2005 discharge: European Environment Agency

Having examined the revenue and expenditure account for the financial year 2005, the balance sheet of revenue and expenditure at 31 December 2005 of the European Environment Agency, 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 2005.

In doing so, the Council confirms that EUR 5.8 million (74%) of the EUR 7.9 million in appropriations carried forward from the financial year 2004 to the financial year 2005 have been used. In addition, EUR 7.6 million in appropriations have been carried forward from the financial year 2005 to the financial year 2006 and EUR 400 000 has been cancelled.

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

• notes once again that the problems of appropriations carried-over still persist for the Agency's operating activities. Therefore, it calls on the Agency to take appropriate measures to improve the implementation of the budget, in respect of the principle of annuality. It recalls that the budget should be based on realistic needs and past implementation;
• calls on the Agency to remedy the weaknesses identified by the Court in its internal control systems and in its annual activity report. It calls on the Agency to establish a description of the internal control systems;
• calls on the Agency to eliminate the shortcomings concerning the application of the staff regulation and in particular the selection criteria adopted for the recruitment of temporary staff, as well as shortcomings identified in the procurement field.