European Court of Auditor’s briefing paper on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020

Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

Subject: European Court of Auditor’s briefing paper on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020

In its Briefing paper “EU budget: time to reform?”, the European Court of Auditors stated that “the Commission’s mid-term review of the MFF does not constitute a much needed comprehensive EU spending review of the performance and added value of the different areas of the EU budget and spending programmes. Such an exercise should be carried out before a new long-term financial plan is agreed, if the lessons of the current period are to be learned and available EU funds are to deliver better value-for-money in the future”.

In this regard,

• How is the Commission acting upon the ECA’s advice to perform a comprehensive EU spending review before the new long-term budget is set?

• What will be the Commission’s approach to combat the considerable delays in spending that have occurred at the beginning of the current MFF period and that had resulted from commitments from the previous period not having being paid out?