It is an honour for me to be one of Romania's representatives in the European Parliament.

By my entire activity in Brussels and Strasbourg, I promote my country’s and my fellow citizens’ interests. As a full member state of the European Union, Romania can now make its voice heard. And it has friends ready to lend their support.

But the most important thing is that we, Romanians, know our rights and trust the force of our arguments.

I support my colleague, the rapporteur Monica Macovei. She is one of the best possible people to deal with this subject on deferring the discharge for the European Environment Agency, and also the European Food Safety Authority and the European Medicines Agency.

This is a necessary measure because there are problems that have been identified in their financial management.

I am thinking in particular of conflict of interests situations, which are a real problem at European level and in the Member States, including in Romania.

Decision taken in such situations are against the public interest and this does not constitute proper spending of taxpayers' money.

The more than 30000 euros spent on a journey which was very much like a holiday is a glaring example.

As a body responsible for budgetary control, the European Parliament cannot shut its eyes to this sort of thing.

Otherwise, what will happen to citizens' trust in EU institutions?