Falcone quits after ‘harsh’ ruling: now Chabert faces questioning

Date: 09/10/2003

By Martin Banks

THE top official at the Committee of the Regions (CoR) has agreed to resign despite branding a recent court decision annulling his appointment as "harsh".

Vincenzo Falcone's decision to leave the institution was welcomed by the largest EU staff union, which said it hopes this marks the end of a "jobs for the boys" regime.

Falcone, a 56-year-old Italian who has been with the CoR for nine years, had his appointment as its secretary-general overruled by the European Court of Justice last month. It had been claimed by an unsuccessful Greek candidate that Falcone had an administrative role in his own selection process.

Since the Court's 18 September decision, Falcone had continued as the CoR's acting secretary-general and, despite the ECJ ruling, was expected to stay on, possibly in a lower-grade director's post. However, he has now written to CoR President Albert Bore, stating he wishes to be granted unpaid leave until 31 August 2004 when he intends to retire.

In his letter, Falcone insists the Court's decision was "harsh" and taken for "purely procedural" reasons. He says he always acted in "good faith" and feels "very proud" of the CoR's "advances" under his stewardship. "I am certain that the recent disruption that the Court judgement has brought to our institution will not undermine the goodwill of all my colleagues to continue to work together," he adds.

Alan Hick, president of the Brussels branch of Union Syndicale, welcomed Falcone's decision, saying: "Hopefully, it is the start of the end of the old regime of jobs for the boys."

It also emerged that Jos Chabert, the CoR's president in 2000-02, was questioned last week by OLAF, the EU's anti-fraud office, over allegations of false expenses claims.

Chabert, who has been a CoR member since 1994, strongly denies any wrongdoing. He said that the amounts under investigation had all been paid back. Now a minister for the Brussels regional government, he is just one of several high-ranking figures being probed.

In particular, OLAF is investigating whether senior officials arranged 'meetings' that did not take place, to enable them to claim up to €10,000 in additional expenses. The fake meetings were set up on the eve of genuine events, it is claimed.

OLAF is expected to report its findings on this to the European Parliament tomorrow (10 October).

Dutch Socialist MEP Michiel van Hulten said: "Falcone's departure will enable the bureau to begin the huge task of cleaning up the mess he's created. However, if the OLAF report concludes that financial irregularities did take place, any decision to grant him early retirement should be without prejudice to any disciplinary action that may be taken."

Vincenzo Falcone, Secretary-General of the Committee of the Regions , has agreed to resign from his post.
The European Court of Justice ruled on 18 September 2003 that Mr Falcone's appointment should be annulled following irregularities over the way in which he was appointed.