Kinnock faces censure over EU 'slush fund'
David Wastell, Diplomatic Correspondent
Daily Telegraph(25/01/2004)

Three European Commissioners under fire in the row over Eurostat, the fraud-ridden statistics agency, will be accused of bringing European institutions "into disrepute" when MEPs give their final verdict on the 2001 accounts this week.

Neil Kinnock, Michaele Schreyer and Pedro Solbes face the possibility of what would amount to votes of censure by the European Parliament as MEPs consider a hard-hitting report on the commission's control of EU finances.

The report, by the parliament's budgetary control committee, notes that "no Commissioner has so far accepted political responsibility" for the fiasco at Eurostat, from which at least £3.5 million disappeared in slush funds and fictitious contracts, although some have admitted mistakes. Much of the fraud took place before the current commission took office in late 1999, but MEPs are furious that dubious contracts ran on, unchecked, until at least 2002.

Mr Solbes, the commissioner directly responsible for Eurostat, says that he was unaware of a long-running anti-fraud investigation into the statistics agency until last spring, as do Mr Kinnock, the commission vice- president in charge of its drive against sleaze, and Mrs Schreyer, responsible for the EU budget.

MEPs are most likely to take a tough line against Mr Solbes in votes on amendments put forward by Chris Heaton-Harris, a Conservative MEP, criticising the three commissioners individually for their "lack of action and political responsibility." If MEPs vote to criticise Mr Solbes in this way he will face pressure to resign.