2012 discharge: European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)

Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2012 and the balance sheet at 31 December 2012 of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Authority for the financial year 2012, 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 2012.

The observations in the Court of Auditors' report in relation to the financial year 2012 call for some comments by the Council, which may be summarised as follows:

• in general, the Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, in all material respects, the Authority's annual accounts present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2012 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Authority's Financial Regulation and the accounting rules adopted by the Commission's accounting officer, and that the underlying transactions for that financial year are legal and regular.
• Procurement: notwithstanding this favourable opinion, the Council regrets the weaknesses found by the Court in one of the audited procurement procedures. It insists on the full respect by the Authority of the procurement rules foreseen in the Financial Regulation. It also urges the Authority to improve its financial management by launching procurement procedures in good time before the end of the budgetary year, in order to limit carry-overs of appropriations to the following year to the minimum necessary, in line with the budgetary principle of annuality.
• Tangible assets: the Council encourages the Authority to improve the procedures and the documentation relating to the verification of its tangible assets.