Mr. Andrew Munro:

In short, the answer is "Yes". I quoted in my opening statement the line from the explanatory memorandum in which the Commission states: "[T]he present situation, in which the prosecution of offences against the Union’s financial interests is exclusively in the hands of the authorities of the Member States is not satisfactory and does not sufficiently achieve the objective of fighting effectively against offences affecting the Union budget". That is the rationale underpinning the proposal.