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European Parliament
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2008 discharge: European Environment Agency EEA

2009/2115(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted by 555 votes to 33, with 57 abstentions, a decision on discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2008. The decision to grant discharge is also an approval of the closure of the accounts of this EU agency. Furthermore, Parliament adopted a resolution with observations which are an integral part of the decision to grant discharge.

The main points are as follows:

  • performance: overall satisfied with the Agency’s performance as outlined in its evaluation report, Parliament calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority of developments in the next external evaluation, for the period 2009-2013. It also calls on it to set out a comparison of operations carried out during the year for which discharge is to be granted and in the previous financial year so as to enable the discharge authority to assess its performance from one year to the next more effectively. It also urges the Agency to provide clarifications in regard to certain grant agreements it has concluded;
  • lease: Parliament notes that a tendering procedure should have been launched for the contract for refitting the premises rented by the Agency instead of paying the costs of a firm chosen by the building’s owners;
  • internal audit: Parliament calls on the Agency to implement the recommendations made by the Internal Audit Service (IAS), in particular in regard to the management of grants and the implementation of the internal control standards.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament approves the closure of the Agency’s accounts. However, it makes 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) adopted in parallel).