2009 discharge: European GNSS Supervisory Authority GSA

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Georgios STAVRAKAKIS (S&D, EL) on discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European GNSS Supervisory Authority in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2009.

Noting that the Authority’s annual accounts for the financial year 2009 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of the Authority’s 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 DEC/2010/2271):

• budgetary and financial management: Members welcome the fact that most of the activities and assetsrelated to the EGNOS and Galileo programmes were transferred to theCommission in December 2009 and note that the remaining part of the activities and assetswere to be transferred in 2010. They also note like the Court of Auditors that there were irregularities in the grants procedure for the Framework Programme/Galileo/Call 1 (EUR 17.5 million). They also deplore that the final budget published by the Authority on 31 March 2010 did notreflect the final budget for 2009 approved by the Administrative Board and didnot include its revenue and call on the Authority to remedy the situation;
• human resources: Members criticise the deficiencies in staff selection procedures which put at risk the transparency of these procedures, and remarked upon by the Court of Auditors in its report. The call on the Authority to remedy the situation by improving its selection procedures and also stress the need to remedy deficiencies which infringe the principle of equal treatment in the application of the eligibility criteria in recruitment procedures open to both internal and external candidates;
• internal audit: Members acknowledge that the Internal Audit Service (IAS) conducted its internal audit in November 2007 and its follow-up audits in October 2008 and December 2009. They note that the two remaining important IAS recommendations yet to be implemented relate to sensitive posts and job descriptions.