PURPOSE: to grant discharge to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the financial year 2008.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2010/518/EU of the European Parliament on the discharge for the implementation of the budget of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the financial year 2008.

CONTENT: with the present decision, the European Parliament grants discharge to the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2008.

This decision is in line with the European Parliament’s resolution adopted on 5 May 2010 and comprises a series of observations that form an integral part of the discharge decision (please refer to the summary of the opinion of 5 May 2010).

A parallel Decision, adopted on the same day, approves the closure of the accounts of this EU agency.

The European Parliament adopted by 556 votes to 32, with 53 abstentions, a decision on discharge to be granted to the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2008.

Furthermore, Parliament adopted a resolution with observations which are an integral part of the decision to grant discharge.

The main points are as follows:

performance: Parliament welcomes the fact that the Centre consolidated its public health functions, enhanced the capacities of its disease-specific programmes, further developed partnerships and improved its managerial structures. It calls on the Centre to set out, in its table to be annexed to the Court of Auditors’ next report, a comparison of operations carried out during the year for which discharge is to be granted and in the previous financial year, so as to enable the discharge authority to assess its performance more effectively from one year to the next; carry-over of appropriations: Parliament notes that about EUR 16 200 000 (representing 40% of the Centre’s total budget) have had to be carried over; is consequently concerned that this situation is at odds with the principle of annuality and shows weaknesses in the programming and subsequent implementation of the Centre’s budget. Moreover, other information shows that the Centre’s cash reserves amounted to EUR 16 705 090.95 on 31 December 2008. It, therefore, calls on the Commission to examine ways of ensuring that the principle of needs-based cash management to ensure that the Centre’s cash reserves are kept as low as possible on a long-term basis; the Centre’s seat: noting that, as of 31 December 2008, there was still no agreement on the Centre’s seat with the Swedish Government and that, in its discharge for the financial year 2007, the discharge authority had already expressed concern at the Court of Auditors’ observation that the Centre had disbursed additional expenditure on renovation works on the buildings rented for its premises, Parliament welcomes the fact that an agreement was concluded in March 2009 on personal identity numbers that will enable staff working at the Centre to access certain public services. It supports the Centre's efforts with the Swedish government to find definitive solutions; human resources: Parliament points out that there are still weaknesses in the planning of recruitment but that, by the end of 2008, considerable recruitment had ensured that the Centre could carry out its tasks effectively; internal audit: although Parliament deplores the Centre’s slowness in providing certain information in relation to its internal audit, it nevertheless recognises that the Centre gave certain information on the quality of its management, follow-up action in respect of certain internal control standards and the implementation of other internal control standards.

Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament approves the closure of the Centre’s accounts. However, it makes a number of recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI) adopted in parallel).

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Véronique MATHIEU (EPP, FR) calling on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) discharge in respect of the implementation of the Centre’s budget for the financial year 2008.

Noting that the Court of Auditors states that it has obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of the Centre’s accounts. However, they make a number of recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI) :

performance : Members welcome the fact that the Centre consolidated its public health functions, enhanced the capacities of its disease-specific programmes, further developed partnerships and improved its managerial structures. They call on the Centre to set out, in its table to be annexed to the Court of Auditors’ next report, a comparison of operations carried out during the year for which discharge is to be granted and in the previous financial year, so as to enable the discharge authority to assess its performance more effectively from one year to the next; carry-over of appropriations: Members note that about EUR 16 200 000 (representing 40 % of the Centre’s total budget) have had to be carried over; is consequently concerned that this situation is at odds with the principle of annuality and shows weaknesses in the programming and subsequent implementation of the Centre’s budget. Moreover, other information shows that the Centre’s cash reserves amounted to EUR 16 705 090.95 on 31 December 2008. They, therefore, call on the Commission to examine ways of ensuring that the principle of needs-based cash management to ensure that the Centre’s cash reserves are kept as low as possible on a long-term basis; the Centre’s seat : noting that, as of 31 December 2008, there was still no agreement on the Centre’s seat with the Swedish Government and that, in its discharge for the financial year 2007, the discharge authority had already expressed concern at the Court of Auditors’ observation that the Centre had disbursed additional expenditure on renovation works on the buildings rented for its premises, Members welcome the fact that an agreement was concluded in March 2009 on personal identity numbers that will enable staff working at the Centre to access certain public services. They support the Centre's efforts with the Swedish government to find definitive solutions; human resources: Members point out that there are still weaknesses in the planning of recruitment but that, by the end of 2008, considerable recruitment had ensured that the Centre could carry out its tasks effectively; internal audit: although Members deplore the Centre’s slowness in providing certain information in relation to its internal audit, they nevertheless recognise that the Centre gave certain information on the quality of its management, follow-up action in respect of certain internal control standards and the implementation of other internal control standards.

Based on the observations contained in the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the financial year 2008, as well as on the Court of Auditor’s report and the Centre’s replies to the Court’s observations, the Council recommends that the Parliament grant the Director of the Centre discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2008.

The Council welcomes the Court's opinion that, on the one hand, the Centre's annual accounts present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position as at 31 December 2008 and the results of operations and cash-flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Centre's Financial Regulation, and that, on the other hand, the underlying transactions for the financial year ended on 31 December 2008 are, in all material respects, legal and regular.

