2015 discharge: EU general budget, European Parliament

2016/2152(DEC)

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Parliament for the financial year 2015.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2017/1602 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2015, Section I European Parliament.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to its President for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2015.

This decision is in line with the European Parliament's resolution adopted on 27 April 2017 and comprises a series of observations that form an integral part of the discharge decision (please refer to the summary of the opinion of 27 April 2017).

Amongst Parliaments main observations, the latter noted that Parliament's final appropriations for 2015 totalled EUR 1 794 929 112, or 19.78 % of heading 5 of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

It expressed its satisfaction with the commitment of Parliament's administration to continuously improving the performance of Parliament's services as a whole and to do so in an efficient manner, although it also considered that it is taking too long in some cases to put the changes into practice.

Parliament also noted that, on 15 December 2015, the President gave himself authority to allocate an uncapped special allowance to his cabinet staffers, over and above the existing cabinet allowance, despite the fact that the Staff Regulations make no provision for such a special allowance. It raised again the question of the lawfulness of that authority and the validity of the special allowances and asked for consideration to be given to whether the decision concerned should be revoked.

Lastly, Parliament regretted the repeated delays of the opening of the House of European History, which was originally planned for March 2016, was subsequently delayed till September and November 2016 and is now scheduled to take place on 6 May 2017.