European Community Finances


Book Description

This White Paper sets out details of the European Communities Budget for 2006 as adopted by the European Parliament, and the UK's gross and net contributions to the EC Budget over the years 2000 - 2005, together with an estimate for 2006. It also includes details of recent developments in EC financial management and the fight against fraud. This Statement is the 26th in the series of annual statements to Parliament.




Financial management in the European Union


Book Description

This NAO report examines the state of financial management in the European Union. It is divided into three parts, with appendices. Part one, looks at the background; Part two, presents key findings in respect of the main expenditure areas, irregularities and possible fraud; Part three, looks at improving the financial management. Amongst the findings and recommendations of the National Audit Office are: for 2005, the European Union's expenditure totalled £71.1 billion, with a revenue of £72.3 billion, and the UK's net contribution coming to £2.5 billion, comprising payments of £8.3 billion, with a £3.5 billion abatement. Against this background of financial contribution, was a report from the European Court of Auditors, in October 2006, which found the accounts of the European Union did reflect the revenue and expenditure for the year, but had noted some errors in relation to balance sheet items, which led the Court not to issue a Statement of Assurance, which confirms the legality and regularity of the European Community's expenditure. For the NAO, the main findings included the views of the European Court of Auditors, that financial management had been strengthened and consolidated. Further anti-fraud measures, as introduced by OLAF (the European Union's Anti-Fraud Office) had also been strengthened, and that European Union expenditure was not subject to excessive fraud. The NAO sees the success of gaining a Statement of Assurance, as linked to the implementation of the European Commission's action plan of simplifying the rules and regulations governing European Union programmes (as noted in the HCP 498, session 2004-05, ISBN 0215023870). The Court of Auditor's also noted some weaknesses in the UK's management and control of structural measures programmes, and the NAO states that relevant UK authorities should ensure their risk management arrangements focus on the need for proper control and management of European Union funds.




The European Union's Fight Against Corruption


Book Description

Analyses anti-corruption policy within EU Member States and the evolution of anti-corruption policy during the accession process.




The Ashgate Research Companion to Corporate Social Responsibility


Book Description

In recent years the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained prominence both in business and in the media, not least because of the rise in power of the transnational corporation in an increasingly globalized world. It is one of the most debated management issues, yet there is a lack of consensus on what the concept means, what it entails, why it should be embraced and how. This Research Companion brings together a team of scholars from around the world to offer their view of the key issues in corporate social responsibility research. Each author is concerned with different aspects of CSR, providing a variety of theoretical lenses and a wide range of perspectives from different countries and experiences. It presentrs scholars and graduate students with a valuable guide to current thinking and a comprehensive reference to this increasingly important field.




Limits to EU Powers


Book Description

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK “...essential reading for anyone interested in the existence and exercise of EU powers in the field of criminal law. Öberg's critical examination of the constitutional constraints to EU action also raises many questions that are of great interest in other areas of EU competence. The book deserves a wide readership among scholars interested in the constitutional workings of the European Union.” Samuli Miettinen, University of Helsinki & Tallinn University "The main strength of this book lies in its comprehensiveness of dealing with the topical issue of EU regulatory criminal law from the fascinating perspective of limits to EU powers. Its particular contribution to existing scholarship in the field of EU criminal law concerns its focus on judicial checks on the exercise of competences as to which the book offers a convincing proposal for a stricter standard for judicial review in matters of regulatory criminal law and beyond." Professor Jannemieke Ouwerkerk, Leiden Law School "An excellent read on competence allocation in EU law and what it means in criminal law context. This book guides the reader through very complex questions of the contours of subsidiarity, national competences and the exact limits of EU powers. It also supplies up to date case studies of financial crimes and the need for the EU to act effectively and thereby increase confidence in the market and the challenges it may cause for national systems. A very timely contribution." Ester Herlin Karnell, VU University Amsterdam Pursuant to the precepts of EU law, EU policy-makers are bound to ensure that any EU legislation must fall within the remit of the EU's competences. This monograph looks at this highly contested issue, with particular reference to European Union criminal law. It looks at the powers enjoyed by the EU to impose criminal sanctions to suggest mechanisms by which legislative powers could be kept in check. The book argues that the main responsibility for providing checks against the exercise of EU power lies with the EU judiciary. It argues that the most effective form of review is procedural and through the case study of sanctions, provides the basis for such a review. Innovative, engaging and rigorous, this is an important publication both in the field of European criminal and constitutional law.




EU Customs Law


Book Description

The third edition of EU Customs Law provides a fully updated treatment of legislation, new treaties and cases in the two courts of the EU especially but also in Member States. This volume also includes commentary on the Union Customs Code and secondary legislation, and increased coverage of areas such as the wider role of customs authorities apart from the collection of customs duty, such as security of goods and post 9/11 developments generally, the history of customs unions and their implications for governments, non-EU customs unions to which EU law is relevant, and the inter-relation between customs duty and direct tax.




OLAF at the Crossroads


Book Description

The authors offer many insights into the regulatory, operational and institutional opportunities and challenges for OLAF, the European Commission's Anti-Fraud Office. Since OLAF was set up in 1999, significant changes in its functional environment have taken place including in EU criminal law and especially in mutual assistance and substantive criminal law; the reconstruction of Eurojust and Europol through recent Regulations and Memoranda of Cooperation; and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.The authors advance the view that OLAF's current legal framework must address these issues adequately.The approach they take is multi-disciplinary. OLAF is examined here through the prisms of EU politics and national, European and (to some extent) comparative law, focusing not only on the identification of current problems in regulation and procedure but also on its positioning within the context of European integration. Operational issues are then extensively discussed, making this a book for practitioners as well as policy makers and academics.The book addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of anti-fraud actions within both criminal and civil aspects of public law. Although OLAF works within an incomplete EU legal framework and with varying cooperation by national authorities, its staff have devised mechanisms that address some of these issues. Nevertheless, rules covering procedural and operational issues will need to be safeguarded within future legislation.




Research Handbook on the Enforcement of EU Law


Book Description

This comprehensive Research Handbook investigates the success of EU law enforcement processes. Going beyond traditional analyses of administrations and courts in isolation, it focuses on the increased cooperation seen between national and EU authorities, and on the widening variety of means used to enhance compliance with EU norms.




Europe on the Move


Book Description

This collection of essays by a multinational group of authors examines the political, social and economic consequences of the most recent enlargement of the European Union. It does not confine itself to a discussion of the impact on the new member states but also considers the likely effects of this enlargement on the EU itself. These effects include not only the familiar need for new modes of governance but also involve other changes resulting from a process of what has been called mutual learning. These essays analyse various aspects of this process starting with the Constitutional Convention. Sometimes the focus is on the impact on the new members, sometimes on the changes likely to occur in the EU and its older members as a result of this enlargement. The emphasis on change is encapsulated in the book's title, 'Europe on the Move'.