The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) for the financial year 2018 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 2018 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 495 votes to 193 with 5 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 resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

Agency’s financial statements

The final budget of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training for the financial year 2018 was EUR 10 416 720 representing a decrease of 1.02 % compared to 2017.

Budget and financial management

Budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2018 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 97.97 %, representing an increase of 0.88 % compared to 2017.Payment appropriations execution rate was 76.51 %, representing a decrease of 7.51 % compared to the previous year.

Other observations

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

In particular, they noted that:

- the Agency successfully delivered its mandate throughout 2018, and that in some cases it exceeded objectives set in its working programme for 2018;

- 2018 saw the launch of two new Union-funded projects, the EU/MENA Counter-Terrorism Training Partnership 2 and the Financial Investigation In-Service Training Western Balkan project, both of which demonstrate the Agency’s increasing recognition as a key Union actor contributing to European security through external action;

- the Agency conducted the pilot EU-Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA) and that more than 87 % of the Agency’s residential and online training events (residential activities, webinars, online courses) addressed gaps in capability in relation to critical security threats stemming from the European Agenda on Security;

- a feasibility study should be carried out in order to assess the possibility of (if not fully merging) at the very least setting up shared synergies with Europol, and for the possible transfer of the Agency to the Europol headquarters in The Hague, and the transfer of the Europol headquarters to the Agency’s headquarters in Budapest;

- on 31 December 2018, the establishment plan was 100 % executed, with 32 temporary agents appointed out of 32 temporary agents authorised under the Union budget;

- as a consequence of its relocation from the United Kingdom to Hungary and the lower correction coefficient applied to staff salaries as a result, the staff turnover has been high and geographical balance has not always been maintained as applications from Member States other than the host country have decreased;

- the Agency does not have a carbon off-setting scheme in place but acknowledged on the basis of the Agency’s reply that the cost of participating in such a scheme cannot be covered from its limited financial resources.