Former-Yugoslavia: Mostar administration. Special report 2/96 Court of Auditors

The Committee on Budgetary Control unanimously adopted the proposal for a resolution on the special report of the Court of Auditors on the European Union Administration of Mostar (EUAM). While agreeing with the Court's positive assessment of the European Union's contribution to the reconstruction of the city, the committee subscribed to the analysis by its rapporteur, Mrs Muller (V, A), of the shortcomings and defects which prevented the objective of effective political reunification of the city from being achieved, despite the efforts of the members of the EUAM, especially Mr Koschnick, the top EU administrator. The failure was ascribed to the Council, which omitted to make provision for a sustainable and efficient organizational framework for this joint action during the initial stage, when the EU administrator should have been given the policing powers needed to make its decisions binding on the conflicting parties. Similarly, the Council failed to provide for a single financial procedure with an integrated accounting and assessment system or sufficient numbers of qualified staff. Despite all these shortcomings, the rapporteur was of the opinion that lessons should be learnt from the experience gained in Mostar: first by eliminating the lack of clear demarcation of powers between the Council and the Commission with regard to the current provisions of the Treaty on the CFSP and involving Parliament when it was drafted, secondly, by making the Commission responsible for monitoring and supervising joint actions financed from the Community budget and ensuring that financial rules were also adhered to in this area and, finally, by creating a mobile CFSP staff reserve and setting up a preparatory group to draw up procedures under which joint actions decided could be implemented quickly and efficiently. In addition, the Commission should propose joint actions to the Council under Article J 8.3 of the Treaty on matters such as the return of refugees or the promotion of and support for independent media in the former Yugoslavia.