2020 discharge: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the financial year 2020 and to approve the closure of the accounts for that year.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurance that the Agency's annual accounts for the financial year 2020 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted, by 559 votes to 73 with 11 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations which form an integral part of the discharge decision and which complement the general recommendations set out in the resolution on the performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.

Agency’s financial statements

The Agency's final budget for the financial year 2020 was EUR 96 724 337.95 representing a slight decrease of 0.07 % compared to 2019.

Budgetary and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2020 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 98.89 %, representing a slight decrease of 0.33 % compared to 2019 and a payment appropriations execution rate of 96.08 %, representing also a slight decrease of 0.36 %.

Other observations

Parliament also made a number of observations concerning performance, staff policy, conflicts of interest and Covid-19

In particular, it noted that:

- the Agency experienced some limitations on its planned activities in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic;

- on 31 December 2020, the establishment plan was 97.64 % fulfilled, with 207 officials and temporary agents appointed out of 212 officials and temporary agents authorised under the Union budget. The Agency should once again try to ensure gender balance in staff and senior management;

- the Agency reviewed its procedure and guidelines related to the identification and management of conflicts of interest of selection committee members. The new procedure was implemented in early 2020 and ensures a proper reporting and management of potential conflicts of interest and a fair and transparent recruitment process;

- the Agency was able to adapt quickly to the Covid-19 crisis and was able to continue providing its stakeholders with the range and quality of services they expect.