2016 discharge: EU general budget, European Data Protection Supervisor

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Data Protection Supervisor for the financial year 2016.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2018/1335 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016, Section IX — European Data Protection Supervisor.

CONTENT: the European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the European Data Protection Supervisor in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Data Protection Supervisor for the financial year 2016.

This decision is accompanied by a resolution of the European Parliament containing the observations which form an integral part of the discharge decision in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016 (please refer to the summary dated 18.4.2018).

Parliament welcomed the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Supervisor in the 2016 budget period while expressing support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance-based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning.

In 2016, the Supervisor had a total allocated budget of EUR 9 288 043 and that the implementation rate was 91.93 % (94.66 % in 2015). Parliament noted the decrease of the implementation rate and the Supervisor’s forecast for maintaining this trend in the upcoming years.

Parliament welcomed the launch in 2016 of the Supervisor’s Accountability Initiative, designed to equip all the Union institutions, beginning with the Supervisor as a data controller itself, to lead by example in how the institutions comply and demonstrate compliance with data protection rules.

It welcomed the adoption in 2016 of an equal opportunities strategy and the consideration of measures to improve wellbeing at work. It also expressed the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers.

Parliament encouraged the growing contribution of the Supervisor to solutions driving innovation and ensuring compliance with privacy and data protection rules, especially by increasing transparency, user control and accountability in big data processing. It welcomed the aim of the Supervisor, as set out in the strategy concerning its mandate, to make data protection as simple and effective as possible for all involved.