2000 discharge: European Centre for the Development for vocational Training ECDVT budget, Thessalonica

PURPOSE : to present the report from the Court of Auditors on the financial statements of the European Centre for the Development of Professional Training for the financial year ended 31 December 2000. CONTENT : this examination has enabled the Court to obtain reasonable assurances that the annual accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 1999 are reliable and that the underlying transactions, taken as a whole, are legal and reliable. As regards the implementation of the budget and budgetary accounts, definitive appropriations for the financial year amounted to EUR 13,3 million. Almost all of these appropriations were committed and EUR 10,5 million (80%) was paid. Carryovers of appropriations to 2001 amounted to EUR 2,7 million (2,5%). Of this total, EUR 2,2 million (78%) related to operating appropriations under Title III. The carryovers of appropriations from Title III mainly related to the headings 'Dissemination of information' and 'Pilot studies and projects'. Appropriations totalling EUR 3,7 million were carried over from 1999 to 2000. Of this amount, EUR 3,1 million (83%) was paid and EUR 0,6 million (17%) was cancelled. It should be noted that Cedefop has not been fully receptive to the observations made by the Court in its report concerning the financial year 1999, or honoured the undertakings given concerning the procedures which the Centre itself decided to apply to the awarding of contracts, not least in the field of informatics. With regard to the staff, 66 members of staff were transferred from Berlin to Thessaloniki. They were granted the status of permanent employees. As at 1 January 2000, 24 of these members of staff had obtained a transfer to one of the institutions or to another satellite agency, 6 had left the Centre, 11 were in receipt of an invalidity pension and 1 was receiving a retirement pension. Altogether, 42 out of the 66 member of staff transferred had left the Centre. In conclusion, generally speaking, it appears that, since 1996, the Centre has been able to employ the staff it has requested during the budgetary procedure. It has managed to recruit auxiliary employees, local staff and seconded national experts to bolster its staff numbers with the result that total staff numbers tend to exceed the authorised total. When employing staff, the Centre has used an essentially internal recruitment model, even if it has also turned to procedure of external type. Given the upward trend in the number of permanent posts at the Centre, it would perhaps be desirable, in the case of posts concerning support activities that require qualifications of an administrative nature, for it to join forces with the institutions and the other satellite agencies in order to recruit staff on the broadest possible basis. Furthermore, the Centre should improve its staff management and information system.