EUROPEAN UNION BUDGET

That this House expresses concern that the European Court of Auditors has refused to approve the EU budget for the thirteenth consecutive year; notes that the Court's report for 2006 states that `errors of legality and regularity still persist in the majority of EU expenditure due to weaknesses in internal control systems both at the Commission and in member states'; is appalled by the calculations by Open Europe showing that the areas of expenditure on which the Court has been given an adverse opinion account for 57 per cent. of the overall budget; further notes the implications that of the UK's £10.5 billion contribution to the EU budget per year, £6 billion is open to fraud; and believes that the lack of accountability for EU spending is unacceptable.