IN IRELAND's 35-year membership of the European Union the State has been a substantial net beneficiary of EU funds. During that time we have received twice what we have contributed to the EU budget, some €41 billion. And of these financial transfers, €3 out of every €4 have gone to the farming sector.
The European Commission has been criticised heavily for its management and oversight of the annual budget. Indeed, for the last 13 years the European Court of Auditors has refused to sign off on the annual budget accounts. The court, in its criticism, has suggested money has been wasted and that fraud may have occurred. Of course, much of the EU's spending is actually disbursed by national governments.
Not surprisingly, the European Commission has sought to improve matters by making EU spending more transparent and more accountable to the public. Some years ago member states agreed that all EU payments, whether to groups or individuals, should be fully disclosed. This included releasing full details of payments made to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy. At that time 14 states, including Britain and Northern Ireland, already published EU payments to their farmers. Now all 27 members states are required to do so and Ireland is following suit.
Details of payments made under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme and the Early Retirement Scheme were published in recent weeks and by next April what farmers have received under the Single Farm Payment will be revealed also. Quite rightly the European Commission claims that as the payments involve taxpayers' money, they merit full disclosure. Labour TD Willie Penrose, however, has described publication of the payments as a "charter for nosey parkers". His Fine Gael counterpart Michael Ring insists publication will leave vulnerable farmers prey to "roaming gangs of thugs and robbers".
EU citizens, as taxpayers, are the paymasters of the European Union. They have every right to know how their money is spent, whether it is being well spent, who benefits and by how much. Those who receive public money must be held accountable. State payments, whether made to the legal profession for legal aid work or to doctors and pharmacists under the general medical scheme, are fully disclosed. Publication of the data is not seen as infringing a right to privacy. There is no legitimate reason why payments from Europe should be regarded differently.