Executive Agencies: standard financial regulation

The Committee on Budgets adopted a report drafted by Ingeborg GRÄSSLE (EPP-ED, DE), and made some amendments, in the framework of the consultation procedure to the draft Commission regulation amending Regulation (EC) N° 1653/2004 on a standard financial regulation for the executive agencies pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) N° 58/2003 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes.

The main amendments were as follows:

• a new recital states that, in consideration of the difference in deadlines for the European Parliament's discharge decision in respect of the general budget, which is 15 May of year n+2, and its discharge decision in respect of the executive agencies, which is 29 April of year n+2, all actors involved should try to avoid difficulties in practice and strive for a harmonisation of the legal bases;
• the Commission shall ensure that the standard financial regulation for EAs deviates from the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities only if the specific operating requirements of the executive agencies so require;
• the appropriations available at 31 December arising from the assigned revenue shall be carried over automatically. The appropriations available corresponding to assigned revenue carried over must be used first;
• the summary of the budgets and amending budgets shall contain certain prescribed  items;
• Members clarified the duty of publication, so that the budgetary authority can gain a genuine overview of the development of the agency’s budget. They ensured that ‘reasons for confidentiality’ are allowed, but that they do not lead to evasion of the fundamental duty of publication;
• it is stressed that the authorising officer (i.e. the director of the agency) continues to be ultimately responsible; the fact that he has delegated the task does not mean that he has delegated the responsibility;
• the budgetary authority should be enabled to monitor the use of external experts by the executive agencies.