Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
Next event: Vote in plenary scheduled 2017/04/27 more...
- Debate in Parliament 2017/04/26
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
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Lead | CONT | AYALA SENDER Inés (S&D) | ZDECHOVSKÝ Tomáš (EPP), FITTO Raffaele (ECR), ALI Nedzhmi (ALDE), DE JONG Dennis (GUE/NGL), JÁVOR Benedek (Verts/ALE), VALLI Marco (EFD), KAPPEL Barbara (ENF) |
Opinion | ENVI | LA VIA Giovanni (EPP) |
Activites
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2017/04/27
Vote in plenary scheduled
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2017/04/26
Debate in Parliament
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2017/03/28
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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A8-0085/2017
summary
The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Inés AYALA SENDER (S&D, ES) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2015. The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Executive Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the agency’s budget for the financial year 2015. Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2015 were reliable and that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, Members called on 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 2015 was EUR 49 156 474, representing a decrease of 6.5 % compared to 2014. Prevention and management of conflicts of interest and transparency: Members noted that the anti-fraud strategy of the Agency was adopted by its Management Board in November 2014, with the aim of ensuring proper handling of conflict of interest issues and of developing anti-fraud activities especially through prevention, detection, awareness-raising and closer cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). However, Members regretted that no specific initiatives have been undertaken to create or increase transparency regarding contacts with lobbyists. They encouraged the Agency further to raise awareness of the conflict-of-interest policy among its staff, alongside ongoing awareness-raising activities and the inclusion of integrity and transparency as an obligatory item to be discussed during recruitment procedures and performance reviews. Members also made a series of observations regarding the budgetary and financial management, commitments and carry-overs, procurement and recruitment procedures and internal audits and controls. As regards communication, Members noted that the Agency invested in better design, data visualisation and infographics and updated its corporate identity to this effect, as well as that more efforts were put into social media and media relations. They underlined that the Agency should continue promoting dialogue with stakeholders and citizens and incorporate it as part of the priorities and activities to be implemented. Members took note that the audited procurement procedures showed that the Agency signed framework contracts with a single contractor which were used for various services under fixed-price specific contracts .They noted with concern that, as a consequence of requesting a fixed-price offer from a single contractor under those contracts, competition on price was neutralised and dependence upon the contractor was increased. Lastly, they recalled that, since its creation, the Agency, together with its European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET), has been an information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating Union environment and climate policies, as well as sustainable development policies, and also been an information source for the general public.
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A8-0085/2017
summary
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2017/03/22
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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2016/10/04
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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2016/07/11
Non-legislative basic document published
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COM(2016)0475
summary
PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2015, as part of the 2015 discharge procedure. Analysis of the accounts of the European Environment Agency (EEA). CONTENT: the organisational governance of the EU consists of institutions, agencies and other EU bodies whose expenditure is included in the general budget of the Union. The EU's operational expenditure of these institutions takes different forms, depending on how the money is paid out and managed. From 2014 onwards, the Commission classifies its expenditure as follows: Direct management: the budget is implemented directly by the Commission services. Indirect management: the Commission confers tasks of implementation of the budget to bodies of EU law or national law, such as the EU agencies. Shared management: under this method of budget implementation tasks are delegated to Member States. About 80 % of the expenditure falls under this management mode covering such areas as agricultural spending and structural actions. This Commission document concerns the EU's consolidated accounts for the year 2015 and details how spending by the EU institutions and bodies was carried out. The consolidated annual accounts of the EU provide financial information on the activities of the institutions, agencies and other bodies of the EU from an accrual accounting and budgetary perspective. It is the responsibility of the Commission's Accounting Officer to prepare the EU's consolidated annual accounts and ensure that they present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position, the result of the operations and the cashflows of the EU institutions and bodies, including the EEA, with a view to granting discharge. Discharge procedure: the final step of a budget lifecycle is the discharge of the budget for a given financial year. It represents the political aspect of the external control of budget implementation and is the decision by which the European Parliament, acting on a Council recommendation, "releases" the Commission (and other EU bodies) from its responsibility for management of a given budget by marking the end of that budget's existence. The European Parliament is the discharge authority within the EU. The discharge procedure may produce three outcomes: (i) the granting; (ii) postponement or; (iii) the refusal of the discharge. The final discharge report including specific recommendations to the Commission for action is adopted in plenary by the European Parliament and are subject to an annual follow up report in which the Commission outlines the concrete actions it has taken to implement the recommendations made. Each agency is subject to its own discharge procedure, including the European Environment Agency (EEA). The European Environment Agency: the Agency, which is located in Copenhagen (DK) was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90, is responsible for setting up an observation network to provide the Commission, the Parliament, the Member States and, more generally, the public with reliable information on the state of the environment. This information should, in particular, enable the European Union and the Member States to take action to safeguard the environment and assess the effectiveness of such action. As regards EEA’s accounts, these are presented in detail in the document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for 2015: Commitment appropriations: - committed: EUR 68 million; - paid: EUR 58 million; - carried-over: EUR 10 million. Payment appropriations: - committed: EUR 73 million; - paid: EUR 55 million; - carried-over: EUR 17 million. For further details on expenditure, please refer to the final accounts of the EEA.
- DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/budget_en', 'title': 'Budget'}, GEORGIEVA Kristalina
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COM(2016)0475
summary
Documents
- Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2016)0475
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A8-0085/2017
Amendments | Dossier |
37 |
2016/2166(DEC)
2016/12/14
ENVI
11 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Recalls that, since its creation, the Agency, together with its European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET), has been an information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating EU environment and climate policies, as well as sustainable development policies, and also for the general public;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) 5c. Underlines that the Agency should continue promoting dialogue with stakeholders and citizens and incorporate it as part of the priorities and activities to be implemented;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Recommends, based on the facts available,
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Takes note that the Agency successfully reduced the number of staff in line with the overall principles laid down for Union institutions (a 5% reduction in the period 2013–2018); stresses that the Commission classified the Agency as a ‘cruising speed agency’, implying a
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3.
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls for the Agency to implement Article 16 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union by publishing information about senior officials who have left the service and a list of conflicts of interest on an annual basis;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Encourages the Agency further to raise awareness of the conflict-of-interest policy among its staff, alongside ongoing awareness-raising activities and the inclusion of integrity and transparency as an obligatory item to be discussed during recruitment procedures and performance reviews;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Recalls the importance of the on- going "Evaluation of the European Environment Agency and of its EIONET network", due for the end of 2017, in order to better assess the extent to which the Agency has achieved its objectives and implemented the tasks set out in its mandate and in its multi-annual work programme;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Recommends the Agency to develop impact indicators, and believes that such impact indicators are essential tools in order to measure the effectiveness of the Agency;
source: 595.706
2017/03/06
CONT
26 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1 1 Paragraph 1 1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Takes note that the carry-overs from 2015 to 2016 were at EUR 4 944 739, representing a similar figure compared to
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Takes note that the carry-overs from 2015 to 2016 were at EUR 4 944 739, representing a similar figure compared to the previous year; notes that of the amount carried over in Title III (operational expenditure), 57 % refers to the final payment of the contribution for 2015 to the European Topic Centres which was to be paid after the fourth quarterly progress report was presented in 2016;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Acknowledges from the Agency that it reduced the number of its staff by 5 %, in line with the overall principles laid down in the Interinstitutional agreement on budgetary discipline11 ; notes that the Commission classified the Agency as a ‘cruising speed agency’, which implies that an additional 5 % reduction is expected; welcomes the fact that the Agency implemented the redundancies without detrimental effects on its capacity to deliver the main parts of the multiannual work programme; notes
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Acknowledges from the Agency that it reduced the number of its staff by 5 %, in line with the overall principles laid down in the Interinstitutional agreement on budgetary discipline11 ; notes that the Commission classified the Agency as a ‘cruising speed agency’, which implies that an additional 5 % reduction is expected; welcomes the fact that the Agency implemented the redundancies without detrimental effects on its capacity to deliver the main parts of the multiannual work programme;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Notes that the audited procurement procedures demonstrate that the Agency had signed framework contracts with a single contractor under fixed-price specific contracts; points out that this type of contract neutralises price competition and increases dependence on the contractor;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Considers that the Agency should conclude agreements with multiple suppliers with the reopening of a competition or direct service contracts, whenever possible;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are not required to make their CVs and declarations of interest publicly available, and consequently only a few can be found on its website; notes that the CVs and declarations of interest of its senior management team are published in the website; calls on the Agency to take all necessary measures in order to facilitate an increase in the publication of information as well as wider transparency;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are not required to make their CVs and declarations of interest publicly available, and consequently only a few can be found on its website; notes that the CVs and declarations of interest of its senior management team are published in the website; calls on the agency to publish the CVs of its Management Board members and to allow the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are not required to make their CVs and declarations of interest publicly available, and consequently only a few can be found on its website; notes that the CVs and declarations of interest of its senior management team are published in the website; asks the Agency to present by June 2017 the list of the conflict of interests, if any, and how they were handled and finalized;
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a decision 1 Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are not required to make their CVs and declarations of interest publicly available, and consequently only a few can be found on its website; notes that the CVs and declarations of interest of its senior management team are published in the website; notes with concern that the declarations of interest of the Authority’s Management Board members are not published; notes that this practice does not further transparency;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Notes
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Notes with concern that the Agency has not undertaken specific initiatives to create or increase transparency regarding contacts with lobbyists; urges the Agency to inform the discharge authority regarding its meetings with lobbyists or professional associations as well as to publish them in its annual activity reports; asks the Agency to present by June 2017 the minutes of these meetings even in a confidential procedure;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note from the Court’s report that the audited procurement procedures showed that the Agency signed framework contracts with a single contractor which were used for various services under fixed- price specific contracts; notes with concern that, as a consequence of requesting a fixed-price offer from a single contractor under those contracts, competition on price was neutralised and dependence upon the contractor was increased;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note from the Court’s report that the audited procurement procedures showed that the Agency signed framework
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Takes note that the Agency is striving for improved gender balance in the junior management but notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in its senior management team; urges the Agency to correct this imbalance and to communicate the results to Parliament as quickly as possible;
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a decision 2 2 Paragraph 1 1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a decision 2 Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 1 a (new) Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 3 a (new) - having regard to the Court of Auditors’ special report No 12/2016 on the ‘Agencies’ use of grants: not always appropriate or demonstrably effective’,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. Whereas air pollution is the single biggest environmental health risk in Europe and it causes an estimated 450 000 premature deaths every year through respiratory and other diseases;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas air pollution has considerable economic and environmental impacts, from increased medical costs and reduced productivity to damaged vegetation and ecosystems; whereas the Union is spending more than EUR 2 billion to combat air pollution;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
source: 599.883
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