2010 discharge: Euratom Supply Agency (ESA)

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Monica Luisa MACOVEI (EPP, RO) on discharge to be granted to the Director-General of the Euratom Supply Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2010.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of Agency for the financial year 2010 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Members approve the closure of the Agency’s accounts. However, they make 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 draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

Statutes: Members note that in 2010 the Agency did not receive any subsidy to cover its operations and that the Commission bore all expenses incurred by the Agency for the implementation of its budget and that this situation has persisted since the creation of the Agency in 2008. They reiterate that in the absence of an autonomous budget, the Agency is de facto integrated into the Commission and that this situation is at odds with its Statutes.

They also note, however, that by letter of 31 March 2011 the Director-General acknowledged the abovementioned problem and detailed the actions taken as requested by the discharge authority. They note in particular that, in order to resolve this situation, an agreement has been reached to propose the reestablishment of a specific budget line for the Agency in the general budget of the European Union for 2012.

Lastly, they consider that once adopted by the Union budgetary authorities, this would represent a major achievement in addressing the current concerns.