2012 discharge: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) in respect of the implementation of the Foundation’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 Foundation for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 483 votes to 77, with 10 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:

• Foundation’s role: Parliament welcomed the Foundation's contribution to the promotion of knowledge about living and working conditions in the Union at a time when these conditions are continuing to deteriorate in some Member States. It recalled the launch of the overview report from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey containing important and relevant findings about trends in job quality, sustainable work and ageing workforce, health and well-being, and working time and work-life balance. It also welcomed the Foundation's prompt reaction to the changes of policy priorities induced by the economic crisis by launching new projects linked to priority themes on the social impact of the crisis, recovery and job creation, demographic change and sustainable public sector.
• Financing, budget and financial management: Parliament recalled that the budget of the Foundation for the financial year 2012 was EUR 21 .4 million.
• Carryovers: it stressed that while the carry-over of committed appropriations is high at 50 %; this corresponds to payment schedules and reflects the multiannual nature of the Foundation’s operations.
• Performance: Parliament requested that the Foundation communicate the results and impact its work has on European citizens in an accessible way, mainly through its website.

Parliament also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls.

It acknowledged from the Foundation that since 2011, the Foundation had established a system of monitoring and reporting potential conflicts of interest of members of the Governing Board and the relevant forms were published on the Foundation's website. Parliament also acknowledged that the Foundation’s Governing Board discussed a comprehensive strategy on the detection and management of conflicts of interest and that the policy is currently being finalised on this basis. It called on the Foundation to submit the adopted document to the discharge authority.

Lastly, Parliament asked the Foundation to strengthen transparency and prevent conflicts of interests, as well as make publicly available the Declarations of Interests of certain members.