2014 discharge: European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in respect of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2014.

NON LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2016/1501 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Aviation Safety Agency for the financial year 2014.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to the Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2014.

This decision is in line with the European Parliament's resolution adopted on 28 April 2016 and comprises a series of observations that form an integral part of the discharge decision (please refer to the summary of the opinion of 28 April 2016).

Amongst Parliament’s main observations in the resolution accompanying the discharge decision, the latter noted with concern that, since 2004, when the Agency became operational, it has been working merely on the basis of correspondence and exchanges with the host Member State. It called on the Agency and the host Member State to address this issue as a matter of the utmost urgency and to inform the discharge authority of the progress of the negotiations.

It reiterated the Agency's vital role in ensuring the highest possible level of aviation safety throughout Europe (notably following the disappearance of MH370, the dramatic accident of MH17, the crash of Air Asia QZ8501 and the radar interferences over Central Europe).