EC defends anti-fraud

News Article - 23 October 2006
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The European Commission (EC) has defended the running of its financial affairs.

Siim Kallas, the EC's vice-president of audit, administration and anti-fraud, has said that recent suggestions of widespread fraud are a misrepresentation of the facts.

The commission is also set to confront the European Court of Auditors, calling for changes in the auditing methods used, while qualifying its opinion on large areas of European Union spending, the Times reports.

The Commission recovered £1.45 billion which had been lost in 2005, but auditors claimed that this did not reduce the rate of error.

Mr Kallas remarked: "If you lose your wallet and you get it back with the money inside, the problem is over."

"This [perception of widespread error and fraud] is highly unfair. The spending of money in the EU is under tight control."

Recently, Mr Kallas stated his aim to simplify internal procedures at the EC, in order to create a more efficient and user-friendly administration.

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