The First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and Chairman of the Special Committee on European Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Tragakis, chaired the joint meeting of the Standing Committee on European Affairs and the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, on the presentation of the Annual Report of the European Court of Auditors for the financial year 2013 by the representative of Greece to the European Court of Auditors, Mr. Nicholas Milionis.
Mr. Tragakis said that the European Court of Auditors has the basic responsibility of the audit of EU finances and, as an independent authority designed to improve their management, contributes to the strengthening of transparency and accountability. Its role is now more important than ever since it is played in a continuously changing and challenging environment in the EU, with a view to strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union, bringing it closer to its citizens.
Mr. Tragakis also mentioned that the national Parliaments, as bodies of directly elected representatives of the citizens of EU Member States, can play a decisive role in the effort to strengthen the democratic legitimacy and accountability, as well as to communicate with immediacy how they spend taxpayers' money and to design specific programs, focusing on the real impact on the daily lives of citizens. Finally, the First Deputy Speaker, asked Mr. Milionis’ proposals for possible ways with which the Hellenic Parliament could contribute to the work of the European Court of Auditors.
Then the floor was taken by Mr. Milionis, who analytically presented the annual report of the European Court of Auditors for the financial year 2013, focusing primarily on areas relating to Greek reality, as the regional and rural development.