2022 discharge: European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust)
The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Administrative Director of the European Union Agency for Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (Eurojust) for the financial year 2022 and to approve the closure of the accounts for that year.
Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the Agency's annual accounts for the financial year 2022 were reliable and that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, Parliament adopted, by 537 votes to 20 with 40 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations which form an integral part of the discharge decision and which complement the general recommendations contained in the resolution on the performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.
Eurojust's financial statements
Eurojust's final budget for the financial year 2022 was EUR 50 183 522, representing a decrease of 5.84 % compared to 2021.
Budgetary and financial management
Budget monitoring efforts resulted in a budget implementation rate of 2022 commitment appropriations of 99.93 %. The execution rate of current year payment appropriations was 89.22 %, representing an increase of 4.64 % compared to 2021.
Parliament noted that various new financing needs emerged during 2022, including salary increases due to high inflation. These financing needs were covered through two amending budgets (of in total EUR 5.7 million) and several budget transfers.
The resolution noted the roll-out by the Agency in 2022 of the Commission’s new financial management and accounting system (SUMMA) and the related technical issues which impacted the Agency’s budget implementation and reporting.
Other observations
Parliament also made a number of observations concerning performance, staff policy and internal controls.
In particular, it noted that:
- the Agency achieved the targets for 47 out of 59 key performance indicators (88 %), representing an increase comparing to 2021 (73 %);
- the number of cases referred to the Agency by the Member States continued to grow, with a total of 11 544 cases handled in 2022 (of which 5 227 were newly opened), which represents a 14 % increase compared to 2021;
- the Agency contributed in providing legal advice, analysis and operations assistance resulting in 941 operational deliverables in support to 528 cases, including with regard to complex cases that led to the arrest of smugglers of people (including migrants), as well as the cracking down on or actions against criminal networks in areas such us money laundering, sexual exploitation, online investment fraud or drug-trafficking;
- the Agency was commended for the actions undertaken in response to the Russian illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022;
- on 31 December 2022, the Agency’s establishment plan was 100 % executed (same as in 2021);
- better geographical and gender balance should be encouraged;
- the Agency’s internal control framework components and principles were present and functioning, and the system was overall effective, with some improvements needed as regards e.g. the implementation of SUMMA and the need to adopt a Disaster Recovery Plan;
- the Agency was commended for investing in its communication activities in order to raise the Agency’s visibility.