PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Parliament for the financial year 2016.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2018/1309 of the European Parliament on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016, Section I — European Parliament.
CONTENT: the European Parliament decided to grant discharge to its President for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2016.
This decision is accompanied by a resolution of the European Parliament containing the observations which form an integral part of the discharge decision in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016 (please refer to the summary dated 18.4.2018).
Parliament noted that Parliament’s final appropriations for 2016 totalled EUR 1 838 613 983, or 19.39 % of heading 5 of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) set aside for the 2016 administrative expenditure of the Union institutions as a whole, representing a 2,4 % increase over the 2015 budget (EUR 1 794 929 112). A very high level of budget implementation was achieved. Payments totalled EUR 1 538 531 527, resulting in an implementation rate of 84.4 % and representing an increase of 0.7 % compared to the previous year.
The Court is asked to keep the responsible committee informed on the implementation of its recommendation to review the framework for monitoring the implementation of budget appropriations allocated to political groups and monitor more effectively how they apply the rules for authorising and settling expenditure, and how they carry out procurement procedures.
Parliament asked for a technical solution that allows Members to use their individual page on the Parliament’s website for the voluntary publication of meetings with interest representatives. It urged the Parliament’s Bureau and the Secretary-General to make this possible without further delay.
It supported the reorganisation and improvement of entrances to all Parliament buildings at the three places of work on the basis of a new security concept which guarantees a safe working environment for parliamentary activities while retaining Parliament’s openness.
Parliament regretted the fact that, according to the Court, the cost of Parliament's geographical dispersion amounts to EUR 114 million per year. It recalled that the environmental impact of this dispersion is estimated at between 11 000 and 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and noted that in 2016, the total cost for the reimbursement of Members' travel expenses alone to the European Parliament for plenary sessions in Strasbourg amounted to no less than EUR 21 352 262.
The Council was asked to find a solution for a single seat for the European Parliament so that taxpayers' money would not be wasted.
Parliament also took note of the President's position, who stressed that as long as the United Kingdom remained a full member of the Union, British Members and staff of Parliament would enjoy exactly the same rights and obligations as all other Members and staff of the institution.