Why would they give money to anyone who couldn’t prove that they’d spent it on what they say they had. You don’t need accounting systems of international standards to prove that you’ve spent money on something. A photocopy of an invoice is enough isn’t it?

The accounts are qualified by the auditors because member states provide inadequate documentation and controls over the handing out of development grants (e.g. the EU provides €400m to Slovakia for development projects, the Slovaks say “we’ve spent the €400m on this, this and this but our accounting controls aren’t up to international standards”, and hence the EU’s auditors aren’t able to sign off that the Slovaks have spent the money properly).

This doesn’t mean that the money has been stolen (or even wasted, come to that) by snout-troughing Eurocrats…

See for example EU accounts failed for 13th [consecutive] year.

Not to mention the NAO qualifying the accounts of our very own Home Office and Department for Work and Pensions.

It’s rather frightening that one could channel away so many funds surreptitiously.