EU:EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT president Hans-Gert Pöttering has rejected suggestions that the institution is covering up a massive expenses fraud.
Speaking to reporters at the Brussels summit yesterday, he said: "We can't say that at all."
Asked to comment on a recent internal audit of MEPs' expenses, Mr Pöttering said: "The auditor was appointed by the European Parliament itself. He is a parliament official." He said that, on his own initiative, a three-point plan had been adopted "to ensure that everything works properly".
With regard to the practice whereby MEPs employed members of their own families, he said this was "part of the problem" but they should have "a free hand to select their own assistants".
Asked if MEPs should declare their expenses in a transparent way, he said that "on the one hand there is always a need for transparency" but, on the other hand, "if they had to provide proof for all of the money they spend in their own constituencies", then the work done by MEPs would be undermined. "We have to guarantee the freedom of our MEPs," he added.
Earlier, in an address to EU leaders, Mr Pöttering stressed the importance of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, as it would enable the EU to meet its citizens' expectations.
Pointing out that five member states - Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, France and Romania - had already ratified the document, Mr Pöttering, a German Christian Democrat, said the reform treaty would give the EU the capacity to take practical measures to help people and offer them a better future. "So that the necessary reforms can be implemented quickly, the new reform treaty should be ratified by all the member states by January 1st, 2009," he said. "I urge you all not to relax your efforts to achieve this vital objective."
On climate change, the central issue at this week's summit, Mr Pöttering said it was becoming "a race against the clock", but the EU now had a sound basis for achieving its goals in this respect and "a credible policy framework" that would strengthen its position in international negotiations.
The chairs of the political groups in the parliament had decided that consideration of the energy package at committee stage should be completed before the end of the year, to leave sufficient time for discussions with the European Council. "In that way we can achieve a result before the European elections in June 2009 and, therefore, before the United Nations conference, to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009."