Corruption Across Eu 'breathtaking' - Eu Commission

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26014387

The extent of corruption in Europe is "breathtaking" and it costs the EU economy about 120bn euros (£99bn) annually, the European Commission says.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem is now presenting a full report on the problem.

Writing in Sweden's Goeteborgs-Posten daily, she said corruption was eroding trust in democracy and draining resources from the legal economy.

For the report the Commission studied corruption in all 28 EU member states.

"The extent of the problem in Europe is breathtaking, although Sweden is among the countries with the least problems," Ms Malmstroem wrote.

The Commission says it is the first time it has produced such a report. It also makes recommendations on how to tackle corruption.

I wonder if the EU accounts where excluded from this report?

[dances with sheeple]

Vote UKIP.

[wonderpup]

Writing in Sweden's Goeteborgs-Posten daily, she said corruption was eroding trust in democracy

Is that the same kind of European Democracy where the President of Greece calls for a referendum and the next day is replaced by an ex Goldman Sachs apparatchik?

The corruption in the EU starts at the top.

[WageWar]

I'm sure I saw something on tv the other day about how british politicians have to have lessons in how not to be corrupt.

[SpectrumFX]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26014387

I wonder if the EU accounts where excluded from this report?

Their accounts were qualified again. The European Court of Auditors say they're "materially affected by error"

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_ECA-13-36_en.htm

Supervisory and control systems examined are partially effective in ensuring the legality and regularity of payments underlying the accounts. All policy groups covering operational expenditure are materially affected by error. The ECA’s estimate for the most likely error rate for expensed payments underlying the accounts is 4.8%.

For these reasons it is the ECA’s opinion that payments underlying the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2012 are materially affected by error.

The estimated error rate for spending from the EU budget as a whole increased again in 2012, from 3.9 % to 4.8 %. A part of that increase (0.3 percentage points) is due to a change in the ECA’s sampling approach. The estimated error rate has increased every year since 2009, after having fallen in the three previous years.

Rural development, environment, fisheries and health remains the most error prone spending area with an estimated error rate of 7.9 %, followed by regional policy, energy and transport with an estimated error rate of 6.8 %.

The increases in the estimated error rate were greatest for the spending areas employment and social affairs, agriculture: market and direct support and regional policy, energy and transport.

For the majority of transactions affected by error in the shared management areas (e.g. agriculture and cohesion), the Member States authorities had sufficient information available to have detected and corrected the errors.

The substantial gap between appropriations for commitment and payment, coupled with a large amount of underspending at the start of the current programming period, has caused a build-up of the equivalent of 2 years and 3 months’ worth of unused commitments (€217 billion at the end of 2012). This leads to pressure on the budget for payments. To resolve that situation, it is essential that the Commission plans its payment requirements for the medium and long-term.

For many areas of the EU budget the legislative framework is complex and there is insufficient focus on performance. The proposals on agriculture and cohesion for the 2014–2020 programming period remain fundamentally input-based (expenditure oriented) and therefore still focused on compliance with the rules rather than performance.

Edited February 3, 2014 by SpectrumFX

[oracle]

Is that the same kind of European Democracy where the President of Greece calls for a referendum and the next day is replaced by an ex Goldman Sachs apparatchik?

The corruption in the EU starts at the top.

and Ms Maelstrom is right on.

the corruption in the EU is a POLITICAL problem.

the EU commission etc are basically of the belief that they are omnipotent.

..this always ends up with them facing the firing squad or being dragged through the streets in iron cages.......but they don't seem to learn.

at least we have friends in the nordic countries (and we do),who share the same concerns as we do about the direction of this project.

...to put it bluntly, these people are about as fanatical in their line of thinking as bin laden is to establishing a worldwide caliphate.

very dangerous people indeed....and need putting down.....period.

[oracle]

Is that the same kind of European Democracy where the President of Greece calls for a referendum and the next day is replaced by an ex Goldman Sachs apparatchik?

The corruption in the EU starts at the top.

and Ms Maelstrom is right on.

the corruption in the EU is a POLITICAL problem.

the EU commission etc are basically of the belief that they are omnipotent.

..this always ends up with them facing the firing squad or being dragged through the streets in iron cages.......but they don't seem to learn.

at least we have friends in the nordic countries (and we do),who share the same concerns as we do about the direction of this project.

...to put it bluntly, these people are about as fanatical in their line of thinking as bin laden is to establishing a worldwide caliphate.

very dangerous people indeed....and need putting down.....period.

(the really screwed up bit about it is they are all supposedly "biblically" schooled.)

the problem is with the last bit of the bible they have totally misinterpreted

"and the increase of his government".......DOES NOT MEAN OVERBEARING,INTERFERING BIG GOVERNMENT NANNY-STATE SOCIALISM

it means basic agreed upon house rules to temper excessive abuses at top and bottom.BY CONSENT...NOT COERCION.

[billybong]

The issue was on the radio this afternoon and the reporters/commentators were wriggling extremely hard to avoid discussing any problem within the UK and were making strenuous efforts to always divert the subject back to the eu (i.e the other side of the Channel).

