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Finance Minister Jānis Reirs calls for more attention to be paid to budget discipline and effective and efficient use of EU funds
On Tuesday 28 April, Finance Minister Jānis Reirs represented the Council of the European Union (EU) during the plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) at which the discharge of the EU's 2013 annual budget was discussed.
In his address, the minister stressed that EU funds were limited, so more attention should be paid to EU budget discipline and the effective and efficient use of EU resources.
“Today, more than ever before, Europe needs results – in terms of growth, employment and investment, stronger businesses and a more competitive European Union. When resources are limited, it is clear that more attention should be paid to budget discipline and the effective and efficient use of European Union funds,” noted Finance Minister Jānis Reirs.
Commenting on the discharge of the EU budget in 2013, Jānis Reirs expressed regret on behalf of the Council about the Court of Auditors’ estimated error rate of 4.7%. At the same time, it was noted that the error rate was not indicative of fraud, inefficiency or the waste of EU funds. The Court of Auditors also welcomed all the efforts made and actions taken by the European Commission and EU Members States to improve the quality of EU spending.
“Sound financial management is important from the public point of view, but it is primarily our legal duty to invest EU funds in compliance with approved regulations,” emphasised the minister. In this context, he was positive about the performance-based regulation which was already incorporated in the new 2014–2020 programming period.
Finally, the Minister emphasised that all parties engaged in the management of EU funds – EU institutions and Member States – should assume their full responsibility.
At the end of each current EU financial year, the Court of Auditors performs a comprehensive audit of EU budget spending and revenue. Based on the Court of Auditors annual report and the conclusions therein, the Council drafts its opinion and gives an assessment of necessary actions and further improvements for better management of the EU budget to be taken into account by the parties involved in the discharge of the EU budget. These Council recommendations are then submitted to the EP, which takes the final decision on closing the accounts of the EU annual budget. The final vote on the closure of the accounts of the EU 2013 annual budget will be held today – April 29 – at the plenary session.
