Activities of Irène TOLLERET related to 2021/2106(DEC)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020 (Section III) – European Commission
Amendments (8)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that, as indicated in the Annual Report of the Court of Auditors for the financial year 2020, the estimated level of error in spending on ‘Economic, social and territorial cohesion’ decreased from 4,4% in 2019 to 3,5% in 2020; welcomes the continuous improvement, but is disappointed that it has not proven possible to decrease the error rate below 2% and the effects of error are therefore material and pervasive; notes that the main reasons for this error rate are ineligibility of projects and costs, infringement of internal market rules mainly related to state aid and public procurement, and absence of essential supporting documents;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that high-risk expenditures are often subject to complex rules and eligibility conditions, leading to an increased risk of errors; notes that the estimated level of error decreased from 4,9% in 2019 to 4,0% in 2020 and that six possible fraud cases were reported to OLAF in comparison to 2019’s nine; recalls that the way funds are disbursed has an impact on the risk of errors and welcomes efforts to simplify requirements for project managers and management authorities under the 2021-2027 programming period; encourages wider use of the simplified cost options that have the potential to reduce beneficiaries’ administrative burden and are considered less prone to error, while at the same time ensuring that the scheme does not result in excessive imbalances in favour of Member States;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Notes that six possible fraud cases were reported to the EU’s Anti Fraud Office (OLAF) in comparison to 2019’s nine and highlights the role of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in investigation and prosecution of fraud and other criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the Union as provided for in Directive (EU) 2017/13711a; _________________ 1a Directive(EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2017 on the fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests by means of criminal law (OJ L 198, 28.7.2017, p. 29)
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the work of audit authorities in the Member States plays a critical role in limiting residual error rates and is worried about the weaknesses found in the work of several audit authorities which continue to limit the reliance that can be placed in their work; urges the Commission to offer support and technical assistance to audit authorities in order to eliminate inefficiencies and disseminate good practices; welcomes that, in 2020, the Commission increased the number of its compliance audits and recognises the Commission’s capacity to detect errors and its commitment to correct them in due time, which reduced the estimated level of error by 0,7%;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Regrets that the absorption rate of European Structural and Investment Funds , which increased from 12% in 2019 to 15% in 2020 , is slower than expected with 45 % (EUR 209 billion) remaining to be absorbed and presents considerable disparities between Member States; acknowledges that the relaxation of the eligibility rules introduced for Covid-19 related expenditure resulted in a significant progress made in implementing financial instruments (FIs) supported by European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) in the 2014- 2020; welcomes that this accelerated implementation allows the EU to achieve the target set out in the Investment Plan for Europe to double the use of ESIF FIs in the programming period 2014-2020;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Acknowledges that, in order to react to the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU co-legislators introduced the relaxation of applicable rules to facilitate the use of ESI funds to provide liquidity, flexibility and simplification; welcomes the timely adoption of such measures allowing managing authorities to accelerate the deployment of Financial Instruments to support 365.000 SMEs across Europe during 2020; calls on the Commission to provide support to the Member States to minimise the risk that these exceptional measures could weaken the control systems and increase the risk of errors and irregularities;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note that the EU will be able to spend significantly more than in the previous programming period, with an overall allocation of EUR 1 824 billion from NextGenerationEU and the MFF; urges the Commission to limit the risk of delayed start to the implementation of shared managed funds and ensure the sound financial management in the use of funds, including the respect for the rule of law and the fundamental rights. due to late adoption of the legislation and the overlapping of the programming periods, provide support to Member States to avoid the risk of double funding due to the overlapping of the RRF's scope and objectives with the cohesion policy, and ensure the sound financial management in the use of funds, including the respect for the rule of law and the fundamental rights as essential precondition for sound financial management and effective funding; calls on the Commission, in accordance with the Financial Regulation, Council Regulation (EU) 2017/19394a, Regulation (EU) 2021/10605a and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/20926a, to protect the financial interests of the Union through proportionate measures, including the prevention, detection, correction and investigation of irregularities and fraud, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where appropriate, the imposition of administrative sanctions. _________________ 4a Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (‘the EPPO’) (OJ L 283, 31.10.2017, p. 1) 5a Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159–706) 6a Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget (OJ L 433I , 22.12.2020, p. 1–10)