Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2010 and the balance sheet at 31 December 2010 of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Centre for the financial year 2010, accompanied by the Centre's replies to the Court's observations, the Council recommends the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Director of the Centre in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2010.
However, the Council considers that observations made in the Court of Auditor's report call for a certain number of remarks:
- the Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, in all material respects, the Centre's annual accounts fairly present the financial position as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Centre's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for that financial year are legal and regular;
- as in the previous year, the Council notes with concern that the level of carry-overs still remains high. Therefore, it urges the Centre to intensify its efforts to improve its planning and implementation of the budget, in line with the budgetary principle of annuality;
- it calls on the Centre to correct the weaknesses identified in its staff selection procedures, stressing the importance of ensuring transparency in the recruitment process.