2008 discharge: European Network and Information Security Agency ENISA  
2009/2125(DEC) - 05/05/2010  

The European Parliament adopted by 555 votes to 31, with 55 abstentions, a decision on discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2008.

Furthermore, Parliament adopted a resolution with observations which are an integral part of the decision to grant discharge.

The main points are as follows:

  • performance: Parliament congratulates the Agency on its performance in 2008. It calls on it to set out a comparison of operations carried out during the year for which discharge is to be granted and in the previous financial year so as to enable the discharge authority to assess more effectively its performance from one year to the next;
  • budgetary and financial management: Parliament notes that the Agency continues to take all possible measures to obtain from the tax authorities of the host Member State a refund of EUR 45 000, corresponding to the amount of VAT paid in advance by the Agency. It also notes the Agency’s enormously high cash reserves over long periods which, as of 31 December 2008, amounted to EUR 2 436 694. It calls on the Commission to examine ways of ensuring that the principle of needs-based cash management is implemented to the full and what changes in approach are needed to ensure that the Agency’s cash reserves are kept as low as possible on a long-term basis;
  • internal audit and human resources: Parliament congratulates the Agency on the full implementation of the recommendations made by the Internal Audit Service (IAS). 

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament approves the closure of the Agency’s accounts. However, it makes a number of recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI) adopted in parallel).