Activites

• 2015/09/30 Final act published in Official Journal
• 2015/04/29 Results of vote in Parliament
  • Results of vote in Parliament
  • T8-0131/2015 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 550 votes to 125, with 4 abstentions, a decision to grant discharge to the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) for the financial year 2013. 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 Agency for the financial year 2013 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 566 votes to 104, with 7 abstentions, a resolution containing a number of recommendations that form an integral part of the discharge decision and as well as the general recommendations that appear in the resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies. Agency’s financial statements: Parliament noted that the final budget of the Agency for the financial year 2013 was EUR 11 930 220, representing an increase of 64.74% compared to 2012, which can be explained by the Agency’s recently established nature and as a result of the implementation of the REMIT Regulation (Regulation No 1227/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency). Budget and financial management: Parliament noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2013 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 97.53%, and that the payment appropriations execution rate was low at 55%, below the Agency’s target of 70%, mainly due to the late receipt of EUR 2 989 000 through an amended budget approved on 31 October 2013. Carry-overs: Parliament also noted that the carry-overs for Title III appropriations amounted to EUR 3.1 million, representing 91% of the total appropriations under this title. Those carry-overs are related to the REMIT Regulation. It acknowledged from the Agency that a series of measures have been implemented in order to improve the budged planning processes. It called on the Agency to inform the discharge authority on the progress and results of those measures. Lastly, Parliament also made a series of observations on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests, recruitment and internal control.

• 2015/04/28 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2015/03/31 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A8-0117/2015 summary

    The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Ryszard CZARNECKI (ECR, PL) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) for the financial year 2013. It called on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2013. Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2013 are reliable, and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Members called on the Parliament to approve the closure of the Agency’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. Agency’s financial statements: Members noted that the final budget of the Agency for the financial year 2013 was EUR 11 930 220, representing an increase of 64.74% compared to 2012, which can be explained by the Agency’s recently established nature and as a result of the implementation of the REMIT Regulation (Regulation No 1227/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency). Budget and financial management: Members noted that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2013 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 97.53%, and that the payment appropriations execution rate was low at 55%, below the Agency’s target of 70%, mainly due to the late receipt of EUR 2 989 000 through an amended budget approved on 31 October 2013. Carry-overs: Members noted that the carry-overs for Title III appropriations amounted to EUR 3.1 million, representing 91% of the total appropriations under this title. Those carry-overs are related to the REMIT Regulation. They acknowledged from the Agency that a series of measures have been implemented in order to improve the budged planning processes. They called on the Agency to inform the discharge authority on the progress and results of those measures. Members also made a series of observations on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests, recruitment and internal control.

• 2015/03/23 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2014/10/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2014/07/30 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2014)0510 summary

    PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2013, as part of the 2013 discharge procedure. Analysis of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). CONTENT: this Commission document sets out the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2013 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 Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). The document contains the figures on which the discharge procedure is based. Discharge procedure of the EU agencies: the EU Budget finances a wide range of policies and programmes throughout the EU. In accordance with the priorities set by the European Parliament and the Council in the multi-annual financial framework (MFF), the European Commission carries out specific programmes, activities and projects in the field with the technical support of some specialised agencies. The consolidated annual accounts of the EU provide information on the activities of the institutions, agencies and other bodies of the EU from a budgetary and accrual accounting perspective. The consolidated reports on the implementation of the general budget of the EU include the budget implementation of all Institutions. Agencies do not have a separate budget inside the EU budget; and they are partially financed by a Commission budget subsidy. Each agency is subject to its own discharge procedure. ACER: in 2013, the tasks and budget of this agency were as follows: description of ACER's tasks: ACER, which is located in Ljubljana, was set up by Regulation (EU) No 713/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council with a view to helping the Member States’ regulatory authorities in the areas of electricity and natural gas to carry out their regulatory tasks in line with the applicable Community texts, if necessary by coordinating their action. Its aim is to give an opinion on any of the issues relating to the purpose for which it has been established; ACER's budget for the 2013 financial year: ACER’s budget for 2013, as presented in the Commission document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union, gives the following figures: §         Commitment appropriations : - committed : EUR 12 million; - paid : EUR 12 million; - carried-over : 0. §         Payment appropriations : - committed : EUR 14 million; - paid : EUR 8 million; - carried-over : EUR 5 million. Please refer also to the final accounts of the Agency for cooperation of Energy Regulators.

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

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2014)0510
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A8-0117/2015
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T8-0131/2015

Amendments

Dossier

13

2014/2123(DEC) 2015/03/05 CONT 13 amendments... Amendment 1 # Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013 / Postpones its decision on granting the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013; Amendment 10 # Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Acknowledges from the Agency that its policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests has been reviewed on the basis of the Commission's Guidelines on the Prevention and Management of Conflict of Interest in EU Decentralised Agencies; takes note that as a result of that review, the Agency drafted a new policy which has been subject to the Agency's internal consultation process and is to be adopted by its Administrative Board; calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority of the assessment results once available; Amendment 11 # Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Acknowledges that the Agency has implemented new measures after the adoption of the Guidelines on recruitment procedures and work of the Selection Committees for the selection of Temporary Staff and Contract Staff; Amendment 12 # Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Notes that the questions for interviews and tests are prepared before the examination of the applications; in addition, criteria for the admission to written tests and interviews and for being short listed are specified in greater detail; Amendment 13 # Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Observes that the Declarations of Interests of the Executive Director and of the members of Board of Appeal are public; Amendment 2 # Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013 / Postpones its decision on granting the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013; Amendment 3 # Richard ASHWORTH, Beata GOSIEWSKA, Richard SULÍK Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013 / Postpones its decision on granting the Director of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013; Amendment 4 # Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 2 2. Approves the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013; Amendment 5 # Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 2 2. Approves the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013; Amendment 6 # Richard ASHWORTH, Beata GOSIEWSKA, Richard SULÍK Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 2 2. Approves the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators for the financial year 2013; Amendment 7 # Zigmantas BALČYTIS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2 a. Acknowledges that the Agency has implemented a series of measures to improve the budget planning processes by developing and implementing a set of guidelines to be followed by the actors involved in the budget planning process, as well as conducting regular exercises of appropriations consumption forecast and review, including monthly monitoring and reporting on budget implementation; Amendment 8 # Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Notes that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2013 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 97, 53 %, representing an increase of 4% compared with 2012, and that the payment appropriations execution rate was low at 55,00 %, below the Agency’s target of 70 %, according to the AAR mainly due to the late receipt of EUR 2 989 000 through an amended budget approved on 31 October 2013; Amendment 9 # Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Notes with concern that the Agency held 5,5 million EUR in cash at the end of the year; calls on the Agency to ensure rigorous treasury management in the future; source: 539.765

History

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