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2014 discharge: Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking for the implementation of the Joint Technology Initiative in aeronautics

2015/2198(DEC)

The European Parliament decided to grant the Executive Director of the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking discharge in respect of the implementation of the Joint Undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2014. The vote on the decision on discharge covers the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex V, Article 5 (1) (a) to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Joint Undertaking’s annual accounts for the financial year 2014 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 520 votes to 111 with 0 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations, which form an integral part of the decision on discharge and which add to the general recommendations set out in the resolution  on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

  • General comment: Parliament noted that the Court of Auditors' report is based on too many general remarks to the detriment of viable, specific ones. It therefore called for an audit with a sharper focus on the annual financial performance, on the implementation status of multiannual projects (including a clear presentation of the implementation of the budget for the respective year and for previous years) and on the results and their implementation. It noted that the Institutions and Bodies are required to produce each year a Report on Budgetary and Financial Management and that the information provided by the Joint Undertaking in this report lacked harmonisation and was often incomplete. It called on the Commission to provide guidance as to the nature and content of the report.
  • Budget and financial management: Parliament noted that the Joint Undertaking's final budget for 2014 amounted to EUR 229 241 765, including EUR 27 640 836 of unused appropriations carried forward from 2013. It also noted that the Joint Undertaking implemented 82.58% of commitment appropriations. It regretted the limited amount of information regarding in-kind/cash contributions provided by the Court's report. It called on the Court of Auditors to include, in future reports, provisions regarding the evaluation procedure and the level of in-kind/cash paid contributions for FP7 and Horizon 2020, which should be presented separately. It noted that private members can provide their in-kind contribution in two ways under the Horizon 2020 programme.

Parliament also provided a series of observations on conflicts of interest in the joint undertaking, procurement procedures, the undertaking's legal framework, and auditing.

Parliament welcomed the publication by the Joint Undertaking of the Report on the Socio-Economic Impact of the Clean Sky Activities and the signature of a memorandum of cooperation with SESAR Joint Undertaking, aimed at strengthening links and reinforcing synergies.

Lastly, it welcomed the achievements, as early as 2014, of some of the important demonstrators of the Clean Sky Programme, under FP7 financing, such as the Large Engines Demonstrator.