However, the Council considers that observations made in the Court of Auditor’s report call for a certain number of observations to be taken into account when granting discharge, particularly on the following points:

carry-over rates : the Council notes with concern that the level of carry-overs still remains high and calls on the Centre to intensify its efforts to improve budgetary planning and implementation of the budget, thus complying strictly with the budgetary principle of annuality; recruitment procedures : the Council asks the Centre to remedy to shortcomings identified by the Court in the recruitment procedures. It welcomes the efforts made to find an agreement facilitating staff access to services and invites the Centre to monitor closely the implementation of agreed measures.

PURPOSE: to present the report of the Court of Auditors on the 2008 accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

CONTENT: in the Court’s opinion, the Centre’s Annual Accounts present fairly, in all material respects, its financial position as of 31 December 2008 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended. The transactions underlying the annual accounts of the Centre for the financial year ended are, in all material respects, legal and regular.

The Court of Auditor’s report includes a detailed section on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s expenditure and an analysis of the expenditure, as well as the Centre’s replies.

The Court’s analysis of the accounts : in its report, the Court makes a number of observations, particularly with regard to budgetary and financial management. The Court notes that the Centre carried forward EUR 16.2 million of which approximately EUR 2.9 million concerned services and works that, although legally contracted in 2008, were to be fully executed in 2009. This situation is at odds with the principle of annuality. In addition, the 2008 establishment plan contained 130 posts. At year-end 2008 only 101 of the 130 authorised posts had been filled. This situation creates a risk of downsizing the Centre’s activities due to a lack of staff and indicates weaknesses in the planning of recruitment procedures. Lastly, at 31 December 2008 there was still no seat agreement between the Centre and the Swedish government as there were still many outstanding issues that needed further negotiations. One of these issues was that the Centre’s staff were not issued a Swedish personal identification number (‘personnummer’). This situation limits their access to various public and private services. The current situation may affect the Centre’s capacity to recruit and keep staff. The Centre’s replies : the Centre agrees with the Court that the level of carry forward is high. Nevertheless it wishes to highlight that more than 80 % relates to operational activities already initiated in 2008 and for which implementation goes through 2009. The management is focusing on concluding most of the procurement and contracting activities early in the year in order to improve the budget implementation and lower the level of carry forward. The Centre agrees that there were delays in the recruitment of temporary agents and this is partly due to the fact that recruitment in some areas proved to be longer and more difficult. The Centre has taken measures to improve the situation through broader dissemination of vacancy notices and a faster implementation of the recruitment plan with most 2009 posts being published by April. Discussion on the seat agreement and in particular the issue of the ‘personnummer’ has been a recurrent item on the agenda of the Centre’s Management Board. A new legislation was finally adopted by the Swedish Parliament in March 2009 entering into force in July 2009 and providing for allocation of a personnummer to ECDC staff. The Centre will closely monitor the outcome of its implementation and it is expected it should improve and facilitate staff access to services.

PURPOSE: to present the final accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the financial year 2008.

CONTENT: this document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s budget for the financial year 2008. It notes that the final budget amounted to EUR 40.7 million (compared tot EUR 28 million in 2007).

As regards the staffing policy, the Centre, which is based in Stockholm (Sweden), officially set out 130 posts in its establishment plan. 101 posts are currently occupied + 53 other posts, totalling 154 posts assigned to operational and administrative duties.

In 2008, the Centre concentrated on the development of its activities in terms of monitoring diseases, namely:

251 threats monitored using the Threat Tracking Tool (TTT). A weekly communicable diseases threat report and a weekly epidemiological bulletin published. Support to epidemic intelligence for two large mass gathering events in Europe. Preparation of 31 original threat assessments. Organisation of two simulation exercises. 41 fellows coached through the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET). 250 public health experts from 30 EU-EEA countries participated in ECDC short training modules. Organisation of the second European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (Escaide) in November 2008 in Berlin. Support to 4 Member States in conducting assessments of their training needs and resources - 21 scientific documents published in 2008. Organisation of the first European Antibiotic Awareness Day with participation of 32 countries. Produced scientific guidance: Guidance for the introduction of HPV vaccines in EU countries, Guidance on priority risk groups for influenza vaccination. Conducted survey and built database of public health microbiology reference laboratories in EU. 2nd Annual epidemiological report published.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/aboutus/Pages/AboutUs_KeyDocuments.aspx

PURPOSE: to present the final accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the financial year 2008.

CONTENT: this document sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s budget for the financial year 2008. It notes that the final budget amounted to EUR 40.7 million (compared tot EUR 28 million in 2007).

As regards the staffing policy, the Centre, which is based in Stockholm (Sweden), officially set out 130 posts in its establishment plan. 101 posts are currently occupied + 53 other posts, totalling 154 posts assigned to operational and administrative duties.

In 2008, the Centre concentrated on the development of its activities in terms of monitoring diseases, namely:

251 threats monitored using the Threat Tracking Tool (TTT). A weekly communicable diseases threat report and a weekly epidemiological bulletin published. Support to epidemic intelligence for two large mass gathering events in Europe. Preparation of 31 original threat assessments. Organisation of two simulation exercises. 41 fellows coached through the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET). 250 public health experts from 30 EU-EEA countries participated in ECDC short training modules. Organisation of the second European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (Escaide) in November 2008 in Berlin. Support to 4 Member States in conducting assessments of their training needs and resources - 21 scientific documents published in 2008. Organisation of the first European Antibiotic Awareness Day with participation of 32 countries. Produced scientific guidance: Guidance for the introduction of HPV vaccines in EU countries, Guidance on priority risk groups for influenza vaccination. Conducted survey and built database of public health microbiology reference laboratories in EU. 2nd Annual epidemiological report published.

The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/aboutus/Pages/AboutUs_KeyDocuments.aspx