PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2007.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2009/683/EC of the European Parliament on the discharge for the implementation of the budget of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2007.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to the Executive Director of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2007.

This decision is in line with the European Parliament’s resolution adopted on 23 April 2009 and comprises a series of observations that form an integral part of the discharge decision (please refer to the summary of the opinion of 23/04/2009). The decision to grant discharge is also an approval of the closure of the accounts of this EU agency.

The European Parliament adopted a decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2007. The decision to grant discharge is also an approval of the closure of the accounts of this EU agency.

Moreover, the Parliament adopted by 400 votes to 10, with 22 abstentions, a resolution with observations which form an integral part of the decision to grant discharge.

The Parliament points out that:

the Agency's budget was EUR 5 million for 2007, more than half of which was managed by the Commission as the Agency only acquired financial independence shortly before the year-end; the ECA observed that the Agency had not established appropriate procedures in order to determine the funds to be carried over (leading to the result that at least EUR 125 000 was carried over without legal commitments); the Agency has not yet sufficiently documented its internal control procedures; the description of the accounting system has yet to be validated.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2007 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, the Parliament approves the closure of the Agency’s accounts and refers, for other observations accompanying its decision on discharge, to its resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies - see 2008/2207(INI) - adopted in parallel.

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report drawn up by Christofer FJELLNER (EPP-ED, SE) on discharge to be granted to the Community Fisheries Control Agency, calling on the European Parliament to grant the Executive Director of the Community Fisheries Control Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2007.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2007 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of the Agency’s accounts.

However, they make a number of recommendations as part of the decision on discharge. In addition to the general recommendations appearing in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2008/2207(INI) ), MEPs make the following observations:

the Agency received a fully positive statement of assurance from the European Court of Auditors (ECA); the Agency's budget was EUR 5 million for 2007, more than half of which was managed by the Commission as the Agency only acquired financial independence shortly before the year-end; the ECA's observation that the Agency had not established appropriate procedures in order to determine the funds to be carried over (leading to the result that at least EUR 125 000 was carried over without legal commitments); the Agency has not yet sufficiently documented its internal control procedures; the description of the accounting system has yet to be validated.

Based on the observations contained in the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) for the financial year 2007, as well as on the Court of Auditor’s report and the Agency’s replies to the Court’s observations, the Council recommends that the Parliament grant the Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2007.

In doing so, the Council confirms that that the appropriations carried over from 2007 to 2008 amount to EUR 920 000 and that a total of EUR 1.1 million was cancelled.

Recalling that the Court of Auditors was able to obtain reasonable assurance that the Agency’s annual accounts were, in all material aspects, reliable, the Council believes that there is a certain number of observations that must be taken into consideration when granting discharge in respect of the implementation of the 2007 budget, particularly regarding the following points:

Management of appropriations without legal commitments : the Council notes with concern that the Agency carried over some amounts without legal commitment, due to the fact that it had not established efficient year end procedures for determining the appropriations to be carried over. Therefore, it calls on the Agency to take the necessary steps to remedy this situation; Accounting system : the Council regrets the fact that the Agency did not formally adopt any internal control standards. The Council is confident that the Agency will do its utmost to take the appropriate measures as soon as possible and calls on the Agency to ensure that the accounting officer validates the description of the accounting system without delay.

PURPOSE: to present the report by the Court of Auditors on the 2007 annual accounts of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCS).

CONTENT: the Court of Auditor’s report includes a detailed section on the Agency’s expenditure and an analysis of the expenditure, as well as the Agency’s replies.

Analysis of the accounts by the Court : in its report, the Court makes a number of observations, particularly with regard to the budgetary approach adopted by this new agency. The Agency’s 2007 budget was EUR 5 million. Due to the fact that the Agency only acquired its financial independence in November 2007, the Commission managed more than half of its budget. There is no official handover report concerning the part of the Agency’s budget managed by the Commission. The Court also notes that the Agency had not established efficient year end procedures for determining the appropriations to be carried over (appropriations amounting to at least EUR 125 000 were carried over without legal commitments). The Court notes inaccuracies in the internal control procedures and in terms of accounting; The Agency’s replies : the Agency notes that, in order to strengthen the year end procedures and avoid similar circumstances, additional follow up tools have been put in place by the Agency since January 2008. Moreover, the Internal Control Standards were adopted in March 2008 and new financial procedures have been put in place by the Agency’s authorising officer.

