The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) in regard to the implementation of the Centre’s budget for the 2018 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 Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 463 votes to 224 with 5 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:

Centre’s financial statements

The final budget of CEDEFOP for the financial year 2018 was EUR 17 850 210, representing a slight decrease of 0.11 % compared to 2017.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2018 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, representing a slight increase of 0.04 % compared to 2017. Payment appropriations execution rate was at 96.50 %, representing an increase of 6.84 % compared to the 2017.

Other observations

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, procurement and staff policy.

In particular, it noted that:

- the Centre uses an exemplary performance measurement system that includes key performance indicators to assess the added value provided by its activities in the project, activity and organisational levels and other measures to improve its budget management;

- the Centre’s Work Programme 2018 has been fully implemented in line with the set objectives, targets and indications;

- a feasibility study should be conducted in order to assess the possibility of, if not fully merging, then at the very least setting up shared synergies with Eurofound;

- on 31 December 2018, the establishment plan was 96.70 % executed, with 12 officials and 76 temporary agents appointed out of 78 temporary agents and 13 officials authorised under the Union budget;

- in an audit conducted by the internal audit service on the Centre’s human resources management and ethics, recruitment procedures were still ranked as critical;

- the Centre’s new founding regulation extends the mandate of the Centre to include qualifications and skills policies in addition to VET but additional resources have not been provided to cover the increased workload.