2015 discharge: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in respect of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2015.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2017/1687 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Maritime Safety Agency for the financial year 2015.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to the Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency for the implementation of its budget 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, it noted with satisfaction that the Agency's administrative board adopted in 2015 a fraud prevention and detection strategy which is based upon the methodology and guidance for anti-fraud strategy presented by OLAF as well as upon the Anti-Fraud Strategy of the Commission's DG MOVE.

On the other hand, it noted with concern that the Agency has not taken specific initiatives in order to increase transparency relating to its contacts with stakeholders and lobbyists. The Agency is called upon to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy.

The Agency is encouraged to collaborate with other European Agencies regarding the refugee crisis. Parliament highlighted that the Agency's ‘know-how’ and in-house capabilities provide the opportunity to expand its action and service provision to a more global scale, thereby contributing to increasing the reach of Union regulatory frameworks and safety and environmental standards.