Paying for the CAP three times over
Firstly through taxation, then inflated food prices, and now this: A total of € 528.5 million of EU farm money unduly spent by Member States will be claimed back as a result of a decision adopted by the European Commission. The money returns to the Community budget because of inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. Member States are responsible for paying out and checking expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the Commission is required to ensure that Member States have made correct use of the funds. Source
I am not the world's leading fan of the CAP, but on the basis that if we have to have the EU it should be a government not of men but of laws, and therefore we should follow the rules. The CAP is administered by the Department of Photo Opportunities With Farm Animals, Pretty Landscapes and Embarrassed Ministers in Suits and Wellies, or whatever it is called this week, and our having got something back from this wretched scheme, it behoves DEFRA to do its job properly. Clearly they have not, and so presumably the farmers have been paid and now some €119m has to be extorted from the taxpayer to make good the shortfall.
That's just great, isn't it?
And here are the figures, with us third only to Greece and Italy for making an utter hash of the process. Note that some 12 of the EU 27 are not charted, presumably because German, Polish, Belgian etc bureaucrats do their jobs properly.
I am not the world's leading fan of the CAP, but on the basis that if we have to have the EU it should be a government not of men but of laws, and therefore we should follow the rules. The CAP is administered by the Department of Photo Opportunities With Farm Animals, Pretty Landscapes and Embarrassed Ministers in Suits and Wellies, or whatever it is called this week, and our having got something back from this wretched scheme, it behoves DEFRA to do its job properly. Clearly they have not, and so presumably the farmers have been paid and now some €119m has to be extorted from the taxpayer to make good the shortfall.
That's just great, isn't it?
And here are the figures, with us third only to Greece and Italy for making an utter hash of the process. Note that some 12 of the EU 27 are not charted, presumably because German, Polish, Belgian etc bureaucrats do their jobs properly.
Labels: EU fun and games, the badness of government, Where your money goes
This entry was posted
on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 12:03 pm.
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Nice analysis, Mr C and it does illustrate what we're up against.
Cheers James
It comes to something when we can't even claim back our own money competently.
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