The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) in regard to the implementation of the agency’s budget for the 2016 financial year 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 agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2016 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 557 votes to 111 with 29 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:
- Agency’s financial statements: the final budget of the Agency for the financial year 2016 was EUR 11 033 974.16, representing an increase of 9.64 % compared to 2015. The Union's contribution for the financial year 2016 to the Agency's budget amounted to EUR 10 120 000, representing an increase of 10.53 % compared to 2015.
- Follow-up of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 discharges: Members noted with concern that the situation remains unchanged and the payments from the Greek Government are still made with considerable delays, which in turn makes the payments to the landlords in Athens and Heraklion to be delayed as well.
- Budget and financial management: budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2016 resulted in a high budget implementation rate of 98.47 %, representing a decrease of 1.53 % compared to 2015, and that the payment appropriations execution rate was 89.18 %, representing an decrease of 3.71 % compared to 2015.
- Commitments and carry-overs: the carry-overs of committed appropriations for administrative expenditure were at EUR 300 000 (25 %), compared to EUR 150 000 (22 %) in 2015. Those carry-overs primarily related to investments in IT and the purchase of a service car near year end — for official use only.
Members also made a series of observations regarding procurement, staff policy, internal audits and controls and the prevention and management of conflicts of interests. They noted that that the gender balance among senior management changed by the end of 2017 so that two out of three Head of Unit posts were occupied by women. In addition, they noted from the Agency's reply that it is in the process of writing a policy addressing the issue of improving transparency in its contacts with lobbyists and stakeholders.
Parliament welcomed the fact that the agency has been, with the aim of ensuring a cost-effective and environment-friendly working place, recycling paper, glass and plastics, encouraging staff to avoid printing documents and has introduced an electronic system for internal workflows which has significantly reduced the use of physical files. It also welcomed the fact that the agency has, with the aim of reducing or offsetting CO2 emissions, encouraged the use of electronic means of communication as an alternative to physical travel, and implemented the ‘Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) Transport tool’ for the first time in 2017.
Lastly, Parliament noted that there is a need to improve communication between the agency and its stakeholders, who find the agency’s mandate and outreach too limited.