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2015 discharge: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

2016/2164(DEC)

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Inés AYALA SENDER (S&D, ES) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction for the financial year 2015.

The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Centre’s Director discharge in respect of the implementation of the Centre’s budget for the financial year 2015.

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the Centre for the financial year 2015 were reliable and that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, Members called on Parliament to approve the closure of the Centre’s accounts. They made, however, a number of recommendations that needed to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

  • Centre’s financial statements: the final budget of the European Monitoring Centre for the financial year 2015 was EUR 18 519 843, representing an increase of 18.15 % compared to 2014. This increase was mainly due to the Centre’s own revenue, including the sale of premises, of EUR 5 million and the assigned revenue (IPA 5) of EUR 600 000. The payment appropriations execution rate was 97.35 %, representing an increase of 2.42 % compared to 2014.

Members also made a series of observations regarding the commitments and carry-overs, procurement and recruitment procedures, the prevention and management of conflicts of interests and internal audits and controls.

Members also evoked the anti-fraud strategy and stated that the Centre adopted in June 2016 an anti-fraud strategy which develops the measures that were already in place for awareness raising on staff ethics and on gifts and hospitality offered by third parties.

Lastly, they noted with satisfaction the Centre’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation with other Union agencies, particularly those working in Justice and Home Affairs and in the health field. They highlighted the success of the Centre in its different missions and recommended the development and implementation of a much longer-term strategy.