Tuesday

6th Jun 2023

Dutch ex-member of Court of Auditors blasts endemic corruption

The Dutch member of the European Union's Court of Auditors - its budgetary oversight office - has blasted his colleagues and the European Commission for a "culture of cover up" and a tradition of watering down reports.

Maarten Engwirda, representing the Netherlands in the Luxembourg-based bureau, retired in January after 15 years with the court and finally felt free to speak his mind in an interview with Dutch centre-left daily De Volkskrant.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"There was a practice of watering down if not completely removing criticism," Mr Engwirda told the paper. "I wanted to write a book, I was so sick of it all."

In particular, Mr Engwirda, a former politician with and leader of the the social liberal D66 party, which is staunchly pro-EU and federalist, accuses his French and Italian colleagues, amongst others of this type of activity.

But he also speaks of "heavy pressure" from then anti-fraud commissioner Siim Kallas in 2005 for the court to relax its standards.

Estonia's Mr Kallas now has the transport dossier within the commission.

According to the interview, this pattern of obstruction continued until after 2005. Only after Mr Engwirda had convinced his colleagues that their work be reviewed by national audit offices did things begin to change.

Since 2008, the Dutchman says that this sort of activity has stopped.

The Court of Auditors has never issued an unqualified opinion - essentially a clean bill of health - of the European budget since its founding in 1975. However, the European Commission and other commentators have long argued that this is simply a result of the very strict standards that the court applies.

Representatives of the court could not be reached for comment on Tuesday morning.

Responding to the allegations regarding Mr Kallas, his spokeswoman, Helen Kearns, told EUobserver: "Mr Engwirda is entitled to his opinion, but that is not the recollection of the work done in that period at all. He had very conductive and positive working relationship with the court."

"Very significant progress was made under the Kallas mandate in improving EU financial management."

Auditor flags up spending errors in EU budget

The European Union's internal accounting books are generally in order, but a big chunk of payments are subject to "material error" its audit office has said.

MEPs to urge block on Hungary taking EU presidency in 2024

"This will be the first time a member state that is under the Article 7 procedure will take over the rotating presidency of the council," French Green MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, the key lawmaker on Hungary, warned.

European Parliament scales back luxury MEP pension fund

The European Parliament's Bureau, a political body composed of the president and its vice-presidents, decided to slash payouts from the fund by 50 percent, freeze automatic indexations, and increase the pension age from 65 to 67.

Analysis

Final steps for EU's due diligence on supply chains law

Final negotiations on the EU due diligence law begin this week. But will this law make companies embed due diligence requirements in their internal processes or incentive them to outsource their obligations to third parties?

Latest News

  1. Final steps for EU's due diligence on supply chains law
  2. Top EU court rules Poland's court reforms 'infringe law'
  3. Sweden's far-right is most anti-Green Deal party in EU
  4. Strengthening recovery, resilience and democracy in regions, cities and villages
  5. Why Hungary cannot be permitted to hold EU presidency
  6. Subcontracting rules allow firms to bypass EU labour rights
  7. Asylum and SLAPP positions in focus This WEEK
  8. Spanish PM to delay EU presidency speech due to snap election

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us