Defending citizens' right to information on how their tax money is being spent today in the European Parliament debate on the EU budget, Danish GUE/NGL MEP Søren Søndergaard said MEPs have the responsibility to reject EU institution accounting practices until levels of transparency are improved.

"Some fields of EU expenditure are totally unacceptable. The Court of Auditors says that only 11% of Structural Funds were allocated according to the rules. The question we should all ask ourselves is: Would we accept such accounting in a sports club, a trade union or a political party, if more than 11% of expenditure in key areas had been paid in breach of the rules?" Søndergaard asked.

"As long as Parliament lacks the necessary public answers to key questions the GUE/NGL believes budget discharge cannot be approved" he said, setting out the need for an inter-institutional agreement where requirements on openness and cooperation with Parliament are made clear.

"Finally", Søndergaard concluded, "we also have an obligation to be critical of Parliament's own financial management and my group regrets that many of the original report's points criticising the our own accounting have been watered down."

GUE/NGL PRESS:

Gianfranco Battistini + 32 475 64 66 28

Sonja Giese + 32 486 94 50 21

David Lundy + 32 485 50 58 12

www.guengl.eu

Gauche Unitaire Européenne / Gauche Verte Nordique

European United Left / Nordic Green Left