2003 discharge: European Environment Agency

PURPOSE : presentation of the financial statements and the balance sheets for the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2003.

CONTENT : this report presented by the European Environment Agency presents the financial statements and balance sheets of its activities in 2003.

The final budget of the Agency amounts to EUR 27.5 million with a 77% Community contribution.

As regards the staffing policy, the Agency, whose headquarters are in Copenhagen (Denmark), consists of 111 posts in the establishment plan of which 95 are occupied plus 16 other staff (auxiliary contracts, seconded national experts, local staff and temporary staff). The total of the staff are assigned to operational, administrative and mixed duties.

Throughout 2003, the Agency concentrated on the following activities :

- Support work and provision of indicators for the Synthesis report on sustainable development;

- Indicators concerning the state of the environment in 2003;

- Analysis and estimation of greenhouse gas emissions (1990 to 2020);

- Finalisation of the Kiev report (state of the environment in candidate Central and Eastern European countries);

- Three seminars organised under the Greek Presidency of the Council;

- Provision of environmental indicators in specific fields (transport sector in candidate countries, Danube region - Black Sea);

- Assistance in harmonising data;

- Management of the EIONET network (European Environment Information and Observation Network).