2011 discharge: European GNSS Agency (GSA)

Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2011 and the balance sheet at 31 December 2011 of the European GNSS Agency, as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2011, accompanied by the Agency's replies to the Court's observations, the Council recommends the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Executive Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2011.

The observations in the Court of Auditors' report in relation to the financial year 2011 call for some comments by the Council, which may be summarised as follows:

• the Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, in all material respects, the Agency's annual accounts present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2011 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Agency's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for that financial year are legal and regular;
• nevertheless, the Council urges the Agency to implement tighter controls in order to ensure an effective verification of the expenditure claimed by the beneficiaries of grants under the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes for Research and Development. Moreover, it takes note of the Agency's plan to recover most of the amounts incorrectly disbursed and will pay the utmost attention to its implementation;
• the Council notes with interest the recent implementation of improved financial procedures aimed at reducing payment delays and encourages the Agency to pursue its efforts to address the shortcomings detected by the Court in its staff recruitment procedures.