Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts
for the financial year 2012 and the balance sheet at 31 December
2012 of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions (EUROFOUND), as well as the Court of
Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Foundation for the
financial year 2012, accompanied by the Foundation's replies to the
Court's observations, the Council recommends the European
Parliament to give a discharge to the Director of the Foundation in
respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year
2012.
The observations in the Court of Auditors' report call
for certain comments by the Council which can be summarised as
follows:
- in general, the Council welcomes the Court's opinion
that, in all material respects, the Foundation's annual accounts
present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2012 and
the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then
ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Foundation's
Financial Regulation and that the underlying transactions for that
financial year are legal and regular.
- Carry-overs of appropriations: notwithstanding this favourable finding, the Council
encourages the Foundation to continue improving its financial
management by systematically scrutinising carry-overs of
appropriations to the following budgetary year on the basis of the
budget implementation schedules for its multiannual operations, and
by limiting them to the minimum necessary, in line with the
budgetary principle of annuality.