2007 discharge: European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit Eurojust

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by. Christofer FJELLNER (EPP-ED, SE) on discharge to be granted to EUROJUST calling on the European Parliament to grant the administrative director of EUROJUST discharge in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2007.

Noting that EUROJUST’s annual accounts for the financial year 2007 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of EUROJUST’s accounts.

However, they make a number of recommendations as part of the decision on discharge. In addition to the general recommendations appearing in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2008/2207(INI)), MEPs make the following observations:

• the fact that the Court of Auditors indicates that structural problems remain in the areas of EUROJUST’s budget implementation, procurement and recruitment planning;
• because of EUROJUST’s rapid growth and the resulting need for new headquarters, the agency required additional office space in cooperation with the host state which is committed to providing suitable new premises by 2012 (in this regard, MEPs request EUROJUST to include information about progress in the negotiations in its 2008 annual report).

As far as the high level of appropriations carried over is concerned, MEPs note, like the Court of Auditors, that of the EUR 18 million, EUR 5.2 million were carried over, a matter that is of concern to them. They welcome the fact that EUROJUST has introduced a carry-over reduction strategy in 2008.

On the matter of procurement procedures, MEPs regret that the Court of Auditors still found weaknesses, as in the two previous financial years. They welcome the fact that EUROJUST has defined a general procurement plan for 2008 and adopted a decision on the organisation of procurement and related tasks.

As far as recruitment is concerned, MEPs note the Court’s finding that the establishment plan for 2007 provided for 147 posts compared to 112 in 2006, and that, at the end of 2006, only 87 posts had been filled. Although concerned that the Court found that EUROJUST did not manage to recruit the 60 staff necessary to fill the establishment plan in 2007, they welcome the fact that, in 2008, efforts were made to fill the posts (of the 175 posts planned for 2008, 130 had been filled by the end of the 2008 financial year). They also welcome the adoption of a new recruitment policy describing the legal framework, principles, selection process, roles and actors involved.

Regarding the follow-up to the 2006 discharge exercise, MEPs call on EUROJUST to follow up on the Court's recommendations, in particular in the areas of budget implementation, procurement and recruitment. They welcome the conclusion of the Practical Arrangement on arrangements of cooperation between EUROJUST and OLAF on 24 September 2008