2015 discharge: European Environment Agency (EEA)

2016/2166(DEC)

PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the financial year 2015.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2017/1663 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2015.

CONTENT: with this Decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency for the implementation of the Agency’s budget for 2015.

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

Amongst Parliament’s main observations in the resolution accompanying the discharge decision, it noted with satisfaction that the Agency's management board adopted its own internal guidelines on whistleblowing in December 2016. The Agency is asked to report to the discharge authority on the implementation of its whistleblowing rules.

Parliament noted with concern, however, that the Agency has not undertaken specific initiatives to create or increase transparency regarding contacts with lobbyists.