EC To Recover CAP Expenditure From Member States

EU - A total of €214 million of EU agricultural policy funds unduly spent by Member States is being claimed back by the European Commission (EC) under the so-called clearance of accounts procedure.

17 October 2011

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This money returns to the EU budget because of non-compliance with EU rules or inadequate control procedures on agricultural expenditure. Member States are responsible for paying out and checking expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the Commission is required to ensure that Member States have made correct use of the funds.

Main financial corrections

Under this latest decision, funds will be recovered from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The most significant individual corrections are:

€76.6 million charged to Sweden for the weaknesses in the Land Parcel Identification System – Geographical Information System (LPIS-GIS), administrative controls and sanctions for area-aids expenditures, including area-based Rural Development measures;
€70.9 million charged to Italy with regard to the late controls in the sector of milk;
€22.3 million charged to Denmark for the weaknesses in LPIS-GIS, in the on-the-spot checks and in the calculation of sanctions;

Details of the individual corrections, by Member State and by sector, are given in the tables attached (annexes I and II) (See full report).