The Committee
on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Véronique MATHIEU (EPP, FR)
calling on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the European
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) discharge in respect of the
implementation of the Centre’s budget for the financial year 2008.
Noting that
the Court of Auditors states that it has obtained reasonable assurance that
the annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and that the
underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of the
Centre’s accounts. However, they make a number of recommendations that need
to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the
general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial
management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI):
- performance: Members welcome the fact that the Centre consolidated its
public health functions, enhanced the capacities of its disease-specific
programmes, further developed partnerships and improved its managerial
structures. They call on the Centre to set out, in its table to be
annexed to the Court of Auditors’ next report, a comparison of
operations carried out during the year for which discharge is to be
granted and in the previous financial year, so as to enable the
discharge authority to assess its performance more effectively from one
year to the next;
- carry-over
of appropriations: Members note that about
EUR 16 200 000 (representing 40 % of the Centre’s total
budget) have had to be carried over; is consequently concerned that this
situation is at odds with the principle of annuality and shows
weaknesses in the programming and subsequent implementation of the
Centre’s budget. Moreover, other information shows that the Centre’s
cash reserves amounted to EUR 16 705 090.95 on 31 December
2008. They, therefore, call on the Commission to examine ways of
ensuring that the principle of needs-based cash management to ensure
that the Centre’s cash reserves are kept as low as possible on a long-term
basis;
- the
Centre’s seat: noting that, as of 31
December 2008, there was still no agreement on the Centre’s seat with
the Swedish Government and that, in its discharge for the financial year
2007, the discharge authority had already expressed concern at the Court
of Auditors’ observation that the Centre had disbursed additional
expenditure on renovation works on the buildings rented for its
premises, Members welcome the fact that an agreement was concluded in
March 2009 on personal identity numbers that will enable staff working
at the Centre to access certain public services. They support the
Centre's efforts with the Swedish government to find definitive
solutions;
- human
resources: Members point out that there are
still weaknesses in the planning of recruitment but that, by the end of
2008, considerable recruitment had ensured that the Centre could carry
out its tasks effectively;
- internal
audit: although Members deplore the Centre’s
slowness in providing certain information in relation to its internal
audit, they nevertheless recognise that the Centre gave certain
information on the quality of its management, follow-up action in
respect of certain internal control standards and the implementation of
other internal control standards.