[Craig_]

The issue was on the radio this afternoon and the reporters/commentators were wriggling extremely hard to avoid discussing any problem within the UK and were making strenuous efforts to always divert the subject back to the eu (i.e the other side of the Channel).

Like diving in football? Never see 'our boys' doing it...

[SNACR]

All seems a bit vague mixing corrupt local government officials and large scale criminality in the same article.

[WageWar]

Highly recommended documentary about Colonel Gadaffi on last night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03tj0n0

It was quite revealing of the real motivations of the powerful to see Tony Blair, the "peace envoy", hugging Gadaffi after his reconciliation with the west when you've just learned what a brutal paedophile psychopath he really was, literally hell on earth.

[winkie]

“No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious & charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful.”

Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

[Executive Sadman]

Is that the same kind of European Democracy where the President of Greece calls for a referendum and the next day is replaced by an ex Goldman Sachs apparatchik?

The corruption in the EU starts at the top.

Or forcing the Irish to vote for the Lisbon treaty again and again until they passed it.

That alone should be played and replayed on UKIPs election messages just to illustrate the EUs absolute and utter contempt for the wishes of the people.

But no, UKIP are too busy blabbing on about christianity, gay marriage and windfarms. Good luck with that Foolrage.

[dinker]

Guys, you don`t know the meaning of the word corruption. When my Filipino neighbour was due to take his driving test he asked me what the standard bribe was for driving examiners.

[wonderpup]

Guys, you don`t know the meaning of the word corruption. When my Filipino neighbour was due to take his driving test he asked me what the standard bribe was for driving examiners.

It's strangely comforting to know that bribery has a going rate- but hey, it's a market like any other and I guess that if the bribe is too high you go shopping for a cheaper option.

[JPJPJP]

I am not quite sure how the findings of such an investigation could be any different

- The EU Commission that 'leads' the continent is unelected and lavishes money on itself with no let up

- The EU parliament is populated, truly, by the least amongst us and national governments across the continent are hardly setting glorious examples of morale fortitude and probity are they?

- Taxation across the continent is so high it is really quite rude, particularly as the EU's efforts to redistribute from richer countries to poorer can never work as well when even the richest nations need a period of austerity

- Interest on savings is so low it isn't worth bothering

- Honest citizens that build up a few bob in the bank end up on the receiving end of a bail in, with the perception that there are more in the pipeline

- The 500 Euro note is a convenient, portable store of wealth

- Cash in hand guv'nor and the broader black economy is, therefore, sure to thrive

[oracle]

Or forcing the Irish to vote for the Lisbon treaty again and again until they passed it.

That alone should be played and replayed on UKIPs election messages just to illustrate the EUs absolute and utter contempt for the wishes of the people.

But no, UKIP are too busy blabbing on about christianity, gay marriage and windfarms. Good luck with that Foolrage.

exactly.

the irish at the time, I guess, thought they were getting rid of one colonial oppressor by siding with"the auld alliance"

...I guess many of them would like to re-experience stuff like inquisitions.......especially if the powers that be at the time deeicde you are not "with the programme" after having second thoughts about the newly dictatorial style of governance you are now to be ruled under.

most common-or garden irish will get quite a sh1t deal....only one or two kleptocrats get the goodies.

....the rest of you ain't in the club.

...same with the scots....they'll get endless repeats of braveheart stuck on loop for 6 weeks before the vote( now if you've bothered to watch braveheart it is total counter-reformation propaganda)

..they ain't all like that.....actually iNDEPENDENCE DAY IS MULTI FACETED!

.......WHY DID THE YANKS BREAK THE ALIENS WITH MORSE CODE?( now read what samuel morse said about the small clique of people angling for world domination and you will get a better idea)

[gf3]

Politicians are corrupt we know this already duck islands, moat cleaning and large brown envelopes for influence ect. What we know about corruption in British politics is probably the tip of a very large iceberg. They did that under our noses.

So what happens in Europe behind our backs is probably on a completely different scale. The saying what happens in Vagas stays in Vagas comes to mind. no one would recognise the politicians as they walk around brussels the chances of them being caught for anything they do is nil. Which will only make corruption worse.

I have a theory that the rich and powerful don't want their kids working in Tesco's or mc donalds. They don't want their kids to do nothing and spend daddies money on drugs and hookers. They want their kids to goto davos or Jackson hole. There is a shortage of these type of jobs Europe is just jobs for the boys. Cameron recently changed the rules so that police commissioners can be elected straight out of Eton before they got their jobs by working through the ranks (increasing social mobility ). No Eton boy wants to start off as a plod.

Edited February 5, 2014 by gf3

[winkie]

"Today, we are more keenly aware of the damage done by inequality. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/inequality-increasing-globally-including-in-india-christine-lagarde/1223005

[Mrs Bear]

How many people on here have been asked to pay a bribe within the UK, whether they paid it or not?

And if so, who asked for it? Would be interested to know of actual cases.