BETA


2018/2180(DEC) 2017 discharge: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead CONT SARVAMAA Petri (icon: PPE PPE) KADENBACH Karin (icon: S&D S&D), CZARNECKI Ryszard (icon: ECR ECR), ALI Nedzhmi (icon: ALDE ALDE), STAES Bart (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), KAPPEL Barbara (icon: ENF ENF)
Committee Opinion LIBE FRANZ Romeo (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE) Petr JEŽEK (icon: ALDE ALDE)
Lead committee dossier:

Events

2019/09/27
   Final act published in Official Journal
2019/03/26
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2019/03/26
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2019/03/26
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for the financial year 2017 and to approve the closure of the accounts for the financial year in question.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 495 votes to 131 with 4 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations, which form an integral part of the decision on discharge and which add to the general recommendations set out in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies :

Agency’s financial statements

The final budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2017 was EUR 22 852 250, representing an increase of 5.78 % compared with 2016.

Budget and financial management

Parliament noted with appreciation that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, the same rate as in 2016. The payment appropriations execution rate was low at 72.11%, representing a slight decrease of 1.1 % compared with the previous year. The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 117 566, representing 2.05 % of the total amount carried over, representing a decrease of 1.22 % in comparison to 2016.

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, procurement, conflicts of interest and internal controls.

In particular, they noted that:

- the Agency’s second external evaluation took place in 2017 concluding in positive overall results;

- the Agency should be able to offer opinions on legislative proposals on its own initiative and that its remit should extend to all areas of rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including issues of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters;

- the Agency’s continuous work on doing research on the situation of Roma in the Union was welcomed;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 97.22 % executed, with 70 temporary agents appointed out of 72 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- the Agency should conduct appropriate market research before launching call for tenders for studies and to continue to improve the efficiency of its public procurement procedures;

- the Agency assessed and mitigated a number of potential and perceived conflicts of interest in 2017.

Documents
2019/03/26
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2019/03/01
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for the financial year 2017.

The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2017.

Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2017 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

The final budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2017 was EUR 22 852 250, representing an increase of 5.78 % compared with 2016.

Budget and financial management

Members noted with appreciation that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, the same rate as in 2016. The payment appropriations execution rate was low at 72.11 %, representing a slight decrease of 1.1 % compared with the previous year.

The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 117 566, representing 2.05 % of the total amount carried over, representing a decrease of 1.22 % in comparison to 2016.

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, procurement, conflicts of interest and internal controls.

In particular, they noted that:

- the Agency’s second external evaluation took place in 2017 concluding in positive overall results;

- the Agency should be able to offer opinions on legislative proposals on its own initiative and that its remit should extend to all areas of rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including issues of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters;

- the Agency’s continuous work on doing research on the situation of Roma in the Union was welcomed;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 97.22 % executed, with 70 temporary agents appointed out of 72 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- the Agency should conduct appropriate market research before launching call for tenders for studies and to continue to improve the efficiency of its public procurement procedures;

- the Agency assessed and mitigated a number of potential and perceived conflicts of interest in 2017.

Documents
2019/02/20
   EP - Vote in committee
2019/01/31
   CSL - Supplementary non-legislative basic document
Details

Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2017 and the balance sheet as at 31 December 2017 of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2017, accompanied by the Agency's replies to the Court's observations, the Council recommended the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2017.

The Council welcomed the Court's opinion that the Agency's annual accounts present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Agency's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for 2017 are legal and regular in all material respects.

Nevertheless, the following observations were made:

- accounting : the Council regretted the deficiencies found by the Court in the Agency’s accounting environment. It called on the Agency to take appropriate actions mainly to ensure the accounting officer's independence;

- procurement : the Council also regretted the weaknesses found by the Court in the Agency's procurement procedures and called on the Agency to take appropriate actions in order to ensure the effectiveness of the process, and an appropriate and timely establishment of tender specifications, even where prior market research might be necessary. The Council also called on the Agency to ensure the full implementation without unjustified delay of electronic public procurement.

