mr president i speak on behalf of the british conservative party who will again this year vote against discharge of the budget
this is a position that we have consistently taken and we will continue to do so until we see greater urgency applied to the achievement of a positive statement of assurance by the court of auditors
i do however wish to publicly acknowledge the progress that has been made in improving the financial management standards by this past commission
the court of auditors particularly notes progress which has been made in the fields of agriculture research energy transport and education
i commend the commission for the improvements they have made
this is most encouraging
however a great deal needs to be done
the court of auditors has yet again adversely commented on the weaknesses of controls on numerous irregularities and the slow rate of recovery of monies due to the european union
it is also clear that while responsibility ultimately rests with the european commission it is the member states and the council in particular the council who need to be far more conscientious in their application of european funding and who need to demonstrate far greater urgency in their efforts to achieve a positive statement of assurance
we operate under the lisbon treaty and as members of the european parliament we owe it to european taxpayers that we can assure the public that the budget delivers value for money and assure the public likewise that there is integrity in the accounting procedures of the european union
until the court of auditors feels able to give that positive statement of assurance i and my party will continue to vote against discharge of the budget
