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

The European Parliament adopted by 552 votes to 32, with 54 abstentions, a decision on discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction 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: Parliament calls 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: Parliament concludes from the annual closure of accounts and the amount of interest payments that the Centre maintains high cash reserves over long periods. It notes that, as of 31 December 2008, the Centre's cash reserves amounted to EUR 1 635 537.86. It calls 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: Parliament calls on the Monitoring Centre to implement the recommendations made by the Internal Audit Service (IAS).

Noting that the Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament approves the closure of its accounts and refers 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).