2001 discharge: European Center for the Development of Vocational Training ECDVT, Thessalonica

PURPOSE : to present the Council Recommendation on the discharge to be given to the Management Board of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2001. CONTENT : having regard to the observations made in the report by the Court of Auditors on the accounts of the Centre for the financial year 2001, the Council recommends the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Management Board of the Centre in respect of the implementation of the statement of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2001. Recalling that EUR 2,3 million (92%) of the EUR 2,5 million in appropriations carried forward from the financial year 2000 to the financial year 2001 have been used and that EUR 2,8 million in appropriations have been carried forward from the financial year 2001 to the financial year 2002 and that EUR 0,1 million in appropriations have been cancelled, the Council believes that the implementation of the budget calls for a series of comments to be made and which should be taken into consideration. The Council shares the Court's view on the need to improve the programming and the follow-up of work so as to achieve a more regular implementation of the operating appropriations. It invites the Centre to ensure that its imprest account, the ceiling of which is still too high, is used. The Council calls upon the Centre to apply without delay the implementing and depreciation rules in force when writing down its assets on the balance sheet. The Council notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the Centre to improve its procurement procedures and encourages it to continue along that path. Lastly, like the Court, the Council invites the Centre to ensure greater consistency between the tasks assigned to it in order to achieve its objectives and the way the latter are reflected in the activity report on the one hand, and the distribution of the financial and human resources allocated to it on the other hand.