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2015 discharge: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

2016/2172(DEC)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2015.

The vote on the decision on discharge covers the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex IV, 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 Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2015 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 510 votes to 98 with 14 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.

These recommendations may be summarised as follows:

  • Agency’s financial statements: Parliament noted that the final budget of the Agency for the financial year 2015 was EUR 54 611 883, representing an increase of 4.21 % compared to 2014.
  • Budget and financial management: It took note that the Agency restructured its budget structure in 2014 with effect on budget 2015 to better support the business needs of the Agency. It observed that the second phase of the restructuring will have an effect on the budget in 2016 and invited the Agency to inform the discharge authority on the practical impact and efficiencies gained with the new budget structure.

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

It stated that the Agency has cooperated extensively on the operational level, in the field of maritime monitoring, surveillance and information sharing, with other Union agencies and bodies (EFCA, Frontex, EU NAVFOR, MAOC-N), in order to capitalise on existing expertise and services in mutually beneficial ways. Since December 2014, the Agency has been hosting the Business Continuity Facility of the Fusion for Energy Joint Undertaking (F4E) in Madrid. It has continued cooperating with European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) so that it can also use the Agency’s business continuity centre.

Parliament acknowledged the fact that it has worked closely with European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) with a view to increasing effectiveness, efficiency and saving costs, given the geographical proximity of the agencies.

Migration policy: Parliament highlighted the Agency’s contribution to maritime safety, the prevention of pollution from ships as well as from offshore installations for gas and oil exploitation in Europe, and the assistance provided to Member States and the Commission under international and Union law.

It reaffirmed that the Agency should be given the financial, material and human resources it needs in order to perform its tasks effectively, including when dealing with critically important activities outside its mandate, i.e. contribution to the refugee crisis in the form of “know-how”, operational support and involvement of staff of the Agency.