LIDDELL PLEDGES TO USE UK'S EU PRESIDENCY TO DEAL WITH FRAUD AND WASTE

The Government will make full use of its Presidency of the European Union during the first half of next year to push forward an active agenda to deal with fraud and waste, Economic Secretary Helen Liddell made clear today.

Commenting on the publication of the Annual Report of the European Court of Auditors she said;

"This report makes disturbing reading, but it is also a useful tool in the UK's fight against fraud and mismanagement in the Community Budget. This report highlights the good sense of the Government in making fighting fraud a key priority of our Presidency of the EU.

Our determination to make better use of taxpayers money was highlighted in our manifesto. At the Amsterdam Intergovernmental Conference we obtained Treaty changes which strengthen the powers of the European Court of Auditors and will make it easier to fight fraud in the Community Budget.

A modern European Union must be fair and strong, fraud and waste hold back the achievement of our aspirations."

NOTES TO EDITORS

Publication of European Court of Auditors' Annual Report and Statement of Assurance on the financial year 1996.

The European Court of Auditors is the institution of the European Community responsible for the external audit of other Community institutions. It is required to report annually on the implementation of the Community's budget (the Annual report) and on the reliability of the accounts and the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions (the Statement of Assurance). The Annual Report deals with revenues, operational programmes and administrative expenditure. The Annual Report does not cover every area of the budget each year, but focuses on particular areas and makes observations and recommendations on the financial management of these areas. The Statement of Assurance covers the whole of the accounts, with testing carried out based on statistical sampling to enable an opinion to be given on the overall position.

The report for the financial year 1996 is published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, 18 November 1997.

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Press Notices 1997 July to December Index