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2010 discharge: Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA)

2011/2234(DEC)

The European Parliament adopted a decision on the granting of discharge to the Executive Director of the Community Fisheries Control Agency in respect of the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2010. This decision also approves the closure of the Agency’s accounts.

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts for the financial year 2010 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted a resolution containing a series 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 performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.

These recommendations may be summarised as follows:

  • Budgetary and financial management: Parliament notes that the Agency paid out 85.6% of the available payment appropriations (excluding expenditure from the other sources of revenue). It urges the Agency to respect the principle of annuality;
  • Procurement procedures: Parliament calls on the Agency to take the necessary measures to ensure that procurement documents are duly signed and dated;
  • Performance: it underlines the importance of the Agency's tasks and welcomes its efficient and effective performance, which its Committee on Fisheries was able to observe during its visit to the Agency in June 2010;
  • Human resources: Parliament encourages the Agency to increase transparency in its recruitment procedures;
  • Internal audit: Parliament welcomes the Agency's initiative for having set up in 2008 an Internal Audit function (IAC) dedicated to providing support and advice to the Executive Director and management of internal control, risk assessment and internal audit. It notes that the Agency does not employ a full-time IAC but shares this service with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in Lisbon. It also notes that in 2010 the IAS performed an audit of budget execution. It observes that the notes that certain recommendations of the IAS, have been reported as implemented by the Agency and call on the Agency to implement the others.