The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in respect of the implementation of the Institute's budget for the financial year 2012. The vote on the discharge decision approved the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex VI, Article 5(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament.
Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Institute for the financial year 2012 are reliable, but that it could not obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence on the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions, Parliament adopted by 508 votes to 63, with 20 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.
These recommendations are summarised as follows:
It also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls.
Parliament acknowledged that the Institute has two framework rules regulating conflicts of interests. It called on the Institute to inform the discharge authority whether it intends to update those framework rules according to the Commission's Guidelines.