Commission to reclaim €20,000 of CAP expenditure from Malta
A total of €214.6 million of EU farm money, unduly spent by Member States, is to be reclaimed as a result of a decision adopted by the European Commission.
The money returns to the Community budget because of non-compliance with EU rules or inadequate control procedures on agricultural expenditure. In Malta’s case, the amount to be recovered is €20,000 - a paltry sum, compared to the millions reclaimed from other member states such as France, Spain and the Netherlands.
Member States are responsible for paying out and checking expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the Commission is required to ensure that Member States have made correct use of the funds.
Commenting on the decision, Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said “The Commission is keeping up the pressure to ensure the best possible controls over how this money is spent. The system is working better than ever and we will continue to strive to improve things further”
Under this latest decision funds will be recovered from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia.
Hardest hit EU states
France – €48.1 and 22.9 million (for financial years 2007 and 2006) charged for weaknesses in on-the-spot checks and incorrect application of sanctions in the area of cross-compliance;
Spain – € 31.7 million charged for deficiencies in key and ancillary controls and wrong application of sanctions in the sector of olive oil production;
Netherlands – € 16.6 million charged for weaknesses in Land Parcel Identification System, deficient administrative and on-the-spot controls and non-application of sanctions;
Hungary – €12.0 million charged for deficiencies in Land Parcel Identification System and other surface control weaknesses;
Poland – €10.0 million charged for low quality and insufficient quantity of checks in two Rural Development measures.
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