Members of the EP Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) of the European Parliament in Brussels, meet in Brussels to discuss a study on the largest 50 beneficiaries in each EU Member State of common agricultural policy (CAP) and cohesion funds. The CAP and the Cohesion Policy are the two largest spending areas, responsible for over two-thirds of the EU budget. The aim of this study is to address the existing difficulties in identifying direct and ultimate beneficiaries. Views of the atmosphere at the meeting during the presentation by Willem Pieter De Groen (CEPS) and statement by Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur.

impact study

CAP reform (T)

Committee on Budgetary Control

HOHLMEIER, Monika (EPP, DE)

cohesion policy 2021-2027 (T)

Study on the largest 50 beneficiaries in each EU Member State of CAP and cohesion funds at CONT Committee: extracts

Title: Study on the largest 50 beneficiaries in each EU Member State of CAP and cohesion funds at CONT Committee: extracts

Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Chair Committee on Budgetary Control announcing the discussion on the report, 4 shots

Atmosphere at the meeting during the presentation by Willem Pieter De Groen (CEPS), 6 shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Chair Committee on Budgetary Control, We have requested this report because we revealed several cases in Czechia, we saw problems in Slovakia, we saw problems in Hungary, and we wanted to know who are the real beneficial owners and beneficiaries of European funds and how are the money flows controlled? Is this really a good system, transparent system of controlling, or are there a lot of gaps, a lot of problems, a lot of loopholes or even possibility to misuse European funds? And we knew it already before that there are a lot of gaps. And we wanted to to clarify, where are they, what is are the kinds of misusing our money. And we wanted to introduce our knowledge in the report.

SOUNDBITE (English), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Chair Committee on Budgetary Control, I think this report has to be made public. I think that the spending of European money must be 100 percent transparent to an auditor, to a controller, but it must be also transparent, not in any kind, but following the ruling of the European Court of Justice and a normal applicant, a normal citizen must have the possibility to see where does the money go? Is it fairly distributed? Is it distributed in a way that guarantees the goals that the legislation is foreseeing? How is the money misused or what kind of problems are arriving with it? Is the money given more to small and medium sized companies or even big conglomerates or very rich people profiting even if there is no necessity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Chair Committee on Budgetary Control, At this point, we clearly can say that the regime is not transparent, not in cohesion, not in the agricultural area. What we clearly see is that explicitly where the member states are responsible for the spending of money, we have totally different regimes. We have a lot of different databases, different kinds of software, not very transparent kind of procedures. Every member state has its own procedure and even no access for auditors and controllers and no possibility or bad possibilities to detect systemic misuse.