2009 discharge: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work EU-OSHA

The European Parliament adopted by 539 votes to 83, with 28 abstentions a decision to grant discharge to the Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 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: Parliament welcomes the Agency's initiative of launching "foresight" on the safety and health impact of technological innovations in "green jobs" by 2020;
• governance of the Agency: Parliament recalls that the Agency's governance costs are 1.35% of the budget, as it has an 84-member Governing Board and employs 64 staff. It stresses that practical, everyday business of the Agency is run by the 11 Member State Bureau, appointed by the Governing Board;
• carryover appropriations: Parliament is concerned that the Court of Auditors reported once again in 2009 carry-forwards (EUR 3.5 million of the operational activities). This situation indicates delays in the implementation of the Agency's activities and is at odds with the budgetary principle of annuality. Parliament calls on the Agency to reduce the increased cancellation rate and inform the discharge authority of the actions taken;
• internal audit: Parliament supports the idea of developing cooperation within the existing Inter-Agency Accountants Network to come up with common requirements and develop a common methodology for validation of the accounting systems in agencies.