The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) 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 496 votes to 107 with 35 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 155 801 818, representing a significant increase of 89.38 % compared with 2016. This increase was related to the additional tasks of the Agency.
Budget and financial management
Budget-monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, representing an increase of 2.1 % compared with 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was 91.53 %, representing an increase of 0.68 % compared with 2016.
Although the Agency paid the full price for construction works for its new premises in Strasbourg in 2016, the work is still not finalised, due to the inability of the contractor to deliver, and that only 70 % of the works are covered by the accepted works progress reports.
The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 658 000, representing 12.20 % of the total amount carried over, representing a notable increase of 7.11 % in comparison with 2016.
Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff policy, procurement, conflicts of interest and internal controls.
In particular, they noted that:
- the Agency underwent an external evaluation in 2016 which concluded that the Agency fulfils its mandate effectively and suggested particular ways of improving its operations and identified potential opportunities to extend its mandate;
- on 31 December 2017 the establishment plan was only 87.02 % executed, with 114 temporary agents appointed out of 131 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;
- the Agency should continue its efforts to ensure staff retention and development within the Agency. Members welcomed how the Agency handled the substantially increased workload in 2017 despite the high turnover in expert staff;
- the Agency’s existing measures and ongoing efforts to secure transparency, prevention and management of conflicts of interests, and whistleblower protection were acknowledged;
- the relocation to new premises in Strasbourg suffered considerable delays and that there have been several failings on the part of the contractor responsible.