2018 discharge: EU general budget, European Data Protection Supervisor
The European Parliament decided by 626 votes to 56, with 9 abstentions to grant discharge to the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) in respect of the implementation of the EDPS budget for the financial year 2018.
In the resolution accompanying its discharge decision (adopted by 628 votes to 56, with 8 abstentions), the European Parliament made a series of comments:
Budgetary and financial management
In its report on the EDPS's annual accounts for the financial year 2018, the Court of Auditors found no significant weaknesses in the audited areas of human resources and public procurement. The Court concluded that all payments for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 for the EDPS's administrative expenditure were free from material error and that the supervisory and control systems examined were effective.
Parliament welcomed the overall prudent and sound financial management shown by the EDPS. The EDPS made a clear distinction between 'current' and 'new' activities. The increase in new activities is mainly due to the establishment of a new EU entity, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which became operational as of 25 May 2018.
In 2018, the EDPS had a total budget of EUR 14 449 068 (compared to EUR 11 324 735 in 2017), which represents an increase of 27.59 % compared to the 2017 budget (budget increase of 21.93 % between 2016 and 2017). Members welcomed the fact that 93.7% of all appropriations were committed before the end of 2018, compared to 89% in 2017. However, they noted with concern that in terms of payment appropriations, budget implementation amounted to 75.2% of all appropriations (compared to 77% in 2017). They reiterated the need for budget estimates in order to ensure an efficient budgetary performance in the coming years.
Staff
Recognising that 2018 was a crucial year for the EDPS due to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General data protection regulation), Parliament noted that the new tasks and responsibilities arising from the GDPR will require additional resources in the future. With regard to staff recruitment planning, the EDPS called for a moderate increase of six staff members as part of the preparation for the establishment of the GDPR.
However, Members asked the EDPS to analyse the situation in relation to potential efficiency gains arising solely from reorganisation and reallocation of tasks.
Other comments
The EDPS was invited, inter alia, to:
- inform Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control of all results achieved in terms of transparency and enhanced cooperation between European data protection authorities;
- make progress in establishing a coherent policy for the digitisation of its services;
- present detailed information on the achievements related to the ethical framework in the next annual activity report and to pay particular attention to the issue of whistleblower protection at the next awareness-raising session organised for all staff;
- provide answers to the issue of the potential misuse of digital data in the light of the scandal concerning the misuse of Facebook data by Cambridge Analytica and the growing evidence of illegal interference in elections;
- assess ways of improving the system of availability of CVs and declarations of interests of supervisors in consultation with other EU institutions and bodies;
- ensure the publication and regular updating of all its guidelines and procedures relating to the Ethics Framework on its website;
- provide more detailed information on concrete measures on how to improve well-being at work.
In general, Parliament highlighted the work achieved in recent years on issues such as performance-based budgeting, the ethical framework and the many related rules and procedures, enhanced communication activities and the increasing number of measures to improve transparency. It underlined the importance of collaboration and of sharing of experience among Union institutions and bodies and suggested that an analysis be made of the possibility of formalised networking activities in different domains in order to share best practises and to develop common solutions.