given that this statement fully embodies the principle of shared management, already duly defined.

My second comment concerns own resources. I also agree with the observation made in Mr Wynn’s report on this matter, namely that the Commission should be concerned with the benchmarking criteria and national accounting calculations of each Member State.

My third and final observation concerns the issue of how to disclose any technical irregularities to the general public, thereby giving people the idea that irregularities and fraud do take place in the implementation of Community funds.

To conclude, I should like to make one final point. I endorse the implementation of the budget by the agencies, although I regret that no mention was made of the Maritime Safety Agency, and more specifically to the process of putting this agency in place.