Activites

• 2014/04/03 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T7-0307/2014 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a decision concerning the discharge to be granted to the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority (EBA) in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012. The vote on the discharge decision approved the closure of the accounts (in accordance with Annex VI, Article 5(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament. Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Authority for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 506 votes to 77, with 15 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies. These recommendations are summarised as follows: Legality and regularity of transactions: Parliament noted that the Authority grants staff whose children attend primary or secondary school a top-up allowance, which amounted to some EUR 76 000 in 2012. It noted that these allowances are not covered by the Staff Regulations and are, therefore, considered irregular by the Court of Auditors. It acknowledged, however, that this situation is due to the lack of European Schools in the city where the Authority is based. Budget and financial management: Parliament noted that the overall level of appropriations committed was 89%, but carry-overs of committed appropriations were high at 45% which was mainly due to reasons beyond the Authority’s control, such as the unsuccessful attempt to find new premises and delays in the implementation of some IT projects for which it was difficult to obtain the information needed from the predecessor organisation. Improvements should be made in the area of budgetary planning. Performance: Parliament requested that the Authority communicate the results and impact its work has on European citizens in an accessible way, mainly through its website. Parliament also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls. Lastly, it welcomed the adoption of Ethics Guidelines by the Authority and acknowledged that it is finalising the preparation of its conflicts of interests policy. It called on the Authority to inform the discharge authority of the adoption of that policy.

• 2014/04/02 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2014/03/21 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A7-0220/2014 summary

    The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI) in which it recommended the European Parliament to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority (EBA) in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012. Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Authority for the financial year 2012 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Members approved the closure of the Authority’s accounts. They made, however, a number of recommendations that needed to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies. Legality and regularity of transactions: Members noted that the Authority grants staff whose children attend primary or secondary school a top-up allowance, which amounted to some EUR 76 000 in 2012. They noted that these allowances are not covered by the Staff Regulations and are, therefore, considered irregular by the Court of Auditors. They acknowledged, however, that this situation is due to the lack of European Schools in the city where the Authority is based. Budget and financial management: Members noted that the overall level of appropriations committed was 89%, but carry-overs of committed appropriations were high at 45% which was mainly due to reasons beyond the Authority’s control, such as the unsuccessful attempt to find new premises and delays in the implementation of some IT projects for which it was difficult to obtain the information needed from the predecessor organisation. Improvements should be made in the area of budgetary planning. Members also made a series of observations on transfers, procurement and recruitment procedures as well as comments on internal controls. Lastly, they welcomed the adoption of Ethics Guidelines by the Authority and acknowledged that it is finalising the preparation of its conflicts of interests policy. They called on the Authority to inform the discharge authority of the adoption of that policy.

• 2014/03/17 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2013/10/22 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2013/07/26 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2013)0570 summary

    PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2012, as part of the 2012 discharge procedure. Analysis of the accounts of the European Banking Authority (EBA). CONTENT: this Commission document sets out the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2012 as prepared on the basis of the information presented by the institutions, organisations and bodies of the EU, in accordance with Article 129 (2) of the Financial Regulation applicable to the EU's General Budget, including the European Banking Authority (EBA). In 2012, the tasks and budget of this agency were as follows: description of the EBA’s tasks: the Authority, which is located in London, was established by Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council and has the aim of protecting the public interest and contributing to the stability and efficiency of the banking system in the short, medium and long term for the economy of the European Union, its citizens and its businesses; the EBA’s budget for the 2012 financial year: the EBA’s budget for 2012, as presented in the Commission document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union, gives the following figures: §         Commitment appropriations : - committed : EUR 21 million; - paid : EUR 18 million; - carried-over : 0. §         Payment appropriations : - committed : EUR 22 million; - paid : EUR 13 million; - carried-over : EUR 7 million. Please refer also to the final accounts of the European Banking Authority

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/', 'title': 'Budget'}, ŠEMETA Algirdas

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2013)0570
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A7-0220/2014
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0307/2014

