The European Parliament decided to grant the Management Committee of the Office of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications discharge in respect of the implementation of Authority’s budget for the financial year 2015.
The vote on the decision on discharge covers the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex IV, 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 the Office’s annual accounts for the financial year 2015 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 520 votes to 110 with 4 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.
These recommendations may be summarised as follows:
As regards recruitment, Parliament noted that the number of posts was reduced from 28 at the end of 2014 to 27 at the end of 2015. It noted that the Office undertook additional tasks resulting in an additional workload, which added to the difficulties in recruitment caused by the turnover of expert staff.
Lastly, it noted that a draft regulation was issued by the Commission in September 2016 in which the Commission proposed to turn the Office into a fully-fledged Agency with expanded responsibilities. It underlined that any reforms implemented upon the conclusion of the legislative process must ensure maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as well as the highest possible level of transparency and protection against conflicts of interest.