| Series Title | European Voice |
|---|---|
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.27, 22.7.04 |
| Publication Date | 22/07/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
|
Date: 22/07/04 AUDITING of EU member states' administration of the Common Agricultural Policy has prompted the European Commission to claw back €144 million in unjustified payments, the Commission announced this week. The greatest sums are being recovered from France, Italy and Greece, the Commission announced in a decision which affects ten of the old EU-15. The recoveries are made periodically on an ad hoc basis so do not give a reliable guide to the relative state of controls in each country. France is docked €28.13m because of shortcomings in its checks on cattle premiums. Another €22.64m are to be recovered specifically applying to cattle premiums in Corsica. Italy is being docked €21.10m for ineffective key controls over animal premiums. Greece is being docked €15.62m for similar reasons and another €25m for failings in the regimes for peaches and tomatoes. Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler said that the Commission would not hesitate to recover misspent funds. His colleague, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, said that a computerized form of mapping technology, using aerial photographs, was helping ensure that there could not be multiple applications for aid for the same piece of land. €143.86 million of EU farm money misspent by Member States will be claimed back, following a decision adopted by the European Commission on the 16 July 2004. The money is to be recovered because of inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. While Member States are responsible for paying out and checking virtually all expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Commission is required to ensure that Member States have made correct use of the funds. |
|
| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.european-voice.com/ |
| Related Links |
|
| Subject Categories | Business and Industry, Economic and Financial Affairs |
