2008 discharge: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Véronique MATHIEU (EPP, FR) on discharge to be granted to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, calling on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the Centre in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2008.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of its accounts. However, they make a number of recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI):

• performance: Members call on the Centre to consider making a Gantt diagram part of the programming for each of its operational activities, with a view to indicating in concise form the amount of time spent by each staff member on a project and encouraging an approach geared towards achieving results;
• budgetary and financial management: Members conclude from the annual closure of accounts and the amount of interest payments that the Centre maintains high cash reserves over long periods. They note that as of 31 December 2008 the Centre's cash reserves amounted to EUR 1 635 537,86. They call on the Commission to examine ways of ensuring that the principle of needs-based cash management is implemented to the full and what changes in approach are needed to ensure that the Centre's cash reserves are kept as low as possible on a long-term basis;
• internal audit: Members call on the Monitoring Centre to implement the recommendations made by the Internal Audit Service (IAS).