1995 discharge: follow-up. Report

In adopting the report by Mr Terence WYNN (PSE, UK) Parliament welcomed the fact that the Commission had submitted its report far earlier than in the past on the measures taken in response to Parliament's resolution on the discharge for 1995. It welcomed the fact in particular that the discharge procedure had been improved by the publication of the Member States' replies to the observations made by the Court of Auditors, even though it expressed the wish that these replies had been published without delay so that they could have been taken into account in the discharge procedure. It called on the Court of Auditors in future to submit its annual report in October (instead of November as at present) so that the Court's observations could be given consideration during the discharge procedure. Parliament also welcomed the action and measures taken in specific sectors such as olive oil, cotton, or measures to combat swine fever. It called in particular for a report on the existing systems in the Member States for farmers' contributions to the cost of combating contagious animal diseases which fall under Community regulations and for proposals to improve Community policy on measures to combat swine fever. Lastly, it repeated its request to the Court of Auditors to publish a list of the instances in which the financial controllers of all the institutions had withheld their approval and of any decisions overruling such refusals. A special report should be drawn up by the Court on the practice of withholding approval by the financial controllers of the Union's institutions. Parliament requested the Commission to report to it by 30 June 1998 on the measures it had taken subsequent to this resolution. �