PURPOSE: to present the final accounts of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2007.

CONTENT: this document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the Community Fisheries Control Agency’s budget for the financial year 2007. It notes that the final budget amounts to EUR 5 million (the Agency’s first year).

As regards the staffing policy, the Agency, whose head office is in Brussels (Belgium), officially set out 38 posts in its establishment plan (including 17 temporary agents – note that recruitment slowed down in anticipation of the relocation to Vigo in early 2008 and 8 other posts (contract staff).

In 2007, the Agency launched its first operational activities in three areas in accordance with the 2007 Work Programme and prepared for operational activities in two more areas:

North Sea and adjacent waters : on the basis of the existing cooperation between some Member States (the so called operations ‘Shark’ and ‘Saint Pierre’), in 2007, the CFCA elaborated a Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) together with the Member States surrounding the North Sea; NAFO Regulatory Area (RA) : the CFCA ensured throughout 2007 the coordination of inspection and surveillance in the NAFO RA under the NAFO Conservation and Enforcement Measures (CEM) by (NAFO) Community Inspectors, with the presence of one CFCA Coordinator on board the EU-inspection vessel in the NAFO RA chartered by the Commission; Baltic Sea : between May and December 2007, six joint inspection and surveillance campaigns coordinated by the CFCA were carried out. The JISS campaigns were set up in the same way as the ones in the North Sea and each campaign was coordinated by one of the coordination centres of the Member State concerned, with a CFCA coordinator present in the centre in question; Bluefin tuna : in 2007 the CFCA started the preparatory work for the coordination of control, inspection and surveillance activities by Member States; IUU : pending the adoption of new legislation, some preparatory work has been started.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address:

http://www.cfca.europa.eu/organisation/CFCA_Final_Accounts_2007.pdf

PURPOSE: to present the final accounts of the Community Fisheries Control Agency for the financial year 2007.

CONTENT: this document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the Community Fisheries Control Agency’s budget for the financial year 2007. It notes that the final budget amounts to EUR 5 million (the Agency’s first year).

As regards the staffing policy, the Agency, whose head office is in Brussels (Belgium), officially set out 38 posts in its establishment plan (including 17 temporary agents – note that recruitment slowed down in anticipation of the relocation to Vigo in early 2008 and 8 other posts (contract staff).

In 2007, the Agency launched its first operational activities in three areas in accordance with the 2007 Work Programme and prepared for operational activities in two more areas:

North Sea and adjacent waters : on the basis of the existing cooperation between some Member States (the so called operations ‘Shark’ and ‘Saint Pierre’), in 2007, the CFCA elaborated a Joint Deployment Plan (JDP) together with the Member States surrounding the North Sea; NAFO Regulatory Area (RA) : the CFCA ensured throughout 2007 the coordination of inspection and surveillance in the NAFO RA under the NAFO Conservation and Enforcement Measures (CEM) by (NAFO) Community Inspectors, with the presence of one CFCA Coordinator on board the EU-inspection vessel in the NAFO RA chartered by the Commission; Baltic Sea : between May and December 2007, six joint inspection and surveillance campaigns coordinated by the CFCA were carried out. The JISS campaigns were set up in the same way as the ones in the North Sea and each campaign was coordinated by one of the coordination centres of the Member State concerned, with a CFCA coordinator present in the centre in question; Bluefin tuna : in 2007 the CFCA started the preparatory work for the coordination of control, inspection and surveillance activities by Member States; IUU : pending the adoption of new legislation, some preparatory work has been started.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address:

http://www.cfca.europa.eu/organisation/CFCA_Final_Accounts_2007.pdf