Commission’s treasury ‘not audited for a decade’

Date: 23/05/02

By David Cronin

A EUROPEAN Commission official is calling for a major probe into the institution's accounting systems after alleging that its treasury department has not been audited for a decade.

Marta Andreasen, the accounting officer in the Commission's budget directorate-general, also claims the computer system used by the Commission to manage taxpayers' money is 'vulnerable and lacks transparency'.

A bad situation had been made worse, she says, because the head of DG budget, Jean-Paul Mingasson, has 'postponed indefinitely' a decision to introduce a much-needed new software system.

The Spanish official alerted Commission chief Romano Prodi and Vice-Presidents Neil Kinnock and Loyola de Palacio about her concerns in a letter earlier this month.

A copy of that letter and a second one, urging the European Court of Auditors to probe her claims, was delivered to European Voice yesterday by a man who did not wish to be named.

Andreasen said there was an urgent need to introduce the new software system, manufactured by a German company, as it 'allows transparency and accountability in the management of funds'.

In her letter, Andreasen pointed out that Mingasson had held his current post for 11 years and criticised him for promoting a proposed regulation on EU financial control, which she said 'increases error and fraud risk'.

A close aide to Kinnock said last night (22 May) that the Commission categorically rejected her allegations about the proposed regulation. Gert-Jan Koopman said its aim was to 'enhance rigour' in financial control and that the Court had given it a 'positive opinion'.

He described Andreasen's airing of her grievances outside the Commission as 'unusual'. Asked if she could be disciplined, he said: 'We'll look at that and take any necessary measures.'

On her criticisms of the computer system, which is known as Sincom, Koopman acknowledged it has shortcomings and that Andreasen had been hired to 'look into this matter'.

He said it lacked 'sufficient harmonisation' and adequate 'accuracy' across the Commission's services, adding the Commission will 'soon come forward with proposals' to improve its computer network.

He acknowledged that Mingasson had been in his post for 11 years but that he was due to move to DG Enterprise in July as part of the new scheme for 'rotating' the most senior officials every five years.

Andreasen's letters sparked a furore in Michaele Schreyer's cabinet. Members are reportedly angry that she did not warn her superiors about her complaints.

A European Commission official is calling for a major probe into the institution's accounting systems after alleging that its treasury department has not been audited for a decade.