Minister of Finance Riikka Purra:
EU must reduce errors in budget implementation

On Tuesday 12 March, the EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council decided to recommend that the European Parliament grant discharge to the Commission in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022. Finland voted against the recommendation together with four other Member States.

Finland was represented at the meeting by Minister of Finance Riikka Purra.

“For the first time, we voted against recommending the discharge of the Commission. The number of errors in the implementation of the EU’s budget has risen too high. The Commission must take action to reduce this number,” Purra said.

Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria voted against the recommendation. The European Parliament decides whether to grant the discharge.

The European Court of Auditors reported a significant increase in the error rate. Errors are payments that do not comply with the rules. Typical errors in EU-funded operations include ineligible costs, incorrectly calculated personnel costs and non-compliance with public procurement rules. The error rate could be reduced by improving control and clarifying the rules.

Inquiries:
Toni Tiala, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 530 021, toni.tiala(at)gov.fi
Mikael Lith, Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance, tel. +358 295 530 334, mikael.lith(at)gov.fi

The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) is one of the configurations of the Council of the European Union. Ecofin makes decisions on EU legislative proposals within its remit, usually in cooperation with the European Parliament. It is also responsible for coordinating the economic policies of EU Member States. Ecofin is composed of the Member States’ economic and financial affairs ministers.