EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO APPROVE 1997 ACCOUNTS.

On January 19, the European Parliament adopted the report by Lousewies van der Laan recommending approval of the 1997 accounts (see European Report No 2466 for further details). While the European Parliament has discharged the Commission in respect of the 1997 Budget, it does not intend to relent in its efforts to force improvements from the Executive. It emphasises that the discharge does not mean giving the Commission a blank cheque and that it must fully implement the commitments it has made.During the debate the previous day, Mrs van der Laan, recalled that she expects a proposal for reform of the Technical Assistance Offices (TAOs) for March 31. Illustrating the criticism in her report of external aid, she highlighted the example of Gaza hospital in Palestine...