2004 discharge: European Aviation Safety Agency

PURPOSE : presentation of the final accounts of the European Aviation Safety Agency for the financial year 2004.

CONTENT : this document published in the Official Journal of the EU sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the 2004 budget, including the revenue and expenditure and the balance sheet for the year concerned.

According to this document, the final budget amounted to EUR 11,3 million (in comparison to EUR 4,8 million in 2003) representing a 98% Community contribution. The remaining 2% was contributed by the Federal Republic of Germany (EUR 200 000).

As regards the staffing policy, the Agency, whose headquarters are now based in Cologne (Germany), set out a total of 95 posts in the establishment plan. 84 of these posts are currently occupied + 18 other posts totalling 102 (17 in 2003) assigned to operational, administrative and mixed tasks. Staff expenditure accounted for EUR 5 556 000.

The Agency, set up in 2002 by Regulation 1592/2002/EC, was temporarily based in Brussels in 2003 therefore this is the first operational year in its new headquarters.

Its activities mainly consisted of implementing the missions set out in Regulation 1592/2002/EC, such as:

-issuing opinions addressed to the Commission (5 in 2004);

-making one amendment to Agency certification specifications;

-concluding international cooperation agreements with Brazil, China, Canada , Israel and the Aeronautical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);

-issuing certification decisions on airworthiness and environmental certification : several thousand in 2004.

The total operational expenditure represented EUR 2 081 000. The Agency presented a negative operating outturn of EUR 782 000 for the entire financial year.

It should be noted that a complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address:

http://www.easa.eu.int/home/finance_en.html