2015 discharge: EU general budget, European External Action Service (EEAS)

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European External Action Service (EEAS) for the financial year 2015.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2017/1620 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2015, Section X — European External Action Service.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European External Action Service for the financial year 2015.

This decision is in line with the European Parliament's resolution adopted on 27 April 2017 and comprises a series of observations that form an integral part of the discharge decision (please refer to the summary of the opinion of 27 April 2017).

Amongst Parliament’s main observations in the resolution accompanying the discharge decision, the latter called on the EEAS to remedy certain weaknesses found by the Court in the recruitment procedures of local agents in delegations (i.e. a lack of transparency as regards certain steps of the procedure) and in procurement procedures (notably incorrect appraisals of offers compared to technical specifications or use of the incorrect procurement procedure) organised by delegations.