Procedure completed
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | CONT | MARTIN Hans-Peter (NI) |
Legal Basis RoP 094
Activites
- 2009/03/31 Final act published in Official Journal
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2008/04/22
Results of vote in Parliament
- Results of vote in Parliament
- Debate in Parliament
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T6-0162/2008
summary
The European Parliament adopted, by 559 votes in favour, 16 against and 39 abstentions, a Decision to grant the Executive Director of the European GNSS Supervisory Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2006. The decision to grant discharge also constitutes closure of the accounts of this EU agency.At the same time, the Parliament adopted by 517 votes in favour, 10 against and 37 abstentions, a Resolution containing the comments which form part of the decision giving discharge. The report had been tabled for plenary by Hans-Peter MARTIN (NI, AT) on behalf of the Committee on Budgetary Control. As is the case for all EU agencies, Parliament's Resolution is divided into two parts: part one contains general comments on EU agencies, while part two focuses on the specific case of the Authority.1) General comments on the majority of EU agencies: the Parliament notes that the budgets of the 24 agencies and other satellite bodies audited by the Court of Auditors totalled more than EUR 1 billion and that the number of agencies is constantly increasing. The number of agencies subject to the discharge procedure evolved from 8 in 2000 to 20 in 2006. It concludes therefore that the auditing/discharge process has become cumbersome and disproportionate compared to the relative size of the agencies and that, in the future, this type of procedure should be simplified and rationalised for decentralised agencies.On the basis of the financial analysis, the Parliament is of the following opinion:Fundamental considerations: given the constantly increasing number of agencies, the Parliament requests that, before the creation of a new agency, the Commission provide clear explanations regarding agency type, objectives of the agency, internal governance structure, products, services, clients and stakeholders of the agency, formal relationship with external actors, budget responsibility, financial planning, and personnel and staffing policy. It also requests that each agency be governed by a yearly performance agreement which should contain the main objectives for the coming year and that the performance of the agencies be regularly audited by the Court of Auditors (and extend the financial analysis of expenditure to also cover administrative efficiency and effectiveness). More generally, the Parliament takes the view that, in the case of agencies, which are continually overestimating their respective budget needs, technical abatement should be made on the basis of vacant posts in order to reduce the assigned revenue for the agencies and therefore also lower administrative costs of the EU. It recalls that it is a serious problem that a number of agencies is criticised for not following rules on public procurement, the Financial Regulation, the Staff Regulations etc., and considers that the principal reason for this is that most regulations and the Financial Regulation are designed for bigger institutions rather than for small agencies. Therefore, it is necessary to seek a rapid solution in order to enhance the effectiveness of the legislation by grouping the administrative functions of various agencies together or by establishing implementing rules which are better adapted to the agencies. The Parliament also insists that the Commission, when drafting the Preliminary Draft Budget, take into consideration the results of budget implementation by the individual agencies in former years and revise the budget requested by the particular agency accordingly. If the Commission does not undertake this revision, the Parliament invites the competent committee to revise, itself, the budget in question to a realistic level. At the same time, the Parliament recalls that it expects the Commission to present every five years a study on the added value of every existing agency and to not hesitate to close an agency if it is deemed useless by the analysis. Such an assessment is expected as soon as possible given that this type of assessment has yet to be presented. Furthermore, the Parliament insists that recommendations of the Court of Auditors should be promptly implemented and the level of subsidies paid to the agencies should be aligned with their real cash requirements. Presentation of reporting data: noting that there is no standard approach among the agencies with regard to the presentation of information, the Parliament recalls that it already invited the directors of the agencies to accompany their annual activity report with a declaration of assurance concerning the legality and regularity of operations, similar to the declarations signed by the Directors General of the Commission. It therefore asks the Commission to amend its standing instructions to the agencies and to produce a harmonised model for presenting information, including: i) an annual report intended for a general readership on the body's operations, work and achievements; ii) financial statements and a report on implementation of the agency’s budget; iii) an activity report of the Directors of the agency (as requested by the Parliament since 2005); iv) a declaration of assurance signed by the body's director. General findings by the Court of Auditors: the Parliament refers to certain recurring findings by the Court, including the disbursement of subsidies paid by the Commission (not sufficiently justified estimates of the agencies' cash requirements), the non implementation of the ABAC