In a vote with 6 in favour to 23 against and 1 abstentions in the dischards. MEPs in the Budgetary Control Committee postponed the decision on the 2020 accounts of the EU’s border control agency, Frontex. They cited, as reasons behind the decision, a failure to fulfil the conditions set out in Parliament’s report, as…
Disbursement of EU funds, including the Recovery Fund, must be tied to respect for the rule of law in all Member States. Systematic deficiencies in the rule of law always undermine the implementation of EU-funded programmes, and the absence of a rapid and comprehensive EU response to this will jeopardise the EU’s credibility, warns the…
Issues hindering the EU Prosecutor’s investigation and prosecution of cross border crimes against the EU budget were discussed with chief prosecutor Kövesi. In a debate on Friday, EU public prosecutor Laura Kövesi informed the Budgetary Control Committee that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is in urgent need of additional human resources to be able…
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó criticised what he called “the blackmail of the NGOs”, which Europe needed to put an end to. Speaking after meeting his Maltese counterpart, Szijjártó said it was time to “speak clearly about the role of the Soros-backed NGOs within the Mediterranean region”, in reference to international financier and philanthropist George…
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) says it is focusing increasingly on assessing the performance and added value of EU spending and regulatory action, according to its new activity report. In 2019, the EU’s external auditors published 67 reports, reviews and opinions addressing many of the challenges the Union is facing, such as cross-border healthcare,…
One of the biggest seizures in the EU involving fake spirits took place just two days before Christmas, it has emerged. A well-coordinated action in the Netherlands between OLAF and the Dutch customs authorities led to the seizure of more than 147,000 bottles of counterfeit rum, an equivalent of 10 containers. The final destination of…