Documents
2019/01/31
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2019/01/17
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2018/12/17
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2018/10/18
   EP - FRANZ Romeo (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in LIBE
2018/09/18
   CofA - Court of Auditors: opinion, report
Details

PURPOSE: presentation of the EU Court of Auditors’ report on the annual accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency for the financial year 2017, together with the Agency’s replies.

CONTENT: the Court of Auditors carried out the audit on the annual accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

In brief, the objective of the Agency is to provide the relevant authorities of the Union and its Member States with assistance and expertise when implementing Union law relating to fundamental rights.

Statement of assurance and reliability of the accounts

The Court considered that:

- the Agency’s annual accounts present fairly, in all material respects, its financial position as at 31 December 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of its Financial Regulation and the accounting rules adopted by the Commission’s accounting officer;

- the transactions underlying the annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017 are legal and regular in all material respects.

The report also makes a series of observations on the budgetary and financial management of the Agency, accompanied by the latter’s response. The main observations may be summarised as follows:

The Court’s observations

Procurement

The Agency encountered some difficulties in procuring studies due to unrealistic market estimation. At least three open calls for tenders were unsuccessful because the Agency only received offers, with the required quality, which significantly exceeded the defined maximum contract value. The Agency finally awarded these contracts through another procedure after having revised the tender specifications. This led to additional administrative expense to the Agency and affected the timing of operations.

Financial management

Agencies should introduce a single solution for the electronic exchange and storage of information with third parties participating in public procurement procedures (e-procurement). As the same requirement exists for all EU Institutions, the Commission is developing a comprehensive IT solution covering all phases of public procurement procedures. The Commission launched tools for electronic invoicing (e-invoicing), for the electronic publication of documents related to contract notices (e-tendering) and for the electronic submission of tenders (e-submission). By the end of 2017, the Agency had introduced e-invoicing for certain procedures, but not e-tendering and e-submission.

The Agency’s replies

Procurement

All of the studies concerned were launched as open calls for tender and so were open to all economic operators. The types of large studies undertaken by the FRA are fairly unique in the EU, given both the subject matter and the need for them to be undertaken across all EU Member States. However, when launching such calls for tender in future, the Agency will consider conducting more specific market research and revising the technical requirements. They request addition funds in this area.

Financial management

E-tendering and e-submission is compulsory as from 1 January 2019. In 2018, the Agency started the process of introducing such systems and these will be available by the stated deadline.

Lastly, the Court of Auditors’ report contains a summary of the Agency’s activities in 2017:

Budget

EUR 23 million (in payment appropriations).

Staff

108 including officials, temporary and contract staff and seconded national experts.

2018/09/11
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2018/07/26
   EP - SARVAMAA Petri (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in CONT
2018/06/28
   EC - Non-legislative basic document
Details

PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2017, as part of the 2017 discharge procedure.

Analysis of the accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) .

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.

This Commission document concerns the EU's consolidated accounts for the year 2017 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 cash flows of the EU institutions and bodies with a view to granting discharge.

Discharge procedure : the final step of a budget lifecycle is the discharge . It is the decision by which the European Parliament ‘ releases ’ the Commission from its responsibility for management of a given budget by marking the end of that budget's existence. It is granted by the European Parliament on the recommendation of the Council.

The decision is based in particular on the European Court of Auditors reports, in particular its annual report, in which the Court provides a Statement of Assurance (DAS) on the legality and regularity of transactions (payments and commitments).

The procedure results in the granting, postponement or refusal of 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.

All EU institutions and other agencies, bodies and joint undertakings are subject to their own discharge procedures.

Fundamental Rights Agency : the Agency, which is located in Vienna (AT), was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 and aims to provide the relevant authorities of the Union and its Member States with assistance and expertise when implementing Union law relating to fundamental rights. Its task is to collect information as well as providing expert advice to the institutions on a range of issues.

As regards the Agency’s accounts , these are presented in detail in the document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for 2017:

Commitment appropriations :

available: EUR 11 million; made: EUR 10 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 12 million; made: EUR 10 million.

For further details on expenditure, please refer to the FRA’s 2017 annual report .

2018/06/27
   EC - Non-legislative basic document published
Details

PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2017, as part of the 2017 discharge procedure.

Analysis of the accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) .

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.

