The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Director of the European Centre for disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) 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 Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2017 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 510 votes to 116 with 7 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 :

Centre’s financial statements

The final budget of the Centre for the financial year 2016 was EUR 58 042 653, representing a slight decrease of 0.35 % compared to 2016. 97.80 % of the Centre’s budget derives from the Union budget.

Budget and financial management

Parliament recalled that the Centre has a budget which is denominated in euro. However, since its seat is outside the Euro-zone (in Sweden), a lot of its expenses are incurred in Swedish krona (SEK). The Centre is, therefore, exposed to exchange rate fluctuations since not only does it have bank accounts in Swedish krona, it also carries out certain transactions in other foreign currencies.

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 99.78 %, representing an increase of 1.76 % compared to 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was 81.71 %, representing an increase of 2.45 % compared to the previous year. The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 953 754, representing 8.73 % of the total amount carried over, showing however a decrease of 3.11 % compared to 2016.

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff policy, procurement and internal controls.

In particular, they noted that:

- the Centre responded to 59 formal scientific requests, 35 of which came from Parliament, and published a total of 210 reports (compared to 158 in 2016), including 38 rapid risk assessments addressing new disease threats in Europe, and 78 surveillance reports;

- the EPHESUS project was launched, aimed at evaluating all infectious disease surveillance systems in the Union/EEA public health sector, and started evaluating its disease programmes;

- the Centre has prioritised activities addressing the threats posed by antimicrobial resistance and the rise of vaccine hesitancy in the Union;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 91.21 % executed, with 166 temporary agents appointed out of 182 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- the Centre completed 316 procurement procedures in 2017;

- in July 2016, the Centre signed a new lease agreement for its new premises, that took effect at the end of February 2018, and that the duration of the new lease agreement is 15 years. The Centre moved to the new premises in April 2018.

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 Centre for disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the financial year 2017.

The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre’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 :

Centre’s financial statements

The final budget of the Centre for the financial year 2016 was EUR 58 042 653, representing a slight decrease of 0.35 % compared to 2016. 97.80 % of the Centre’s budget derives from the Union budget.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 99.78 %, representing an increase of 1.76 % compared to 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was 81.71 %, representing an increase of 2.45 % compared to the previous year.

The cancellations of carry-overs from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 953 754, representing 8.73 % of the total amount carried over, showing however a decrease of 3.11 % compared to 2016.

Members also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff policy, procurement and internal controls.

In particular, they noted that:

- the Centre responded to 59 formal scientific requests, 35 of which came from Parliament, and published a total of 210 reports (compared to 158 in 2016), including 38 rapid risk assessments addressing new disease threats in Europe, and 78 surveillance reports;

- the EPHESUS project was launched, aimed at evaluating all infectious disease surveillance systems in the Union/EEA public health sector, and started evaluating its disease programmes;

- the Centre has prioritised activities addressing the threats posed by antimicrobial resistance and the rise of vaccine hesitancy in the Union;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 91.21 % executed, with 166 temporary agents appointed out of 182 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- the Centre completed 316 procurement procedures in 2017;

- in July 2016, the Centre signed a new lease agreement for its new premises, that took effect at the end of February 2018, and that the duration of the new lease agreement is 15 years. The Centre moved to the new premises in April 2018.

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

The Council welcomed the fact that the observations in the Court of Auditors' report in relation to the financial year 2017 did not call for any comments.

PURPOSE: presentation of the EU Court of Auditors’ report on the annual accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the year 2017, together with the Centre’s reply.

CONTENT: the Court of Auditors carried out the audit on the annual accounts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

In brief, the Centre’s main tasks are to collect and disseminate data on the prevention and control of human diseases and to provide scientific opinions on this subject. It is also required to coordinate the European network of bodies operating in this field.

Statement of assurance and reliability of the accounts

The Court considered that:

- the Centre’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.

No specific comments were made as regards the Authority’s budgetary and financial management.

The Court of Auditors’ report contains a summary of the Centre’s key figures in 2017:

Budget

EUR 58 million.

Staff

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

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 Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) .

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.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control : the Centre, which is located in Stockholm (SE), was set up by Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Its main tasks are to collect and disseminate data on the prevention and control of human diseases and provide scientific opinions on this subject.

As regards the Centre’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 59 million; made: EUR 58 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 70 million; made: EUR 58 million.

For further details on expenditure, please refer to the final accounts of the ECDC .

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 Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) .

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.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control : the Centre, which is located in Stockholm (SE), was set up by Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Its main tasks are to collect and disseminate data on the prevention and control of human diseases and provide scientific opinions on this subject.

As regards the Centre’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 59 million; made: EUR 58 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 70 million; made: EUR 58 million.

For further details on expenditure, please refer to the final accounts of the ECDC .