2017 discharge: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

2018/2179(DEC)

PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2017, as part of the 2017 discharge procedure.

Analysis of the accounts of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).

CONTENT: the organisational governance of the EU consists of institutions, agencies and other EU bodies whose expenditure is included in the general budget of the Union.

This Commission document concerns the EU's consolidated accounts for the year 2017 and details how spending by the EU institutions and bodies was carried out. The consolidated annual accounts of the EU provide financial information on the activities of the institutions, agencies and other bodies of the EU from an accrual accounting and budgetary perspective.

It is the responsibility of the Commission's Accounting Officer to prepare the EU's consolidated annual accounts and ensure that they present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position, the result of the operations and the cash flows of the EU institutions and bodies with a view to granting discharge.

Discharge procedure: the final step of a budget lifecycle is the discharge. It is the decision by which the European Parliament ‘releases’ the Commission from its responsibility for management of a given budget by marking the end of that budget's existence. It is granted by the European Parliament on the recommendation of the Council.

The decision is based in particular on the European Court of Auditors reports, in particular its annual report, in which the Court provides a Statement of Assurance (DAS) on the legality and regularity of transactions (payments and commitments).

The procedure results in the granting, postponement or refusal of discharge. 

The final discharge report including specific recommendations to the Commission for action is adopted in plenary by the European Parliament and are subject to an annual follow up report in which the Commission outlines the concrete actions it has taken to implement the recommendations made.

All EU institutions and other agencies, bodies and joint undertakings are subject to their own discharge procedures.

Eurofound: the Foundation, which is located in Dublin (IRL), was set up by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 aims to contribute to the planning and establishment of better living and working conditions in the Union by increasing and disseminating knowledge which is relevant to this subject.

The year 2017 marked the first year of Eurofound’s new multiannual programme Towards upward convergence 2017–2020 which covers the more traditional areas of Eurofound’s expertise (Working conditions, Industrial relations, Labour market change and Quality of life) and new challenges for Europe: the Digital age and Monitoring convergence.

As regards the Foundation’s accounts, these are presented in detail in the document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for 2017:

Commitment appropriations:

  • available: EUR 21 million;
  • made: EUR 20 million.

Payment appropriations:

  • available: EUR 24 million;
  • made: EUR 20 million.

For further details on expenditure, please refer to Eurofound’s 2017 annual accounts.