2004 discharge: European Environment Agency

Having examined the Agency’s revenue and expenditure account and the observations made by the Court of Auditors, the Council recommends the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Executive Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2004.

In doing so, the Council confirms that EUR 7.2 million (93 %) of the EUR 7.7 million in appropriations carried forward from the financial year 2003 to the financial year 2004 have been used. In addition, EUR 8.2 million in appropriations have been carried forward from the financial year 2004 to the financial year 2005 and EUR 0.5 million has been cancelled.

In parallel, the Council makes accompanying comments on the discharge which should be followed up. In particular, it :

§         notes that problems of the appropriations carried-over still persist. It calls on the Agency to take the appropriate measures to improve the implementation of the budget, in respect of the principle of annuality;

§         shares the Court's opinion on the need to apply the accounting principle of prudence regarding recoverable taxes and asks the Agency and the Commission to take further steps to obtain reimbursement of all unwarranted payments in this respect.