2009 discharge: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC

The European Parliament adopted by 505 votes to 74, with 37 abstentions a decision on discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2009.

Noting that the Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2009 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament approves the closure of the Centre’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 resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies - see DEC/2010/2271):

·         performance: Parliament underlines the importance of the Centre and welcomes its contribution to measures combating the H1N1 virus pandemic in 2009. Its responsibilities should be strengthened so that the Union has its own capacity to assess the seriousness of risk of infection. Parliament also observes that, in 2009, the Centre developed a large number of products and services in the areas of the epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and control of contagious diseases;

·         carryover of appropriations: Parliament is concerned that, already in 2006, the Court of Auditors reported a high level of carryovers for the Centre and that the appropriations carried forward from 2008, amounting to EUR 2.2 million, had to be cancelled. It also notes that, in 2009, appropriations carried forward represented 42 % of Title II – Administrative expenditure and 63 % of Title III – Operational expenditure. It calls therefore on the Centre to inform the discharge authority of the measures taken to redress this deficiency;

·         the Centre’s seat: Parliament welcomes the fact that, finally, a Seat Agreement was signed by the Chair's Management Board and the Swedish Minister for Public Health and Elderly Care, as well as an accompanying change in the law to enable the Centre's staff and their families to be included in Sweden's population register.