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

2013/2238(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority in respect of the implementation of the Authority'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 Authority for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 496 votes to 75, with 14 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:

  • Financing, budget and financial management: Parliament noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2012 resulted in an overall budget implementation rate of 90.63%. However, it noted with concern that the payment appropriations execution rate was 67.21%.
  • Carryovers: Parliament regretted that the carry-over of committed appropriations to 2013 was very high for title III (operational expenditure) at 79% of total appropriations even if it acknowledged that this is mainly the result of the complexity and of the lengthy duration of one IT procurement procedure. It also regretted that one contract related to the design of a financial database was subdivided into four lots of EUR 60 000 each, which were all directly awarded to two companies. According to Parliament, an open or restricted procedure should have been applied and that the related commitments and payments are thus irregular.
  • Performance: Parliament requested that the Authority 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 Authority adopted its Ethics Rules in 2011 and established specific provisions for its Stakeholders Groups and Board of Appeal to handle potential conflicts of interests. It called on the Authority to inform the discharge authority whether it intends to review its Ethic Rules on the basis of the Commission's Guidelines.