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2014 discharge: European Training Foundation (ETF)

2015/2173(DEC)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF) in respect of the implementation of the agency’s budget for the financial year 2014. The vote on the decision on discharge covers the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex V, Article 5 (1)(a) to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that Foundation’s annual accounts for the financial year 2014 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 509 votes to 118 with 7 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations, which form an integral part of the decision on discharge and which add to the general recommendations set out in the resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

  • Foundation’s financial statements: Parliament noted the final budget of the European Training Foundation for the financial year 2014 was EUR 20 158 053, representing an increase of 0.07 % compared to 2013 and that the Foundation’s entire budget derives from the Union budget.
  • Budget and financial management: Parliament also noted budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2014 resulted in a high budget implementation rate of 99.90 %.
  • Parliament also made a series of observations regarding commitments and carryovers, the prevention and management of conflicts of interest, as well as on contract award, recruitment and internal audit procedures.
  • Performance effectiveness: Parliament noted that 2014 was the first year of the Foundation's Mid-term Perspective 2014-2017 and commended the Foundation on its estimated performance effectiveness, at over 97 %, when comparing results planned against those delivered in the three strategic objectives, which were reinforcing evidence-based vocational education and training (“VET”) policy analysis, modernising VET systems in a lifelong learning perspective and increasing the relevance of VET provision in respect of the labour market, economic and social cohesion.

Lastly, Parliament pointed out that the Foundation operates in a dynamic environment which requires a high level of flexibility in continually updating and adjusting its activities to meet expected results in the delivery of support to partner countries. It recalled that the 2014 context was marked in particular by ongoing political instability in the southern and eastern Mediterranean and in eastern Europe owing to the crisis in Ukraine. It suggested that full advantage of the work done by the Foundation be taken in the area of migration and skills.