2009 discharge: Community Fisheries Control Agency CFCA

Based on the observations contained in the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2009, as well as on the Court of Auditor’s report and the Authority’s replies to the Court’s observations, the Council recommends that the Parliament grant the Executive Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2009.

The Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, on the one hand, the Agency's annual accounts present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position as at 31 December 2009 and the results of operations and cash-flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Agency's Financial Regulation, and that, on the other hand, the underlying transactions for the financial year ended on 31 December 2009 are, in all material respects, legal and regular.

However, the Council considers that observations made in the Court of Auditor’s report call for a certain number of observations to be taken into account when granting discharge, particularly on the following points:

• Agency’s work programme: the Council notes with concern the weaknesses identified by the Court in the Agency's 2009 work programme, in particular the lack of specific and measurable objectives and several inconsistencies in setting up the performance indicators. It is concerned about the limited possibilities of assessing achievements and identifying deficiencies resulting from such shortfalls;
• recruitment planning: the Council calls on the Agency to pay due attention to its recruitment planning and to eliminate the persisting backlog for filling temporary posts without delay.