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European Parliament
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2009 discharge: European Maritime Safety Agency EMSA

2010/2176(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted by 529 votes to 75, with 31 abstentions a decision to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency for implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2009.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2009 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 resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies - see DEC/2010/2271):

  • budget transfers: Parliament considers it a matter of concern that the Court of Auditors has again noted a high number of budget transfers in 2009 and urges the Agency to improve its planning and monitoring in order to reduce the number of budget transfers;
  • a posteriori commitments: Parliament calls on the Agency to further reduce the number of a posteriori commitments (i.e. legal commitments that were entered into before the corresponding budgetary commitments were made);
  • procurement procedure: Parliament urges the Agency to correctly apply procurement procedures and notes with satisfaction that in the Annual Report of 2009 the Agency has included a specific Annex on negotiated procedures, in order to inform the budgetary authority;
  • human resources: Parliament urges the Agency to redress the present weaknesses, namely : the lack of respect for the anonymity of candidates completing written tests, the lack of compliance with the predefined criteria, and the inconsistency of criteria for short-listing candidates;
  • internal audit: Parliament notes that the Agency does not employ a full time Internal Audit Capability (IAC) but shares the IAC with the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA). It considers this shared service to be a best practice that should be promoted among other Agencies.