Belgian replaces whistleblower at ‘Regions’

Date: 17/03/05

THE Committee of the Regions (CoR) has appointed an internal auditor to replace Robert McCoy, the whistleblower who exposed irregularities at the institution.

The 42-year-old Belgian, Pascale van Outryve d'Ydewalle, will take over from McCoy, who has been on sick leave for nearly a year, next month.

Van Outryve d'Ydewalle is currently head of the internal audit team in the European Commission's internal market directorate-general, a post she has occupied since 2001.

She joined the Commission in 1992, having previously worked in the private sector and with management consultancy and audit firm Ernst & Young.

McCoy's whistleblowing prompted an inquiry in 2003 by the EU's anti-fraud office, OLAF, which revealed "systematic and flagrant incompetence within the CoR". Some CoR members had made false declarations for allowances and expenses.

But a follow-up by the European Court of Auditors, while highlighting "some weaknesses", found no evidence of fraud.

McCoy, who had joined the CoR in 1996, was internal auditor from January 2003 until last May when he agreed to step down from the post.

In June 2004, he was appointed special adviser to the CoR secretary-general, but has since been on sick leave.

In the meantime the CoR's audit functions have been carried out by the assistant internal auditor, Jean Scheyvaerts.

As he remains under contract at the CoR, McCoy is not allowed to speak to the press.

But, members of the European Parliament's budgetary control committee condemned the CoR for failing to apologise to him for the "repeated threats, harassment and intimidation" that he claims to have suffered.

In January 2004, the Parliament adopted a resolution expressly demanding a formal apology from his employers.

The committee will vote on approval of the CoR's accounts for 2003 today (17 March).

Three of its members are asking the committee to invite McCoy to a future Cocobu meeting to enable him to "put his side of the story".

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) appointed an internal auditor to replace Robert McCoy, the whistleblower who exposed irregularities at the institution. The 42-year-old Belgian, Pascale van Outryve d'Ydewalle, was to take over from McCoy, who had been on sick leave for nearly a year, in April 2005.

Committee of the Regions: Homepage http://cor.europa.eu/

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