2010 discharge: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2010 and the balance sheet at 31 December 2010 of the European Food Safety Authority, as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Authority for the financial year 2010, accompanied by the Authority's replies to the Court's observations, the Council recommends the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Executive Director of the Authority in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2010.

However, the Council considers that observations made in the Court of Auditor's report call for a certain number of remarks:

• the Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, in all material respects, the Authority's annual accounts fairly present the financial position as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Authority's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for that financial year are legal and regular;
• as regards the review process of the Declarations of Interest of the Management Board's Members, the Councils shares the Court's opinion that a more rigorous methodology should be adopted in order to improve the completeness and transparency of this procedure;
• it also urges the Authority to correct the weaknesses identified in its staff selection procedures.