2011 discharge: Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)

The European Parliament adopted a decision on discharge to be granted to the Administrative Manager of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) in respect of the implementation of the Body’s budget for the financial year 2011. The vote on the decision to grant discharge covers the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex VI, Article 5(1) of the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure).

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Body for the financial year 2011 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted a resolution containing 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:

• Financing, budget and financial management: Parliament recalls that the overall budget of the Body for the financial year 2011, EUR 1 178 785,60, was entirely funded by a Union contribution.
• Implementation rate of appropriations and carryovers: it recalls that appropriations were committed at a rate of 63.4%, while payments reached a level of 70.1% of the total appropriations managed (or 44.5% of available appropriations). It also notes with concern that the Court of Auditors identified 21 cases where appropriations carried over to 2012 did not correspond to legal commitments and that those carryovers were, therefore, irregular.
• Recruitment procedures: Parliament notes that the Court’s observation that there is a need to improve the transparency of recruitment procedures and calls on the Office to follow up this issue and to report to the discharge authority on the actions taken.

Lastly, Parliament made a series of observations as regards its internal control standards.