The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) for the financial year 2017 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 Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 497 votes to 133 with 3 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 draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:
Agency’s financial statements
The final budget of the Agency for the financial year 2017 was EUR 17 113 000, representing an increase of 71.70 % compared to 2016. This increase related mainly to Title III (operational budget), with an increase of 295 % aimed at further chartering of means by the Agency (new European Coast Guard function).
Budget and financial management
Budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 98.9 %, representing a decrease of 0.7 % compared to 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was at 73.8 %, representing a decrease of 14.7 % compared to 2016. The cancellation of carryovers from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 53 595, representing 5.22 % of the total amount carried over, and an increase of 0.5 % compared to 2016.
Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff policy, procurement and internal controls.
In particular, they noted that:
- the Agency implemented 93 % of its activities on time and that it implemented 90 % of its Annual Communication Strategy Plan;
- the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency adopted a tripartite working arrangement defining the cooperation between those agencies and the cooperation with national authorities carrying out coast guard functions;
- the Agency should be given sufficient resources to conduct new types of operations to disrupt people smuggling routes, as well as to use the data provided by its ship reporting systems in order to detect vessels carrying migrants;
- the main procurement activity in 2017 was focused on launching the open call for Chartering an Offshore Fisheries Patrol Vessel (EUR 20 million), which was finalised successfully and resulted in the signature of a framework contract;
- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 96.72 % filled with 59 temporary agents appointed out of 61 authorised under the Union budget. Due to the change in the founding regulation, the Agency was granted 13 posts for the associated new tasks, out of which three were used for the redeployment pool of agencies.