Accountability in the European Union
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As with all public budgets, the EU's Community budget is also at risk of maladministration. Every year, the Court of Auditors reports on the management of the budget. The introduction of transparency and a double-entry book-keeping system is likely to improve budget management.[1]
In order to strengthen the means of fraud prevention, the Commission established the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF - Office Européen de Lutte Anti-Fraude) by EC, ECSC Decision 1999/352 of 28 April 1999. The Office was given responsibility for conducting administrative anti-fraud investigations by having conferred on it a special independent status.
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[edit] Auditing
The Court of Auditors checks that all the Union's revenue has been received and all its expenditure incurred in a lawful and regular manner and that the EU budget has been managed soundly. The Court was established on 22 July 1975 by the Budgetary Treaty of 1975. The Court started operating as an external Community audit body in October 1977.
[edit] Transparency
At present, the majority of meetings of the Council of Ministers (the relevant Minister from each member state) are held in private. The draft of the EU Constitution proposes that these meetings be more transparent. The Constitution treaty proposes openness in all official Council meetings discussing new EU laws.
By way of contrast, the standard of plenary sittings of the European Parliament is to stream the debates over the Internet. In addition, the public sittings can be observed directly from a separate gallery. Also, nearly all sittings of Parliamentary Committees are observable by the public, except for certain matters such as requests for removal of the parliamentary immunity of a Member of the European Parliament.
In addition, the activities of the European Commission are subject to transparency. The monitoring of the Commission has to be performed by a body that is independent of the Commission, such as "European Anti-Fraud Office" (OLAF) that reports to the European Parliament.
[edit] References
[edit] Books on the subject
- Andreas Oldag, Hans-Martin Tillack: Raumschiff Brüssel – Wie die Demokratie in Europa scheitert (in German, Spaceship Brussels – How Democracy in Europe fails), Argon Verlag, 2003 (1st ed., hardcover), ISBN 3870245786, ISBN 978-3870245788 / Fischer, Frankfurt 2004 (2nd ed.) ISBN 3596157463, ISBN 978-3596157464
- Paul van Buitenen: Blowing the Whistle: Fraud in the European Commission, Politicos Pub, 2000, ISBN 1902301463, ISBN 978-1902301464
[edit] See also
People:
Organizations:
General issues:
[edit] External links
- OLAF home page
- SOS-Democracy - A parliamentary inter-group fighting for more democracy and transparency in the EU.
- European Union Anti-Fraud Office
- Jens-Peter Bonde's list of cases
