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2016 discharge: European Environment Agency (EEA)

2017/2151(DEC)

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Bart STAES (Greens/EFA, BE) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2016.

The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Executive Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the agency’s budget for the financial year 2016.

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2016 were reliable and that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, Members called on Parliament to approve the closure of the Agency’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:

  • Agency’s financial statements: the final budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2016 was EUR 50 509 265, representing an increase of 2.75 % compared to 2015. The Agency’s budget derives mainly from the Union budget.
  • Budget and financial management: the budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2016 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 99.9 % and that the payment appropriations execution rate was 89.8 %.
  • Commitments and carry-overs: Members took note that the carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 were at EUR 4 203 111, representing a decrease of EUR 741 628 compared to the previous year (EUR 4 944 739 in 2015). Carry-overs may often be justified and do not necessarily indicate weaknesses in budget planning and implementation.

Members also made a series of observations regarding procurement, staff policy and internal audits and controls.

They stressed that the Commission, in line with the Better Regulation Agenda, initiated in 2016 an evaluation of the Agency and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET), covering the period between mid-2012 and end-2016, the findings of which will be used to assess how well the Agency is performing.