accounting system by some agencies or the accrued charges for untaken leave which are accounted for by some agencies. It calls for rapid measures in these areas as well as improvements to the internal audit procedures of the agencies. The Parliament also calls on the agencies to consider an inter-agency disciplinary board, as some individual agencies have difficulty in setting up their own disciplinary boards due to their size.Draft inter-institutional agreement: the Parliament recalls the Commission's draft Interinstitutional agreement on the operating framework for the European regulatory agencies (see ACI/2005/2035), which was intended to create a framework for the creation, structure, operation, evaluation and control of the European regulatory agencies, and awaits its adoption as soon as possible. It particularly welcomes the Commission's commitment to bring forward a Communication on the future of the regulatory agencies during the course of 2008.2) Specific points concerning the GNSS Authority: the Parliament regrets that the Court of Auditors identified weaknesses in the operation of the management and control systems of the GNSS Authority. It takes note that, from 1 January 2007, the Authority has been the owner of all tangible and intangible assets of the Galileo Programme and recalls that the handover of activities from the Galileo Joint Undertaking to the Authority started in December 2006 with the transfer of several sums and rights related to the previous administrative and financial structure. Furthermore, it notes from the Council conclusions adopted following its meeting of 3 December 2007 that the estimated cost for the GNSS programmes for the period 2007-2013 amounts to EUR 3.4 billion and that the project will be financed by public funds. It concludes therefore that, although an EU agency, the Authority as the owner of all the Galileo assets will carry out a role quite unlike that of any other regulatory agency, and that by virtue of the substantial amounts in its balance sheet will, in future, require particularly closer scrutiny than other bodies. In this respect, the Parliament notes that the winding-up of the Galileo Joint Undertaking will be the subject of a specific report by the Court during 2008.
- 2008/04/03 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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2008/03/26
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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2008/02/19
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- #2847
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2008/02/12
Council Meeting
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2008/01/31
Non-legislative basic document published
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N6-0002/2008
summary
PURPOSE: to present the report by the Court of Auditors on the 2006 accounts of the European GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Supervisory Authority.CONTENT: this document offers a detailed overview of the expenditure of the Authority for the 2006 financial year. It shows that the official final budget of the Supervisory Authority was EUR 7 million for 2006 (the first year of real activity by the Agency), an amount comprising a 100% Community subsidy.In terms of personnel, the Authority, whose headquarters are in Brussels (Belgium) officially comprised 39 posts, 18 of which were occupied + 5 other posts (auxiliary contracts, seconded national experts and employment agency staff), currently making a total of 23 posts assuming operational, administrative or mixed tasks. Expenditure on personnel amounted to EUR 522 000 (paid).To recap, the GNSS Supervisory Authority was established as a Community agency by virtue of Council Regulation (EC) No 1321/2004 to manage the public interests relating to the European GNSS programmes and to act as the regulatory authority for the programme during the deployment and operational phases of the Galileo Programme (see CNS/2003/0177).Council Regulation (EC) No 1942/2006 (see CNS/2006/0090) extended the mandate of the Authority to cover the activities of the development phase (first phase of the Galileo Programme which the Galileo Joint Undertaking was not able to finalise before its winding-up on 31 December 2006.The Authority began operations in 2006. Initially, all the financial transactions of the Authority were carried out on its behalf by the Directorate-General for Energy and Transport. Following the installation of the necessary financial systems, the Authority took over responsibility for its financial operations in September 2006. The handover of activities from the Galileo Joint Undertaking to the Authority started in December 2006 with the transfer of EUR 70 million and the rights and obligations related to the 6th Research Framework Programme, MEDA, EGNOS and other contracts. This is why, although the Community subsidy and other revenue for the Authority in 2006 was just over EUR 7 million, the total assets of the Authority amounted to EUR 76.6 million at the end of 2006.During the 2006 financial year, the Authority focused its activities on the following actions:Setting-up of the GSAFinancial autonomy in September 2006; 18 posts filled and 13 others recruited at 31.12.2006; Move to new premises was planned and prepared; Plan for establishing the System Safety and Security Committee approved on 30.11.2006 and call for nominations issued on 13.12.2006; Preparation of the documentation and signing of the transfer of the activities of the GJU (except for the In-Orbit-Validation phase and international activities); Introduction of the basic elements of communication (logo, graphics). Galileo and EGNOS systemsDraft certification plan for EGNOS; Preparation and approval of an ESA/GSA agreement by the Administrative Board; Contribution to defining a policy for managing the GNSS intellectual property rights. ConcessionSupport given to the GJU negotiating team for the concession contract; Start-up of consultations on introducing the accounting rules for recording tangible and intangible assets. It should be noted that the complete accounts of the Authority may be found at the following website: http://www.gsa.europa.eu/
- DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/', 'title': 'Budget'}, KALLAS Siim
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N6-0002/2008
summary
Documents
- Non-legislative basic document published: N6-0002/2008
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A6-0127/2008
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T6-0162/2008
- : Budget 2009/237
- : OJ L 088 31.03.2009, p. 0262
Amendments | Dossier |
50 |
2008/2000(DEC)
2008/03/06
CONT
50 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision on discharge Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a decision on the closure of accounts Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 26 Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 31 Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 33 Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 34 Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Requests that the performance of the agencies be regularly (and on an ad hoc basis) audited by the Court of Auditors or another independent auditor; considers that this should not be limited to traditional elements of financial management and the proper use of public money, but should also cover administrative efficiency and effectiveness and should include a rating of the financial management of each agency;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36a. Takes the view that in the case of agencies which are continually overestimating their respective budget needs, technical abatement should be made on the basis of vacant posts; is of the opinion that this will lead in the long run to less assigned revenue for the agencies and therefore also to lower administrative costs;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 b (new) 36b. Notes that it is a serious problem that a number of agencies is criticised for not following rules on public procurement, the Financial Regulation, the Staff Regulations etc.; considers that the principal reason for this is that most regulations and the Financial Regulation are designed for bigger institutions and that most of the small agencies do not have the critical mass to be able to cope with these regulatory requirements; therefore asks the Commission to look for a rapid solution in order to enhance the effectiveness by grouping the administrative functions of various agencies together, in order to achieve this critical mass (taking into consideration the necessary changes in the basic regulations governing the agencies and their budgetary independence), or urgently to draft specific rules for the agencies (in particular implementing rules for the agencies) which allow them to be in full compliance;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 c (new) 36c. Insists that the Commission, when drafting the Preliminary Draft Budget, take into consideration the results of budget implementation by the individual agencies in former years, in particular in year n-1, and, revise the budget requested by the particular agency accordingly; invites its competent committee to respect this revision and, if not undertaken by the Commission, to revise itself the budget in question to a realistic level matching the absorption and implementation capacity of the agency in question;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 d (new) 36d. Recalls its decision on discharge in respect of the financial year 2005, in which it invited the Commission to present every five years a study on the added value of every existing agency; invites all relevant institutions in the case of a negative evaluation of the added value of an agency to take the necessary steps by reformulating the mandate of that agency or by closing it; notes that there has not been one single evaluation undertaken by the Commission in 2007; insists that the Commission should present at least 5 such evaluations before the decision on discharge in respect of the financial year 2007, starting with the oldest agencies;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 e (new) 36e. Is of opinion that recommendations of the Court of Auditors should be promptly implemented and the level of subsidies paid to the agencies should be aligned with their real cash requirements; considers further that the amendments to the general Financial Regulation should be incorporated into the agencies' framework financial regulation and into their various specific financial regulations;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 f (new) 36f. Is concerned that a significant number of staff is employed on a temporary basis in a way that could undermine the quality of their work; therefore asks the Commission to improve its monitoring of the implementation of the Staff Regulations by the agencies;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 Amendment 41 #
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Calls on the Commission to submit as quickly as possible a proposal to abolish or drastically cut back privileges
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 61 Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 62 Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 63 Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 64 Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 65 Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 source: PE-402.789
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