b'4.3. Recording expenditure - The EU will not provide and cannot produce a clean set of accounts46The European Court of Auditors (ECA) hasdemonstrate clearly that Europe is not the regularly identified material levels ofsource of problems, but the solution. irregularity, or errors in EU spending.47 The estimated level of error in payments madeMr van Rompuy has been described as from the EU budget was, 3.8% in 2015, 3.1%having the charisma of a low grade bank in 2016, and 2.4% in 2017 - all significantlyclerk.49But, surely, the lowliest grade bank above the 2% materiality threshold.48Beforeclerk knows better than to seek to influence 1994, the ECA did not issue an annualauditors! If the EU were a financial institution Statement of Assurance on EU accounts atin the United States, Von Rompuy would be all.subject to prosecution and a prison term. Inappropriately, astoundingly, the then President of the EU Council, Herman Van4.4. Our post offices are closing downRompuy, sought to influence the auditors. Van Rompuy said to the ECA: Your reportsIn recent years, more and more post offices are not released into a void but into thein the UK have closed. This has been a rough and tumble of political life and mediacalamity for many communities, as rural reporting. He continued: In the endpost offices had often been their major we are all responsible for Europe and itsmailing hub. With public transport extremely image. In times of crisis, it is more vital thanlimited in rural areas, many now face costly ever to foster confidence. We should alsocar and taxi journeys to reach their nearest be teaching, to convince Europeans andpost office. This is a direct consequence49'