2013 discharge: European Police College (CEPOL)

The European Parliament adopted by 552 votes to 109, with 24 abstentions, a decision to grant discharge to the Director of the European Police College (CEPOL) for the financial year 2013. 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 College for the financial year 2013 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 570 votes to 85, with 32 abstentions, a resolution containing a number of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

• CEPOL’s financial statements: Parliament noted that the final budget of CEPOL for the financial year 2013 was EUR 8 450 640, the whole amount deriving from the EU budget.
• Commitments and carry-overs: Parliament also noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2013 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 94.89% and that the payment appropriations execution rate was 92.46%. It pointed out, however, that the level of committed appropriations carried over to 2014 was high at 30.46% for administrative expenditure, for reasons outside the College’s control (payments due in 2014 for services and goods ordered and received as planned in 2013). It called on the College to further improve the carry-over levels in order to increase its compliance to the budgetary principle of annuality. Members were concerned that committed appropriations carried over from 2012 amounting to EUR 1.7 million, and called on the College to inform the discharge authority on measures taken to address this deficiency as a matter of urgency.

Parliament also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures, and internal audit, and the prevention and management of conflicts of interests.

It noted with concern that the College’s recruitment procedures are still not fully transparent as certain procedural elements are still incomplete, insufficiently clear or non-compliant.

Lastly, it noted that the College officially resumed business at its new headquarters in Budapest in October 2014 and supported the College's efforts that the move to the new seat be carried out in accordance with sound financial management principles. It acknowledged that the relocation of the College from Bramshill to its new headquarters in Budapest generated yearly savings amounting to EUR 200 000 and welcomed the fact that the use of the offices in College’s new headquarters is free of charge for a period of at least ten years.