Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome Mr. Cardiff and our colleagues in Brussels. Mr. Cardiff noted that the level of error appears to be reducing, which is a good and positive sign. Are certain member states especially prone to shortcomings in their budgetary strategy? If so, has the European Court of Auditors identified them and has it identified any persistent issues? To what extent has the court detected fraud in the European Union and what action has been taken in this regard? To what extent has it identified outstanding customs debts from countries from outside the European Union?

With regard to audits on programme countries such as Ireland, to what extent has the European Court of Auditors carried out audits in so far as the programme countries' dealings with the European Union have been monitored? Has it noticed any particular frailties in this area? Mr. Cardiff referred to the programme countries, namely, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Spain.