PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Commission for the financial year 2016.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU, Euratom) 2018/1313 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016, Section III Commission.
CONTENT: the European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Commission for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2016.
This decision is accompanied by a resolution of the European Parliament containing the observations which form an integral part of the discharge decision in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016 (please refer to the summary dated 18.4.2018).
In this resolution, Parliament called on the Member States to align the Unions policy objectives and financial cycles, the legislative period of the Parliament and the mandate of the Commission. It insisted that the Union budget, as a consequence of the budget focused on results initiative, be presented according to the Union's political objectives for the MFF.
The Commission is invited to:
The resolution stressed the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose information on possible irregularities.
Parliament also regretted that, for the 23rd consecutive year, payments are materially affected by error due to the fact that management and control systems are only partially effective in ensuring sound financial management and timely payments.
It invited the Commission to: