Commission comes under fire from its own top officials

Date: 25/07/02

By David Cronin

THE European Commission's top officials have issued a catalogue of complaints and reservations about how the institution is run.

The criticisms - 135 in all - have been made public under a new reform which requires directors-general to publish an annual 'activity report'.

These state how each DG has contributed to the Commission's strategic objectives and offer an insight into the working environment of each department.

Crucially, the chiefs must sign a declaration vouching for the correct use of all funds handled.

'The results make for stark reading,' admitted one Commission insider. Each report will now be sent to the relevant parliamentary committees for further comment.

Reservations were expressed by 31 services, with nearly half indicating that financial controls needed to be more rigorous. The Budget DG registered two major problems with the Commission's accounting system, mirroring concerns raised by former accounting officer Marta Andreasen (see Page 4).

It expressed doubts about whether the system complies with international accounting standards and identified a 'lack of coherence' between data presented to officials authorising spending and that given to the Commission hierarchy.

Neil Kinnock, the internal reform commissioner, defended Andreasen's removal yesterday (24 July) - just after it was announced that Belgian Marc Oostens has been appointed her successor. The Welshman claimed she had made 'unsubstantiated allegations' about a new EU financial regulation designed to improve control and had acted 'in defiance of established and necessary rules'.

Other problems highlighted by the DGs include:

• ineffective supervision of nuclear installations due to a lack of qualified personnel;
• confusion over the system for managing EU structural funds, and
• insufficient staffing to cope with enlargement.

The European Commission's top officials have issued a catalogue of complaints and reservations about how the institution is run. The criticisms have been made public under a new reform which requires directors-general to publish an annual 'activity report'.