2002 discharge: EC general budget, European Ombudsman

2003/2217(DEC)
The committee adopted the report by Gabriele STAUNER (EPP-ED, D) granting discharge to the Council for 2002. In its accompanying comments, the committee welcomed the Council's readiness to hold an informal dialogue with Parliament prior to the discharge procedure but was critical of the Council's failure to supply certain documents and to reply to the committee's questionnaire sent in November 2003. MEPs welcomed the joint declaration of 25 November 2002 by the Council, Commission and Parliament on the prior notification of Parliament in the decision-taking process on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and asked how this had been reflected in practical cooperation. They drew attention once more to the recommendation by the Court of Auditors in its Special Report No. 13/2001 on the management of the CFSP that Parliament, Council and Commission should lay down clear operational principles and rules at interinstitutional level with regard to the role of the Commission and Council in CFSP implementation and that the financing of CFSP actions should be made more transparent. �