Kevin Cardiff before the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee.
On the double counting issue, (€3.6 billion) well that’s slightly different. On that I am at the head of the administrative pyramid responsible.
Not entirely, the National Statistics Office also is involved but I have to, as the responsible official say that yes, that was my organisation’s responsibility and therefore mine.
Cardiff just doesn’t have the ability to say – yes, I’m responsible without roping in those below him, the system, politicians or, in this case, the NSO.
But there is no doubt that he is accepting responsibility, without accepting that he should suffer any consequences, of course.