Vol. 557 No. 2
189 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment which has been made and the action taken to reform the European Commission in view of the strong criticism of inadequacies in the internal budget monitoring systems by a person (details supplied). [21842/02]
Under the EU treaties, the European Commission is an independent institution and its financial administration is subject to monitoring by the Court of Auditors. I note that the Court of Auditors, with some critical observations, has always certified that the Commission's annual accounts are "reliable" and has issued a certificate of assurance in respect of its accounts.
In response to these observations, the Commission has been making ongoing efforts to modernise and upgrade its internal administration. These include amendments to the financial regulations, drafted with the assistance of the Court of Auditors and adopted by the European Parliament and Council, which will come into effect on 1 January 2003. Efforts to upgrade computer systems are also continuing. It is in the interest of the EU institutions and the member states that best practice is followed in all aspects of EU administration, including financial administration, and these measures are an important step in that direction.
