2018 discharge: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the financial year 2018 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 Authority’s annual accounts for the financial year 2018 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 604 votes to 53 with 36 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 resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

Authority’s financial statements

The final budget of the European Food Safety Authority for the financial year 2018 was EUR 79 183 814.25, representing a slight decrease of 0.47 % compared to 2017.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2018 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, representing a slight increase of 0.02 % compared to 2017. The payment appropriations execution rate was at 91.31 %, representing a decrease of 1 % compared to 2017.

Other observations

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

In particular, they noted that:

- 2018 was the second year of the comprehensive performance-based management approach, of the measurement of the Authority’s performance based on new key performance indicators and of the implementation of the Authority’s Strategy 2020 plan;

- the Authority finalised 788 questions through scientific opinions, technical reports and supporting publications;

- on 31 December 2018, the establishment plan was 97.49 % executed, with 5 officials and 306 temporary agents appointed out of 319 posts authorised under the Union budget;

- the Authority was hit by conflicts of interest problems and a fitness-check was carried out with the aim of assessing how to revise the Authority’s Anti-Fraud Strategy in 2019;

- the Authority shall make efforts in providing Union risk managers with comprehensive, independent and up-to-date scientific advice on questions linked to the food chain, communicating clearly to the public on its outputs and the information on which they are based, and cooperating with interested parties and institutional partners to promote coherence and trust in the Union food safety system.