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Europaudvalget 2000-01
EUU Alm.del Bilag 1494
Offentligt

Europaudvalget

(Alm. del - bilag 1494)

rådsmødereferater

(Offentligt)

_____________________________________________

PØU, Alm. del - bilag 118 (Løbenr. 23320)

Til

Udvalgets medlemmer og stedfortrædere

Pressemeddelelse vedr. rådsmøde Økofin den 15. juni 2001 på engelsk

Dette rådsmøde 2358 (9759/01 presse 237) blev behandlet af Europaudvalget på mødet

den 14. juni 2001.

Bearbejdet dansk pressemeddelelse for dette rådsmøde vil blive hjemsendt som omtryk til dette bilag så snart det ligger

klar fra Rådets oversættelsestjeneste.

Bruxelles, den 18. juni 2001

Med venlig hilsen

Morten Knudsen

Press Release: Göteborg (15-06-2001) - Press: 237 - Nr: 9759/01

9759/01 (Presse 237)

PRESS RELEASE

Subject :

2358th Council meeting

- ECOFIN -

Göteborg, 15 June 2001

President :

Mr Bosse RINGHOLM,

Minister of Finance of

Sweden.

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CONTENTS

PARTICIPANTS

ITEM DEBATED

FORMAL ADOPTION OF THE BROAD ECONOMIC POLICIES GUIDELINES

ITEMS APPROVED WITHOUT DEBATE

ECOFIN

- Protection of Communities' financial interests and fight against Fraud - Conclusions

- Mutual assistance for the recovery of claims (*)

BUDGET

• Draft supplementary and amending budget No. 3 and 4 2001

For further information call 02 285 64 23 - 02 285 63 49

PARTICIPANTS

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:

Belgium :

Mr Didier REYNDERS

Denmark :

Ms Marianne JELVED

Mr Michael DITHMER

Germany :

Mr Caio KOCH-WESER

Greece :

Mr Yannos PAPANTONIOU

Spain :

Mr Rodrigo de RATO y FIGAREDO

France :

Mr JOUYET

Ireland :

Mr Charlie McCREEVY

Italy :

Mr Giulio TREMONTI

Luxembourg :

Mr Luc FRIEDEN

Netherlands :

Mr Gerrit ZALM

Austria :

Mr Alfred FINZ

Portugal :

Mr Manuel BAGANHA

Finland :

Minister for Finance

Minister for Economic Affairs

State Secretary for Economic Affairs

State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance

Minister for the National Economy and Finance

Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for

Economic Affairs

Director for the Treasury

Minister for Finance

Minister for the Economy and Finance

Minister for the Treasury and the Budget

Minister for Finance

State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance

State Secretary for the Treasury and Finance

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Mr Sauli NIINISTÖ

Sweden :

Mr Bosse RINGHOLM

Mr Sven HEGELUND

United-Kingdom :

Mr SHEINWALD

Commission :

Mr Pedro SOLBES MIRA

Other participants :

Mr Mario DRAGHI

Mr Jean-Philippe COTIS

Minister for Finance

State Secretary to the Minister for Finance

Permanent Representative

Member

Chairman of the Economic and Financial

Committee

Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee

FORMAL ADOPTION OF THE BROAD ECONOMIC POLICIES GUIDELINES

Following the endorsement by the European Council this same day, the Council formally adopted the Recommendation

on the Broad Guidelines of the economic policies of the Member States and the Community.

The full text of the BEPG's can be found on the Council website :

http://ue.eu.int.

ITEMS APPROVED WITHOUT DEBATE

(Decisions for which statements for the Council minutes have been made available to the public are indicated by

asterisks; the statements in question may be obtained from the Press Office.)

ECOFIN

Protection of Communities' financial interests and fight against Fraud - Conclusions

Following agreement in principle reached on 5 June, the Council formally adopted the following conclusions :

1. " The Council takes note of the annual report 2000 from the Commission on the protection of the Communities'

financial interests and the fight against fraud, and of the Action Plan for 2001-2003 on the overall strategic

approach to the subject ( 1), and stresses the importance which it continues to attach to effective measures and

action being taken to implement Article 280 of the EC Treaty. It regrets that the report was late in being forwarded

to the Council. It notes that the Adv isory Committee for the Coordination of Fraud Prevention (Cocolaf) has been

consulted, and asks that in future Cocolaf should be consulted on the entire report.

2. The Council notes that a major effort has been made both at Community level and in the Member States to

adopt legislative measures providing for a more effective fight against fraud, and invites all those concerned to

continue these efforts. It regards it as essential that Cocolaf should be consulted in advance on any legislative

initiative in the European Union framework concerning the protection of the Communities' financial interests and

the fight against fraud. It underlines the importance which it attaches to the involvement of the European Anti-

Fraud Office (OLAF) in the incorporation in legislative proposals of effective measures to prevent fraud.

