The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in respect of the implementation of the Centre's budget for the financial year 2012. The vote on the discharge decision approved the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex VI, Article 5(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament.
Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Centre for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 512 votes to 71, with 18 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies.
These recommendations are summarised as follows:
Role of the Centre: Parliament acknowledged the essential role of the Centre in the promotion of vocational education and training (VET) in the Union and the relevance of its contribution to policies aimed at exploring VET’s potential to support economic development. It noted the presence of various stakeholders shows an increased demand for the Centre’s expertise and analytical capacity.
Budget and financial management: Parliament noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2012 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 99.68% and that the payment appropriations execution rate was 94.44%.
Commitments and carry-overs: it also noted that carry-overs of committed appropriations were high however it acknowledged that this was mainly due to reasons beyond the Centre’s control.
Performance: Parliament requested that the Centre communicate the results and impact its work has on European citizens in an accessible way, mainly through its website.
Parliament also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls.
Lastly, it called on the Centre to assess its policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests on the basis of the Commission's Guidelines on the issue. It called on the Centre to inform the discharge authority of the assessment results once available.