This Commission document concerns the EU's consolidated accounts for the year 2017 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 cash flows of the EU institutions and bodies with a view to granting discharge.

Discharge procedure : the final step of a budget lifecycle is the discharge . It is the decision by which the European Parliament ‘ releases ’ the Commission from its responsibility for management of a given budget by marking the end of that budget's existence. It is granted by the European Parliament on the recommendation of the Council.

The decision is based in particular on the European Court of Auditors reports, in particular its annual report, in which the Court provides a Statement of Assurance (DAS) on the legality and regularity of transactions (payments and commitments).

The procedure results in the granting, postponement or refusal of 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.

All EU institutions and other agencies, bodies and joint undertakings are subject to their own discharge procedures.

Fundamental Rights Agency : the Agency, which is located in Vienna (AT), was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 and aims to provide the relevant authorities of the Union and its Member States with assistance and expertise when implementing Union law relating to fundamental rights. Its task is to collect information as well as providing expert advice to the institutions on a range of issues.

As regards the Agency’s accounts , these are presented in detail in the document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for 2017:

Commitment appropriations :

available: EUR 11 million; made: EUR 10 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 12 million; made: EUR 10 million.

For further details on expenditure, please refer to the FRA’s 2017 annual report .

Documents

Votes

A8-0136/2019 - Petri Sarvamaa - Résolution 26/03/2019 17:56:58.000 #

2019/03/26 Outcome: +: 495, -: 131, 0: 4
DE ES IT FR RO NL SE PT BG BE CZ HU AT LT IE FI HR LU LV SI MT SK EE DK CY EL PL GB
Total
88
48
67
60
19
25
18
20
17
19
18
13
17
8
7
11
9
6
8
8
6
13
4
8
1
7
47
57
icon: PPE PPE
183
3

Luxembourg PPE

3
5

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Greece PPE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
158

Netherlands S&D

3

Czechia S&D

3

Lithuania S&D

1

Croatia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
59

Romania ALDE

For (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

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1

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1

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1

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2

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1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
46

Italy Verts/ALE

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1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

1

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3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

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1

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1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

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Latvia Verts/ALE

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Denmark Verts/ALE

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1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
40

Italy GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

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1

Portugal GUE/NGL

For (1)

4

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1

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1
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35

Germany EFDD

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1
icon: NI NI
14

Germany NI

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1

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2

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1

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3
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31

Germany ENF

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1

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3

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1

Poland ENF

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2
icon: ECR ECR
63

Romania ECR

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1

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2

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2

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2

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

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Latvia ECR

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A8-0136/2019 - Petri Sarvamaa - Résolution #

2019/03/26 Outcome: +: 495, -: 131, 0: 4
DE ES IT RO FR NL SE PT BG BE CZ HU AT LT IE FI HR LU LV SI MT SK EE DK CY EL PL GB
Total
88
48
67
19
61
25
18
20
17
19
18
13
17
8
7
11
9
6
8
8
6
13
4
8
1
7
47
57
icon: PPE PPE
183
3

Luxembourg PPE

3
5

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Greece PPE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
158

Netherlands S&D

3

Czechia S&D

3

Lithuania S&D

1

Croatia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
59

Romania ALDE

For (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

2

United Kingdom ALDE

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
46

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
40

Italy GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

For (1)

4

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

1

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
35

Germany EFDD

Against (1)

1

Czechia EFDD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
14

Germany NI

Against (1)

1

Italy NI

For (1)

1

France NI

2

Hungary NI

Abstain (1)

1

United Kingdom NI

3
icon: ENF ENF
32

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

3

Belgium ENF

Against (1)

1

Poland ENF

2

United Kingdom ENF

2
icon: ECR ECR
63

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Sweden ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Belgium ECR

2

Czechia ECR

2

Finland ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
19 2018/2180(DEC)
2018/12/06 LIBE 11 amendments...
source: 631.952
2019/01/31 CONT 8 amendments...
source: 634.518

