Tourism sector: control of the implementation of the EU policy. Special report 3/96 Court of Auditors

In adopting the report by Mr Stefano DE LUCA (ELDR, I) on the Court of Auditors special report on the promotion of tourism, Parliament considers that radical measures must be taken in this area and accordingly outlines the practical short term administrative measures that the Commission should take in response to problems in this sector, in particular the following: (1) abandonment of ad hoc subsidies for all directly-funded actions (2) selection of projects through invitations to tender: the impartiality of the selection board should be increased and stricter rules should be introduced concerning the selection of bids (3) redeployment of staff allocated to the financial unit in DG XXIII and improved training (4) limitation of sub-delegation by the Director-General (5) more rigorous random checking and an increase in systematic monitoring where fraud has come to light (6) SEM 2000 guidelines to prevent irregularities. Regarding cases currently under review Parliament calls for the rapid recovery of undue payments and appropriate penalties for those responsible regardless of seniority. It calls on the Commission to submit to it within three months a progress report on the measures adopted to follow up the resolution and notes that a discharge can be granted in respect of the 1996 budget only when such a report is available. Parliament is no longer calling for a committee of inquiry into rules and administrative mechanisms facilitating corruption in connection with Community policies, as proposed by the Committee on Budgetary Control. �