Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba, in his capacity of representative of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, attends the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg - Hoofdinhoud

Today, March 26, 2019, Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba attended the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Romanian official represented the Council of the European Union in the debate regarding the implementation of the EU i budget for the financial year 2017, in the context of the budget discharge procedure provided for by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

During his intervention, the minister delegate underlined the importance of this routine exercise, highlighting the need for EU funds to be used according to regulation, and for expenses to comply with the principles of good financial management.

In this context, on behalf of the Council, the minister of European affairs welcomed the fact that, for the second time, the Court of Auditors i issued an advised opinion on the lawfulness and regularity of payments. He also welcomed the progressive decrease of the general error level estimated by the Court of Auditors in the past years. At the same time, Minister George Ciamba expressed the Council’s regret regarding the estimated error level for payments related to 2017, which is still over the 2% threshold and reiterated, in this respect, the Council’s desire to report improvement within the financial management systems and of the estimated general error level for all policies.

The Romanian dignitary also took note, on behalf of the Council, of the Court of Auditors’ recommendation regarding the simplification of strategic frameworks governing the implementation of the EU budget, which would ensure results serving the Union’s objectives. He underlined the importance of ensuring European taxpayers of the efficient use of EU resources, towards increasing the quality of life for European citizens.