2017 discharge: Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT) for the financial year 2017 and to approve the closure of the accounts for the financial year in question.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 506 votes to 124 with 5 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 draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

Centre’s financial statements

Members noted that the final budget of the Centre for the financial year 2017 was EUR 49 429 100, representing a decrease of 2.27 % compared to 2016.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 93.12 %, representing an increase of 3.75 % compared to the previous year. Payment appropriations execution rate was 85.40 %, representing an increase of 3.21% compared to the previous year. Parliament noted the relatively high level of cancelled carryovers in 2017 amounting to EUR 317 986.20 and still representing 8.76 % of the total amount carried over, despite a decrease of 1.34 % in comparison to 2016.

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

In particular, they noted that:

- the implementation rate of the Centre’s amended work programme for 2017 was 87.7 %;

- the new pricing structure for the translation of documents was appreciated;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 96.9 % executed, with 189 officials or temporary agents appointed out of 195 temporary agents and officials authorised under the Union budget;

- the Centre adopted a policy on preventing harassment;

- although the Centre is not fee financed, it depends on revenue received from its clients, who are represented on the Centre’s management board, and that there is therefore a risk of conflicts of interests regarding the pricing of the Centre’s products which could be solved if the Commission collected the fees on behalf of the Centre’s clients and would prompt the Centre to be mainly funded from the Union budget. The Centre is called on to report to the discharge authority on measures taken in order to mitigate such a risk.