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2012 discharge: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)

2013/2233(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2012. The vote on the discharge decision approved the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex VI, Article 5(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament.

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 503 votes to 66, with 16 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.

These recommendations are summarised as follows:

  • Budget and financial management: Parliament noted that the budget implementation rates for the year 2012 were satisfactory but the rate of committed appropriations carried over was high due to the multiannual nature of significant IT development projects and the start of two new activities, Biocides and PIC in the second half of 2012. It recalled that the Agency received Union subsidies of EUR 4.2 million from the Commission, as well as a pre-financing sum of EUR 500 000 from DG Environment as contractual compensation for undertaking preparatory activities for the Regulation on Biocide Products and IPA pre-financing amounting to EUR 0.2 million. It noted that for the second consecutive year, the Agency did not receive any contribution from the Union budget in 2012 in compliance with the REACH and CLP Regulation and that budgetary revenue from fees and charges in terms of cash received amounted to EUR 26.6 million.
  • Performance: Parliament expected that the Agency provides the Commission, Parliament and the Council with a detailed analysis on possible measures to improve the implementation of REACH in order to: (i) reduce administrative burden for businesses, (ii) reduce uncertainty in the authorisation process, i.e. measures that will make the outcome of REACH procedures more predictable, (iii) improve the proportionality of REACH procedures including considerations on limiting the scope of analyses of alternative substances, (iv) ensure confidence in REACH procedures, including considerations on the avoidance of retroactive charging in the context of joint submissions and lead registrants, (v) improve legal clarity, including considerations on the definition of criteria for the admissibility of joint submissions. Parliament also requested that the Agency communicate the results and impact its work has on European citizens in an accessible way, mainly through its website.

Parliament also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls.

Lastly, it acknowledged that the Agency will include information and statistics on the management of conflicts of interests in its 2013 annual activity report.