Protection of financial interests of the EU and its citizens necessitates an integrated programme. Tamás Deutsch MEP

At the Hearing, Tamás Deutsch declared that after the Lisbon Treaty came into effect, a new era started regarding the regulation of the Protection of the Community's Financial Interests. "The new Treaty, the start of the new financial perspectives in 2014, together with the economic and financial crisis, create an exceptional opportunity to strengthen the institutional and legal framework of the protection of the European Union's financial interests", he said.

He suggested to implement the PFI2015 programme, which would re-think the Community's criminal law Regulation and modify the Directives regarding the institutions applying these laws. After these changes, the European Union will have a stronger and more efficient institutional background in order to fight more effectively against fraud and corruption.

Tamás Deutsch concluded the discussion and stated that the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control is willing to revise the two dossiers blocked by the Council and also to accept them as soon as possible, in order to move forward with the two proposals in the legislative procedures.

Speakers at the Hearing included: Kęstutis Sadauskas, Head of Cabinet of Algirdas Šemeta, European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud, Lothar Kuhl from OLAF's Planning and Policy Department, Ákos Farkas, Director of the Institute of Criminal Law Sciences at the University of Miskolc, and Rosaria Sicurella from the Faculty of Law, University of Catania.