Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
Please fill in this field to find a procedure

2013 discharge: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

2014/2090(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted by 556 votes to 133, with 4 abstentions, a decision to grant discharge to the Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) for the financial year 2013. 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 2013 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 574 votes to 107, with 7 abstentions, a resolution containing a number of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

  • Agency’s financial statements: Parliament noted that the final budget of the Centre for the financial year 2013 was EUR 16 308 171.83 representing a decrease of 0.05% compared to 2012. The overall contribution of the Union to the Centre's budget for 2013 amounted to EUR 15.55 million, representing a decrease of 0.01% compared to 2012.
  • Commitments and carry-overs: Parliament noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2013 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 99.73% and that the payment appropriations execution rate was 97.71%, representing a slight decrease of 0.1% compared to 2012. It took note of the Centre’s compliance with the principle of annuality and the timely execution of its budget.

Parliament also made a series of observations on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest as well as internal audits.

As regards the reliability of accounts, Parliament noted that the Centre launched a procurement procedure to rent office equipment over a four year period and that the technical requirements were subject to a significant modification during the course of the procedure. It regretted that the information published on the contract’s price structure was not sufficiently clear, which led to a misinterpretation by one bidder who therefore had a smaller chance of being awarded the contract. It called on the Centre to nonetheless improve its procurement processes and to report to the discharge authority on the measures taken.

Lastly, Parliament noted that the “Cais do Sodre Relogio” building remains mostly unused as only a few expressions of interest for leasing the building materialised into concrete proposals. It acknowledged that negotiations for a short-term lease are currently ongoing with an offer well below the renting costs endured by the Centre and that it is negotiating with the building’s landlord for a possible reduction of the rent in order to neutralise rental costs as much as possible. It called on the Centre to inform the discharge authority about future developments once more information is available.