History

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

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2018-06-28T00:00:00
docs
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body
EC
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procedure/final
title
OJ L 249 27.09.2019, p. 0300
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  • date: 2018-09-18T00:00:00 docs: url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2018:434:TOC title: OJ C 434 30.11.2018, p. 0001 title: N8-0012/2019 summary: PURPOSE: presentation of the EU Court of Auditors’ report on the annual accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency for the financial year 2017, together with the Agency’s replies. CONTENT: the Court of Auditors carried out the audit on the annual accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA). In brief, the objective of the Agency is to provide the relevant authorities of the Union and its Member States with assistance and expertise when implementing Union law relating to fundamental rights. Statement of assurance and reliability of the accounts The Court considered that: - the Agency’s annual accounts present fairly, in all material respects, its financial position as at 31 December 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of its Financial Regulation and the accounting rules adopted by the Commission’s accounting officer; - the transactions underlying the annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017 are legal and regular in all material respects. The report also makes a series of observations on the budgetary and financial management of the Agency, accompanied by the latter’s response. The main observations may be summarised as follows: The Court’s observations Procurement The Agency encountered some difficulties in procuring studies due to unrealistic market estimation. At least three open calls for tenders were unsuccessful because the Agency only received offers, with the required quality, which significantly exceeded the defined maximum contract value. The Agency finally awarded these contracts through another procedure after having revised the tender specifications. This led to additional administrative expense to the Agency and affected the timing of operations. Financial management Agencies should introduce a single solution for the electronic exchange and storage of information with third parties participating in public procurement procedures (e-procurement). As the same requirement exists for all EU Institutions, the Commission is developing a comprehensive IT solution covering all phases of public procurement procedures. The Commission launched tools for electronic invoicing (e-invoicing), for the electronic publication of documents related to contract notices (e-tendering) and for the electronic submission of tenders (e-submission). By the end of 2017, the Agency had introduced e-invoicing for certain procedures, but not e-tendering and e-submission. The Agency’s replies Procurement All of the studies concerned were launched as open calls for tender and so were open to all economic operators. The types of large studies undertaken by the FRA are fairly unique in the EU, given both the subject matter and the need for them to be undertaken across all EU Member States. However, when launching such calls for tender in future, the Agency will consider conducting more specific market research and revising the technical requirements. They request addition funds in this area. Financial management E-tendering and e-submission is compulsory as from 1 January 2019. In 2018, the Agency started the process of introducing such systems and these will be available by the stated deadline. Lastly, the Court of Auditors’ report contains a summary of the Agency’s activities in 2017: Budget EUR 23 million (in payment appropriations). Staff 108 including officials, temporary and contract staff and seconded national experts. type: Court of Auditors: opinion, report body: CofA
  • date: 2018-12-17T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE626.812 title: PE626.812 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2019-01-17T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE630.586&secondRef=02 title: PE630.586 committee: LIBE type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 docs: url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=ADV&RESULTSET=1&DOC_ID=5825%2F19&DOC_LANCD=EN&ROWSPP=25&NRROWS=500&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC title: 05825/2019 summary: Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2017 and the balance sheet as at 31 December 2017 of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2017, accompanied by the Agency's replies to the Court's observations, the Council recommended the European Parliament to give a discharge to the Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2017. The Council welcomed the Court's opinion that the Agency's annual accounts present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Agency's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for 2017 are legal and regular in all material respects. Nevertheless, the following observations were made: - accounting : the Council regretted the deficiencies found by the Court in the Agency’s accounting environment. It called on the Agency to take appropriate actions mainly to ensure the accounting officer's independence; - procurement : the Council also regretted the weaknesses found by the Court in the Agency's procurement procedures and called on the Agency to take appropriate actions in order to ensure the effectiveness of the process, and an appropriate and timely establishment of tender specifications, even where prior market research might be necessary. The Council also called on the Agency to ensure the full implementation without unjustified delay of electronic public procurement. type: Supplementary non-legislative basic document body: CSL
  • date: 2019-01-31T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE634.518 title: PE634.518 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
