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2009 discharge: European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders FRONTEX

2010/2182(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted by 518 votes to 86, with 39 abstentions a decision on discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) 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):

  • Performance: noting the adoption of a multiannual plan for the 2010-2013 period, Parliament calls on FRONTEX to promptly establish a link between its work programme and its financial forecasts. Parliament welcomes the Agency's initiative of launching, in 2009, the so-called "Frontex Performance Management System" to better inform the Agency's Governing Board by providing it with data on the impact of the agency operations. It urges the Agency to provide information on the impact of its operations and to inform the discharge authority thereof;
  • Cooperation with the Member States: Parliament calls on the Agency to improve its financial management with regard to the reimbursement of costs incurred by Member States by identifying, with those Member States, the roots of the problem;
  • Carryovers and cancellations of appropriations: once again, Parliament is concerned at the high level of carryovers and cancellations since 2006. It urges the Agency to improve the level of use of appropriations by putting in place appropriate instructions and procedures for the analysis of potential carry-forwards to reduce to a minimum the volume of appropriations carried over. The Agency should improve the programming and the monitoring of activities. Parliament sees the high level of carry-overs and cancellations as indicative of the inability of the Agency to manage such a large increase in its budget. It, therefore, wonders whether it would not be more responsible for the budgetary authorities to take greater care in future when deciding on increases in the Agency's budget in the light of the time needed to carry out the new activities. It calls on the Agency therefore to provide it with fuller details on the feasibility of future commitments;
  • Grant management: for the second consecutive year, the Agency paid out amounts on the basis of unilateral grant decisions that it itself had signed, while the rules in force make no provision for this type of instrument (in 2009, more than EUR 28 million and, in 2008, EUR 17 million). Criticising this situation, Parliament welcomes the initiative taken by the Agency to sign a partnership agreement with the member States’ border authorities;
  • Accuracy of the operational budget: Parliament notes with concern the overstatement by 27% of the costs for pre-financing to border authorities in the 8 cases audited. It also notes that, for the activities which ended in 2009, more than 40 recovery orders had to be issued to recover advances made in excess;
  • Human resources: Parliament notes that the Agency has improved its recruitment policy with a series of measures including the introduction of an e-recruitment tool.