Amendments

Dossier

28

2013/2237(DEC) 2014/01/23 ECON 12 amendments... Amendment 1 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that the European Parliament was a key driver in the establishment of the EBA and that the European Supervisory Authorities (ESA's) are still in a setting-up phase; considers, therefore, that better coordination and supervision of these authorities are needed at European level; Amendment 10 # Hans-Peter MARTIN Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Points out that in the opinion delivered by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on the discharge for 2011 the Authority was asked to refrain from encumbering Member States with additional bureaucracy or creating new bureaucratic tasks for itself and to prevent any spread of bureaucracy; calls on the Authority, therefore, to ascertain, and to inform Parliament, whether those requests have been acted upon; Amendment 11 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Concludes, for precisely that reason, that the current financing arrangements of EBA may pose a threat to its independence and therefore calls on the Commission to proposcreate an independent budget line for it during the review of its regulation. Amendment 12 # Anne E. JENSEN, Olle SCHMIDT, Nils TORVALDS Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Concludes that the current financing arrangements of EBA pose a threat to its independence and therefore calls on the Commission to propose an independent budget line during the review of its regulation; recommends full financing of EBA from the EU budget and/or fees paid by the market participants. Amendment 2 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that the Authority's role in promoting the safety and soundness of banking institutions, in the prudential regulation of the European banking sector and in ensuring the effectiveness of European supervision is essential for the economic recovery and the creation of sustainable jobs and growth in Europe; Amendment 3 # Davor Ivo STIER Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that the Authority’s role in promoting the safety and soundness of banking institutions – and hence of the economic system as a whole – is essential for the economic recovery and the creation of sustainable jobs and growth in Europe; Amendment 4 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Welcomes that as on September 2013 three corrective actions were completed following the comments of the Court of Auditors in 2011 and recalls that this process must be fully satisfied, including the transparency of selection procedures, outsourcing of the IT system to an external firm, and the excessive nature of the associated expenditure, as well as the problem of low budget utilisation; Amendment 5 # Hans-Peter MARTIN Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Points out that in the opinion delivered by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on the discharge for 2011 the Authority was asked to ensure that office rentals and expenditure did not exceed normal local market prices and also to seek to reduce costs year on year as market conditions improved; calls on the Authority, therefore, to ascertain, and to inform Parliament, whether those requests have been acted upon; Amendment 6 # Hans-Peter MARTIN Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Authority to state the average cost per page of in-house translation for the year 2012, specifying the change compared with the preceding year; Amendment 7 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Stresses that the additional tasks entrusted to EBA as well as future tasks envisaged in the proposals yet to be agreed will require budgetary increases and new human resources in order to fulfil their supervisory role in a satisfactory manner; considers this to be extremely important, as the tasks of the supervisory authorities are changing in these very years, so that in the years ahead they are likely to increase most; Amendment 8 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Notes furthermore that the introduction of the new human resources mentioned in the text – if rendered necessary by the accumulation of duties – is acceptable, although it might be more rational first to regroup the duties, or to complete increases in efficiency, before we increase the staff establishment by specific numbers; Amendment 9 # Ildikó GÁLL-PELCZ Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Considers that the current financing of EBA, which is based on a mixed financing system, is inflexible and creates administrative burdens, and that therefore, in order to improve efficiency and independence, the Authority’s current financing should be reviewed, so that after a certain period the budget of the European supervisory authorities is entirely funded from the European Union budget; source: PE-527.962 2014/02/25 CONT 16 amendments... Amendment 1 # Petri SARVAMAA Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012; Amendment 10 # Ryszard CZARNECKI, Andrea ČEŠKOVÁ, Marta ANDREASEN, Philip BRADBOURN, Derk Jan EPPINK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Notes withExpresses concern that carry-overs of committed appropriations were high for title II (45 %); acknowledges that this was mainly due to reasons beyond the Authority’s control, such as the unsuccessful attempt to find new premises and delays in the implementation of some IT projects for which it was difficult to obtain the information needed from the predecessor organisation; Amendment 11 # Ryszard CZARNECKI, Andrea ČEŠKOVÁ, Marta ANDREASEN, Philip BRADBOURN, Derk Jan EPPINK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Notes with satisfaction that according to the annual activity report, as well as the Court of Auditors' audit findings, the level and nature of transfers in 2012 have remained within the limits of the financial rules and commends the Authority for its good budgetary planning; Amendment 12 # Monica MACOVEI Motion for a resolution Subheading 4 a (new) Prevention and management of conflicts of interests and transparency Amendment 13 # Monica MACOVEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Welcomes the adoption of Ethics Guidelines by the Authority; notes that those guidelines were developed jointly with EIOPA and ESMA; acknowledges that the Authority is finalising its conflicts of interests policy; calls on the Authority to inform the discharge authority of the adoption of the policy; Amendment 14 # Monica MACOVEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Observes that the CVs and Declarations of Interests of the members of the Management Board and the Board of Supervisors, as well as the Declarations of Interests of the Executive Director and senior management, are not publicly available; calls on the Centre to remedy the situation as a matter of urgency; Amendment 15 # Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Chris DAVIES, Jan MULDER Motion for a resolution Subheading 6 a (new) Performance Amendment 16 # Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Chris DAVIES, Jan MULDER Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Requests that the Authority communicate the results and impact its work has on European citizens in an accessible way, mainly through its website; Amendment 2 # Ryszard CZARNECKI, Andrea ČEŠKOVÁ, Marta ANDREASEN, Philip BRADBOURN, Derk Jan EPPINK Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012; Amendment 3 # Karin KADENBACH Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority’s budget for the financial year 2012; Amendment 4 # Petri SARVAMAA Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 1 1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012; Amendment 5 # Ryszard CZARNECKI, Andrea ČEŠKOVÁ, Marta ANDREASEN, Philip BRADBOURN, Derk Jan EPPINK Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 1 1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012; Amendment 6 # Karin KADENBACH Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 1 1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012 / Postpones its decision on the closure of the accounts of the European Banking Authority for the financial year 2012; Amendment 7 # Elena BĂSESCU Motion for a resolution Citation 10 a (new) – having regard to the previous discharge reports of the Parliament, Amendment 8 # Monica MACOVEI Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas according to its financial statements, the final budget of the European Banking Authority (‘"the Authority’") for the financial year 2012 was EUR 20 747 000, representing an increase of 63,56 % compared to 2011, Amendment 9 # Ryszard CZARNECKI, Andrea ČEŠKOVÁ, Marta ANDREASEN, Philip BRADBOURN, Derk Jan EPPINK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Notes with concern that in order to cover higher school fees, the Authority grants staff whose children attend primary or secondary school a top-up allowance, which amounted to some EUR 76 000 in 2012, in addition to the education allowances provided for in the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities (‘the Staff Regulations’);notes that these allowances are not covered by the Staff Regulations and are, therefore, rightly considered irregular by the Court of Auditors; acknowledges, however, that this situation is due to the lack of European Schools in the city the Authority is based in and that the purpose of these top-ups is to ensure equal treatment of the Authority’s employees under the Staff Regulations; but questions if this level of additional expenditure is justifiable; source: PE-521.763

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)