Activities of Michela GIUFFRIDA related to 2016/2097(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report 2015 on the protection of EU's financial interests - Fight against fraud (A8-0159/2017 - Julia Pitera) IT
Amendments (9)
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that there have been many steps forward in the fight against fraud; welcomes in particular the recent establishment within OLAF of a new investigation unit for the Structural Funds and the establishment in each Member State of the Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (AFCOS);
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that most of the irregularities in cohesion policy concern the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the 2007-2013 programming period; stresses that the 371 cohesion policy irregularities classified as fraudulent and the 10 322 irregularities classified as non-fraudulent, notified for the year 2015, are infringements that have been identified and for which corrective measures have been taken, or are about to be taken; points out that not all irregularities constitute fraud and welcomes the distinction made in the report between fraudulent and non- fraudulent irregularities;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the high percentage increase (21 % ) in structural and cohesion fund irregularities reported as fraudulent in 2015 is exclusivemainly due to the fact that payments for programming periods before 2007-2013 are almost finalised;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the need for structured coordination between management authorities and anti-fraud bodies, and the importance of coordination and exchange of best practices between Member States and among various administrations within the same Member State in order to homogenise, as much as possible, the approach to tackling fraud;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission to create a mechanism for the exchange of information between the national competent authorities, in order to allow a cross-comparison of the accounting records concerning the transactions among two or more Member States with a view to helping to detect any transnational fraud in the context of the MFF 2014- 2020, with regard to the macro-category of European Structural and Investment Funds (European Social Fund – ESF; European Regional Development Fund – ERDF; Cohesion Fund – CF; European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development – EAFRD; European Fund for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries – EMFF), in order to ensure a horizontal approach to protecting the financial interests of the European Union;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
4. Appreciates the efforts made by the Member States to detect, evaluate and report irregularities and to implement effective and proportionate anti-fraud measures; calls on the Commission also to use technical assistance in order to help strengthen the technical and administrative capacity of managing authorities to ensure effective control systems able to reduce the risks of fraud; encourages the Commission and the Member States to continue moving in this direction by gradually incorporating into their control systems and procedures the systematic use of IT tools to combat fraud and irregularities;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to reinforce its preventive action; welcomes, in this connection, the establishment of a system for the early detection of risks, and calls in particular for the technical and administrative capacities of managing authorities to be strengthened so as to ensure more robust control systems that are able to reduce the risks of fraud and increase detection capacity, including in less developed regions, without imposing an undue financial and administrative burden;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses that prevention should involve constant training and support for staff responsible for the management and control of funds within the competent authorities, as well as exchanges of information and best practices between Member States; points to the decisive role of local and regional authorities and stakeholders in combating fraud, ensuring transparency and preventing conflicts of interest, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to take preventive measures, for example by drawing up memoranda of understanding between managing authorities and anti- fraud authorities;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that in its mid-term assessment of cohesion policy, due to take place in 2018, the Commission should take account of the need to prevent and reduce the risk of irregularities, including fraudulent ones;