The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) 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 497 votes to 133 with 3 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 Agency for the financial year 2017 was EUR 17 113 000, representing an increase of 71.70 % compared to 2016. This increase related mainly to Title III (operational budget), with an increase of 295 % aimed at further chartering of means by the Agency (new European Coast Guard function).

Budget and financial management

Budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 98.9 %, representing a decrease of 0.7 % compared to 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was at 73.8 %, representing a decrease of 14.7 % compared to 2016. The cancellation of carryovers from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 53 595, representing 5.22 % of the total amount carried over, and an increase of 0.5 % compared to 2016.

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

In particular, they noted that:

- the Agency implemented 93 % of its activities on time and that it implemented 90 % of its Annual Communication Strategy Plan;

- the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency adopted a tripartite working arrangement defining the cooperation between those agencies and the cooperation with national authorities carrying out coast guard functions;

- the Agency should be given sufficient resources to conduct new types of operations to disrupt people smuggling routes, as well as to use the data provided by its ship reporting systems in order to detect vessels carrying migrants;

- the main procurement activity in 2017 was focused on launching the open call for Chartering an Offshore Fisheries Patrol Vessel (EUR 20 million), which was finalised successfully and resulted in the signature of a framework contract;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 96.72 % filled with 59 temporary agents appointed out of 61 authorised under the Union budget. Due to the change in the founding regulation, the Agency was granted 13 posts for the associated new tasks, out of which three were used for the redeployment pool of agencies.

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 Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) for the financial year 2017.

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 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 Agency for the financial year 2017 was EUR 17 113 000, representing an increase of 71.70 % compared to 2016. This increase related mainly to Title III (operational budget), with an increase of 295 % aimed at further chartering of means by the Agency (new European Coast Guard function).

Budget and financial management

Budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2017 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 98.9 %, representing a decrease of 0.7 % compared to 2016. Payment appropriations execution rate was at 73.8 %, representing a decrease of 14.7 % compared to 2016.

The cancellation of carryovers from 2016 to 2017 amounted to EUR 53 595, representing 5.22 % of the total amount carried over, and an increase of 0.5 % compared to 2016.

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

In particular, they noted that:

- the Agency implemented 93 % of its activities on time and that it implemented 90 % of its Annual Communication Strategy Plan;

- the Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency adopted a tripartite working arrangement defining the cooperation between those agencies and the cooperation with national authorities carrying out coast guard functions;

- the Agency should be given sufficient resources to conduct new types of operations to disrupt people smuggling routes, as well as to use the data provided by its ship reporting systems in order to detect vessels carrying migrants;

- on 31 December 2017, the establishment plan was 96.72 % filled with 59 temporary agents appointed out of 61 authorised under the Union budget. Due to the change in the founding regulation, the Agency was granted 13 posts for the associated new tasks, out of which three were used for the redeployment pool of agencies.

Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2017 and the balance sheet as at 31 December 2017 of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), 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 Executive Director of the Agency in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2017.

No further comments were made as regards the accounts.

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

CONTENT: the Court of Auditors carried out the audit on the annual accounts of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA).

In brief, the Agency’s main task is to organise the operational coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States in order to ensure an effective and uniform application of the rules of the common fisheries policy.

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.

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

Lastly, the Court of Auditors’ report also contained a summary of the Agency’s key figures in 2017:

Budget

EUR 17 million (payment appropriations).

Staff

72 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 Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA).

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 Fisheries Control Agency : EFCA, which is located in Vigo (ES) was created by Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 . Its main task is to organise the operational coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States in order to ensure effective and uniform application of the rules of the common fisheries policy.

In 2017, the EFCA was called, for the first time, to combine its core tasks of operational coordination and fisheries control with its contribution to the EU Coast Guard cooperation. It was also marked by a significant increase in its budget 2017, 86% over 2016 budget, and achieved a good budget implementation rate of 99% for commitment appropriations and 74% for payment appropriations.

As regards the EFCA’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 18 million; made: EUR 17 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 19 million; paid: EUR 14 million.

Please also refer to the final accounts of the EFCA .

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 Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA).

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 Fisheries Control Agency : EFCA, which is located in Vigo (ES) was created by Council Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 . Its main task is to organise the operational coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States in order to ensure effective and uniform application of the rules of the common fisheries policy.

In 2017, the EFCA was called, for the first time, to combine its core tasks of operational coordination and fisheries control with its contribution to the EU Coast Guard cooperation. It was also marked by a significant increase in its budget 2017, 86% over 2016 budget, and achieved a good budget implementation rate of 99% for commitment appropriations and 74% for payment appropriations.

As regards the EFCA’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 18 million; made: EUR 17 million.

Payment appropriations :

available: EUR 19 million; paid: EUR 14 million.

Please also refer to the final accounts of the EFCA .