#euintegrity — Public Fediverse posts

We need to make sure that taxpayers' money is used correctly and for the right purposes. Corruption, fraud, embezzlement, and criminal activity can make people angry and disappointed, but they can also create mistrust and fear. That's why we must have zero tolerance for misuse of EU funds. Whether it's a simple mistake or organized crime: the problem must be addressed. Whether it's a single company's small fraud or states and governments not respecting legal principles: everything must be investigated and dealt with. We must be uncompromising in this regard.

I am glad that my colleagues agreed with my proposal to not only focus on fraud and corruption within the EU, but also to address the large sums of money being spent outside of the EU's borders. We need to demand strong action against corruption in all countries that receive EU funding. If partner countries and candidate countries clearly show that they do not want or cannot combat corruption, then we must cut off EU support to them. It is completely unacceptable for EU funds to continue flowing to corrupt recipients.

My proposals were supported by the majority of the other political groups, and the text we will be voting on includes new recommendations, such as freezing budget support to third countries that fail to take action against widespread corruption, and giving the fight against corruption higher priority in negotiations with the EU's candidate countries. I hope, therefore, that the debate will receive strong support from Parliament tomorrow.

#ZeroToleranceForCorruption #EUIntegrity #FightAgainstCorruption #TransparencyAndAccountability