"We are pleased that EU citizens can now start seeing where their taxes are being spent and who - at least parts of - the beneficiaries of the EU funds are," said Miklos Marschall, TI's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. "However, it is disappointing that the information provided on EU regional and cohesion funds is incomplete. Several countries supply limited or no access to recipients. In addition, the comparison of data is often difficult due to weak publication rules set out in the Commission Regulation (1828/2006).
TI had formerly criticised the opacity of these funds as a corruption risk and a barrier to accountability, arguing that the reputational and financial risks posed by an opaque disbursement and reporting system outweighed the administrative costs incurred by the systematic disclosure of EU fund recipients. The disclosure of EU funds enables public participation in a meaningful debate about how tax money is spent, which is essential for functioning democracies.
"The new initiative is promising, but a standardised format for the Member States is needed for the beneficiaries of the funds under shared management, to ensure the completeness and comparability of data," said Jana Mittermaier, Head of TI's Brussels office. "The overall quality of the disclosure system could be further enhanced if those Directorate-Generals of the European Commission in charge of EU funds and Member States share rules and best practices."
In addition, TI strongly encourages the European Commission to continue its work to reform the broader management of the budget, in particular the EU funds under shared management. Specifically, it should address the imbalance of responsibilities between the Commission and Member States.
