1995 discharge: EC general budget (other sections)

The European Parliament adopted the report by Mr Pieter DANKERT (PSE, NL) in which it gave discharge in respect of implementation of the budget to the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions for the financial year 1995. However it made a certain number of observations on the implementation of its own budget. It considered in particular that the rates of utilization of appropriations were artificial as they were calculated after taking into account supplementary and amending budgets or transfers of appropriations, which altered the clarity of the budgetary documents. It requested, therefore, that the presentation of the rates of utilization should in future make a clear distinction between the original budget and modifications adopted by the budgetary authority. Parliament also called on the competent administrative authorities to take steps in order to improve the system of payments for expenditure on Parliament's freelance interpreters' service and called on the various users of the interpretation service to improve the programming of their work. Penalties could be imposed where this did not occur. With regard to the Ombudsman, it noted that only 15.67% of the appropriations allocated to him in 1995 were utilized. With reference to the other institutions, Parliament called on: . the Court of Justice to find a solution to the problem of housing departments when it had clearly been shown that the Palais currently used by the Court presented clear risks of contamination by asbestos. It pointed out that this problem had already been acknowledged in 1995 with a decision to move out of the building and that this move had still not taken place; . the Court of Auditors to ensure that its draft transfers of appropriations weere accompanied by appropriate grounds; . the Economic and Social Committee (ESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) to submit to the Committee on Budgetary Control, prior to the first reading of the 1998 draft budget, a report on all the measures taken to comply with the observations of the Court of Auditors concerning the operation of the JOS. It also instructed its Committee on Budgetary Control to consider setting up an appropriate procedure commencing with the discharge procedure for the financial year 1996, for considering implementation of the budget of the Council.