2000 discharge: European Agency for reconstruction financial accounts, aid for Kosovo

PURPOSE : to present the Council Recommendation on the discharge to be given to the Director of the European Agency for Reconstruction for the financial yer 2001. CONTENT : the Council Recommendation authorises the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2000 In addition, the Council: - welcomes the fact that the Court has been able to record a statement of assurance in respect of the reliability of the Agency's accounts for the financial year 2000, and in respect of the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions as a whole. - is pleased to note that the Court considers the efficiency of the Agency's services and the budgetary management during this financial year to have been of a high standard. - acknowledges the efforts made by the Agency, which have resulted in the S12 computerised system for budgetary accounting being fully operational since the end of 2001, as requested by the Court in its report. - welcomes the efforts made by the Agency and its staff to achieve in its first year of activity most of the ambitious objectives it had set itself for 2000. While this problem cannot be attributed to the Agency, the Council is nonetheless concerned at the real sustainability of the investments made, which can only be guaranteed once a global policy and a medium and long-term strategy have been clearly defined in cooperation with MINUK; this will facilitate the progressive transition from emergency aid to aid for sustainable development. - shares the Court's recommendation to the Agency that it not disperse its efforts, but concentrate its human and financial resources on the needs identified in the CARDS Regulation. Furthermore, it calls on the Agency to take the necessary measures to amend its own Financial Regulation and to settle the important questions concerning the implementing provisions which remain outstanding. The Council would also also emphasised that, Regulation 2667/2000/EC on the Agency having been adopted on 5 December 2000, it expects a clear improvement in the functioning of the Agency's Governing Board.