2018 discharge: Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT)

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT) for the financial year 2018 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 Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2018 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 610 votes to 75 with 7 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:

Centre’s financial statements

Members noted that the final budget of the Centre for the financial year 2018 was EUR 47 142 100, representing a decrease of 4.63 % compared to 2017.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2018 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 94.94 %, representing an increase of 1.82 % compared to the previous year; notes that the payment appropriations execution rate was 87.94 %, representing an increase of 2.53 % compared to the previous year.

Other observations

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff, procurement and internal controls.

In particular, they noted that:

- in 2018 the brand-new version of the biggest terminology database in the world, Interactive Terminology for Europe (IATE), was launched to the public and that the Centre develops and manages it on behalf of its institutional partners;

- the continued impact of the pricing structure introduced in 2017 for the translation of documents corresponded to a saving of EUR 4.4 million for the Centre’s clients in 2018;

- the Centre has not completed the anti-fraud plan which was targeted to be implemented by the end of 2018 and which had an implementation rate of 66 % in 2018;

- on 31 December 2018, the establishment plan was 94.82 % executed, with 50 officials and 133 temporary agents appointed out of 55 officials and 138 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- in 2018, the Centre launched the new version of IATE, intended to increase the Centre’s public visibility and online presence.