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  • date: 2018-06-28T00:00:00 type: Non-legislative basic document published body: EC docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2018/0521/COM_COM(2018)0521_EN.pdf title: COM(2018)0521 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2018&nu_doc=0521 title: EUR-Lex summary: PURPOSE: presentation by the Commission of the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2017, as part of the 2017 discharge procedure. Analysis of the accounts of the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) . 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. This Commission document concerns the EU's consolidated accounts for the year 2017 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 cash flows of the EU institutions and bodies with a view to granting discharge. Discharge procedure : the final step of a budget lifecycle is the discharge . It is the decision by which the European Parliament ‘ releases ’ the Commission from its responsibility for management of a given budget by marking the end of that budget's existence. It is granted by the European Parliament on the recommendation of the Council. The decision is based in particular on the European Court of Auditors reports, in particular its annual report, in which the Court provides a Statement of Assurance (DAS) on the legality and regularity of transactions (payments and commitments). The procedure results in the granting, postponement or refusal of 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. All EU institutions and other agencies, bodies and joint undertakings are subject to their own discharge procedures. Fundamental Rights Agency : the Agency, which is located in Vienna (AT), was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 and aims to provide the relevant authorities of the Union and its Member States with assistance and expertise when implementing Union law relating to fundamental rights. Its task is to collect information as well as providing expert advice to the institutions on a range of issues. As regards the Agency’s accounts , these are presented in detail in the document on the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for 2017: Commitment appropriations : available: EUR 11 million; made: EUR 10 million. Payment appropriations : available: EUR 12 million; made: EUR 10 million. For further details on expenditure, please refer to the FRA’s 2017 annual report .
  • date: 2018-09-11T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2019-02-20T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2019-03-01T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2019-0136&language=EN title: A8-0136/2019 summary: The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Petri SARVAMAA (EPP, FI) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for the financial year 2017. The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2017. Noting that the Court of Auditors stated that it had obtained reasonable assurance that the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2017 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 The final budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2017 was EUR 22 852 250, representing an increase of 5.78 % compared with 2016. Budget and financial management Members noted with appreciation that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, the same rate as in 2016. The payment appropriations execution rate was low at 72.11 %, representing a slight decrease of 1.1 % compared with the previous year. The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 117 566, representing 2.05 % of the total amount carried over, representing a decrease of 1.22 % in comparison to 2016. Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, procurement, conflicts of interest and internal controls. In particular, they noted that: - the Agency’s second external evaluation took place in 2017 concluding in positive overall results; - the Agency should be able to offer opinions on legislative proposals on its own initiative and that its remit should extend to all areas of rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including issues of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters; - the Agency’s continuous work on doing research on the situation of Roma in the Union was welcomed; - on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 97.22 % executed, with 70 temporary agents appointed out of 72 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget; - the Agency should conduct appropriate market research before launching call for tenders for studies and to continue to improve the efficiency of its public procurement procedures; - the Agency assessed and mitigated a number of potential and perceived conflicts of interest in 2017.
  • date: 2019-03-26T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20190326&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2019-03-26T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2019-0284 title: T8-0284/2019 summary: The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for the financial year 2017 and to approve the closure of the accounts for the financial year in question. Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 495 votes to 131 with 4 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations, which form an integral part of the decision on discharge and which add to the general recommendations set out in the draft resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies : Agency’s financial statements The final budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2017 was EUR 22 852 250, representing an increase of 5.78 % compared with 2016. Budget and financial management Parliament noted with appreciation that budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, the same rate as in 2016. The payment appropriations execution rate was low at 72.11%, representing a slight decrease of 1.1 % compared with the previous year. The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 117 566, representing 2.05 % of the total amount carried over, representing a decrease of 1.22 % in comparison to 2016. Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, procurement, conflicts of interest and internal controls. In particular, they noted that: - the Agency’s second external evaluation took place in 2017 concluding in positive overall results; - the Agency should be able to offer opinions on legislative proposals on its own initiative and that its remit should extend to all areas of rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including issues of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters; - the Agency’s continuous work on doing research on the situation of Roma in the Union was welcomed; - on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 97.22 % executed, with 70 temporary agents appointed out of 72 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget; - the Agency should conduct appropriate market research before launching call for tenders for studies and to continue to improve the efficiency of its public procurement procedures; - the Agency assessed and mitigated a number of potential and perceived conflicts of interest in 2017.
  • date: 2019-03-26T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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