The Court of Auditors sees “room for improvement” in the design of plans for the prevention, detection, correction and prosecution of fraud for all entities participating in the execution of the Next Generation Funds.
This is one of the conclusions drawn from the Court’s report on measures for the prevention, detection and correction of fraud approved by state public sector entities within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The document, whose scope of inspection extends until May 31, 2022, reveals some incidents in the operation of the system created for the governance of the PRTR.
Entity analysis
The Court of Auditors has analyzed the Anti-Fraud Plans (PA) of 75 bodies and entities of the state public sector approved on May 31, 2022. Of the 75 entities analyzed, 64 had a plan and the remaining 11 entities were in an advanced process of implantation.
The institution values a “high degree of implementation” of these anti-fraud plans in the state public sector. But it also points out that “in general, the development of these measures has had a limited scope, because the period provided for in the regulations for entities to have a PA has been excessively short.”
According to the report, this rapid implementation has been the reason that entities did not have a system sufficiently developed to face the risks that would be assumed in the management of European funds.
The organization recognizes that in the anti-fraud plans analyzed, most of the essential measures are present, but there was still room for improvement. 66% of these plans focus on the management of the Recovery Plan funds exclusively, without extending it to all of its management.
The anti-fraud commitment is “eroded”
In the opinion of the Court of Auditors, this could “erode” the credibility of the anti-fraud commitment among citizens and workers of the entities. That is why it has been recorded that a true anti-fraud culture also requires a subsequent process of review and internalization by the affected people, through appropriate training.
To improve fraud control, the agency recommends that the diversity of approved anti-fraud plans be integrated into the common framework of the National Anti-Fraud Strategy (ENA), which will allow the application of anti-fraud measures to be generalized to all economic activities, regardless of the origin of funds than financial institutions and fit PAs into global integrity policies.
But it is not the only audit report relating to European funds that the Court of Auditors has prepared. A second document analyzes the measures adopted within the general administration of the State for the implementation of the Recovery Plan.
Criticisms of the computer program
The report highlights that the “slower than expected development” of the PRTR’s IT management and monitoring system, called COFFEE-MRR, has led to “delays in the loading of projects in said system, its lack of interoperability with other applications and the absence of use as an instrument for risk analysis.”
Furthermore, in relation to this system, the Court of Accounts recommends that it allows the preparation, in an automated manner, of the reports provided for in the regulations, facilitates effective execution data in terms of the hits and expenses undertaken and integrates the information. necessary to carry out risk analysis and identify the beneficiaries of the aid, contractors and subcontractors.
It also warns the agency that the execution reports published on the website to present the progress of the Recovery Plan provide information in “excessively general” terms about the status of implementation of investments and reforms, according to Europa Press.
Governance system
In this framework, it is recommended to continue with the coordination process between the PRTR management departments and between them and the responsible authority. On the other hand, it is suggested that all the information provided for in the Communication Manual prepared by the responsible authority be included on the websites of the different ministerial departments.
In this same report, the organization has highlighted some incidents in the operation of the system created for the governance of the Recovery Plan, as well as incidents in the coverage of personnel needs that arose to address the management of the plan with pre-existing human resources. . in the Administration.
These incidents have occurred, the Court notes, in the Technical Committee, which has not carried out part of its functions of coordination and support for the management of the ministries and, in some cases, have been assumed by the managers themselves or by specialized bodies. . two due to subject matter, such as the General Intervention of the State Administration or the Public Procurement Advisory Board.
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