The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Bart STAES (Greens/EFA, BE) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (before 1 July 2016: European Police College) (CEPOL) for the financial year 2016.
The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agencys budget for the financial year 2016.
Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the College for the financial year 2016 were reliable and that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, Members called on Parliament to approve the closure of the Colleges accounts.
They made, however, a number of recommendations that needed to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:
Members also made a series of observations regarding transfers, procurement, the prevention and management of conflicts of interests and internal audits and controls.
On performance, Members stated that in 2016 the Colleges training portfolio encompassed 174 training activities, of which 87 residential activities and 87 webinars, 492 exchanges in the frame of the European Police Exchange Programme, 27 online modules, one online course. They noted with satisfaction that for the sixth year in a row the outreach of the College has increased, resulting in the College training 18 009 law enforcement professionals in 2016 compared to 12 992 in 2015, representing an increase of over 38 %.
Members noted that the five-year external evaluation of the College (2011-2015) was completed by the external evaluator in January 2016. It was concluded that the College is efficient. However, there is a clear need for a significant reinforcement of the College with both human and financial resources.
Lastly, Members noted with concern that for the time being the College does not have sufficient information to allow a thorough preparation for carrying out future activities after Brexit. Brexit will limit the Colleges access to United Kingdom law enforcement expertise and its ability to organise training with United Kingdom officials. These aspects might negatively impact the development of common practices, information exchange and ultimately cross-border cooperation on fighting and prevention of crime. Members recommended that measures be implemented to maintain - at the least - the current level of cooperation.