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2016 discharge: European Training Foundation (ETF)

2017/2156(DEC)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF) in regard to the implementation of the foundation’s budget for the 2016 financial year and to approve the closure of the accounts for the financial year in question.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the foundation’s annual accounts for the financial year 2016 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 560 votes to 129 with 8 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: the final budget of the foundation for the financial year 2016 was EUR 20 900 849.11, representing a decrease of 0.63 % compared to 2015. The budget of the foundation derives mainly from the Union budget.
  • Budget and financial management: budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2016 resulted in a high budget implementation rate of 99.99 %, indicating that commitments were made in a timely manner, and that the payment appropriations execution rate was at 97.66 %.
  • Commitments and carryovers: the overall carry-overs decreased from 3.3 % in the period 2015 to 2016 to 3.1 % in the period 2016 the 2017, which is an indication of the improved alignment of the Foundations’ administrative activities and their payments to its annual cycle.

Members also made a series of observations regarding the prevention and management of conflicts of interests, staff policy and internal audits and transbe addressedfers. In particular, they recommended that the gender imbalance is addressed since the ratio was over two to one: 67.94 % females to 32.06 % male staff. They also emphasised the need to establish an independent body with sufficient budgetary resources to support whistleblowers wishing to disclose information on possible irregularities negatively impacting on the Union’s financial interests, while ensuring their confidentiality is protected.

In 2016, the Foundation took key measures to improve the efficiency of its internal control systems.

On performance, Members noted the unsatisfactory situation regarding the Foundation’s premises and the fact that this risked disrupting the Foundation’s activities. They regretted that the situation remains at a standstill since the Consortium that managed and occupied part of the complex went into liquidation in 2011 and left part of the complex empty. There is an urgent need for the host country to find a solution to this matter.

Lastly, Parliament acknowledged the foundation’s work in supporting the Union’s partner countries to harness their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the context of the Union’s external relations policy.