3. The Council notes the increase in the number of cases of fraud and other actual or suspected irregularities

notified by the Member States in 2000, in comparison with previous years, and the increase in their budgetary

impact in some sectors. It believes, as does the Commission, that this increase is mainly the result of the increased

effectiveness of controls and of the effect of certain individual cases in which particularly large amounts were

involved.

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4. However, the Council regrets that OLAF is not at present able to act on the wish expressed by the Council in its

conclusions of 17 July 2000 that suspected cases of fraud, irregularities and administrative negligence should be

more clearly distinguished and invites the Commission, with Cocolaf's assistance, to draw up measures relating to

notification systems so that this distinction can be made from 2002; it considers that in any case, appropriate

information should be provided on cases which are suspected of being fraudulent, as well as on those suspected of

being irregular.

5. The Council approves of the efforts made by OLAF to grant higher priority to controls concerning the

expenditure managed directly by the Commission. It invites the Commission to devote a separate chapter to this in

the annual report. It points out that Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 and Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999

explicitly state that OLAF's investigative powers apply to Community institutions and to bodies, offices and

agencies created by the Community.

6. The Council notes with interest the various measures envisaged in the White Paper on reforming the

Commission, concerning the strengthening of preventive measures and sanctions in the fight against fraud and the

protection of the Communities' financial interests, and the improvement of financial management and control. In

this context, it particularly stresses the importance which it attaches to a speedy overhaul of the Financial

Regulation.

7. The Council notes the progress of cooperation between the Commission and the Member States. It welcomes

the strengthening of the links between OLAF and the competent departments in the Member States, particularly in

the area of controls. It considers that such cooperation is essential for the protection of the Communities' financial

interests and should be reinforced. Progress should also be made in recovering amounts unduly paid out.

8. The Council underlines that it attaches great importance to the participation of third countries, and especially the

candidate countries, in action to fight fraud, and to their cooperation with OLAF.

9. The Council reiterates its appeal to those Member States which have not yet done so to ratify without further

delay the Convention of 26 July 1995 on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and the

Additional Protocols to it, so as to make progress in the protection by criminal sanctions of the Communities'

financial interests and in the fight against fraud.

10. More particularly concerning the Action Plan for 2001-2003:

- The Council welcomes the fact that the Commission has acted on its request, made in the ECOFIN

Council conclusions of 17 July 2000, that it should present a more precise timetable for the

implementation of the overall strategy to protect the Communities' financial interests, and takes note

of the specific measures planned for the years covered, particularly as regards prevention, cooperation

with national authorities and proper coordination of activities undertaken to protect the Com munities'

financial interests. It points out that the Treaty of Nice does not provide for the creation of a European

Public Prosecutor.

- The Action Plan should be supplemented by a financial evaluation of the projected reduction in the

volume of fraud, so as to assess the cost-effectiveness ratio ex ante and ex post. The Council calls on

the Commission to include in its annual reports from 2001 onwards a balance sheet of the results and

costs involved in the framework of the Action Plan.

Mutual assistance for the recovery of claims (*)

The Council adopted a Directive amending Directive 76/308 76/308/EEC on mutual assistance for the recovery of claims

resulting from operations forming part of the system of financing the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee

Fund, and of agricultural levies and customs duties and in respect of value added tax and certain excise duties

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The Directive provides that, in order to safeguard better the financial interests of the Member States and the neutrality of

the internal market, claims relating to certain taxes on income and capital and taxes on insurance premiums are added to

the scope of the mutual assistance provided for by Directive 76/308/EEC.

Furthermore, in order to permit more efficient and effective recovery of claims in respect of which a request for recovery

has been made, the instrument permitting enforcement of the claim is treated in principle as an instrument of the Member

State in which the requested authority is situated.

The use of mutual assistance for recovery cannot, save in exceptional circumstances, be based on financial benefits or an

interest in the results obtained, but Member States should be able to agree the reimbursement arrangements when

recovery poses a specific problem.

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive are to be adopted in accordance with Council Decision

1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the

Commission. (Comitology).

BUDGET

Draft supplementary and amending budget No. 3 and 4 2001

The Council adopted :

The draft supplementary and amending budget No. 3 for the financial year 2001 - as amended by its Budget Committee -

concerning :

- Section III - K : Research and Development, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF),

- Section VI - : Economic and Social Committee, and

- Section VII - : Committee of the Regions.

The draft supplementary and amending budget No. 4 to the budget for 2001 - concerning :

- Section III : Commission - General Statement of Revenue.

Footnotes:

( 1) 10020/00 FIN 259