The European Parliament adopted by 537
votes to 81, with 26 abstentions, a decision to grant discharge to the Executive
Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking in respect of the implementation of
the SESAR’s budget for the financial year 2009.
Noting that the SESAR’s (Single European
Sky Air Traffic Management Research) annual accounts for the financial year
2009 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament
approves the closure of the SESAR’s accounts. However, it makes a number of
recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is
granted:
- implementation of the budget: Parliament notes that the Joint Undertaking final 2009
budget included commitment appropriations of EUR 325 million and payment
appropriations of EUR 157 million. It also notes that the utilisation
rates for commitment and payment appropriations were 97.1% and 43.2%
respectively. Members recognise that the Joint Undertaking is still in a
start-up period. They also stress that year-end bank deposits totalling
EUR 86.8 million represent a breach of the budgetary principle of
equilibrium. They consider it important to set out the conditions under
which, if the balance of the outturn account is positive, it shall be
entered in the budget of the Joint Undertaking of the following
financial year in order to specify the application of this derogation
from the general budgetary principle of equilibrium. Parliament is also
concerned by the fact that, in December 2009, no integrated management
system had been set in place. It asks that a report on carryovers of
appropriations not used in the previous year specifying the reasons why
these resources were not deployed be attached to the budget of each
financial year;
- Members’ contribution: Parliament calls on SESAR to harmonise the presentation of
members' contributions in the Accounts under the guidance of the
Commission;
- internal control systems: Parliament urges SESAR to complete the implementation of its
internal controls and financial information system and to include in its
Financial Rules a specific reference to the powers of the Internal Audit
Service of the Commission as its internal auditor. Members consider that
the role of the Commission as internal auditor should be to advise SESAR
on dealing with risks, by issuing independent opinions on the quality of
management and control systems and by issuing recommendations for
improving the conditions of implementation of operations and promoting sound
financial management. In view of the size of its budget and the
complexity of its tasks, SESAR should consider establishing an audit
committee, reporting directly to the Administrative Board;
- Financial Regulation: Members welcome the adoption by SESAR of new Financial
Rules.