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Publications Catalogue by the Budgetary Affairs Policy Department

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Lessons learned from the implementation of crisis response tools at EU level - Part 1: Assessing implementation and implications EN

13-03-2024 PE 760.343 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : As the EU grapples with successive crises, there is mounting pressure to develop swift and robust crisis response mechanisms. This study, divided into two parts, aims to enrich this discourse by examining four instruments – SURE, CRII, CRII+ and REACT-EU – introduced as a response to the pandemic. This paper forms the output of the first phase of the study and aims to distil lessons learned from the design and implementation of these instruments.
Indieners : Tamás KISS-GÁLFALVI, Cinzia ALCIDI, Alexandre OUNNAS, Eulalia RUBIO, Harry CRICHTON-MILLER & Damir GOJSIC

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights March 2024 EN

Kort overzicht

The future of digitalisation in budgetary control EN

27-02-2024 PE 759.623 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control, explores new technological developments that are being or could be applied in the field of budgetary control and how these could be used to enhance the prevention of fraud and corruption and ensure sound financial management of EU funds. New technological developments covered by the study include big data analytics, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, robotic process automation, distributed ledger technologies (blockchain) and satellite imagery.
Indieners : James RAMPTON, Marta DIMAURO, Christine STEDTNITZ, Jana VENCOVSKÁ, Laura GRANITO, Vítezslav TITL

Nomination for a Member of the European Court of Auditors: Italy EN

07-02-2024 PE 758.701 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This note describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Italy and the country’s candidate.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE

Workshop: Preventing EU funds from reaching sanctioned individuals or entities EN

05-02-2024 PE 756.928 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : Sanctions are an essential tool to safeguard EU values and interests, but how can the EU enforce them and protect its budget in the process? With a particular focus on the EU-Russia sanctions, this work-shop looked at the issue from various perspectives, including trade sanctions, criminalising sanctions circumvention, asset freezing and tracing final beneficiaries of EU funds.
Indieners : Eleanor Remo JAMES

Research for REGI, CONT and BUDG Committees - Cohesion Policy Calendar (2021-2027 and 2014-2020 Programming Periods) January 2024 update EN

19-01-2024 PE 563.425 REGI BUDG CONT
Briefing
Samenvatting : The implementation timetable for cohesion policy is defined largely by its legislative framework. In order to be able to plan parliamentary work and exercise systematic scrutiny of policy implementation and of the Commission’s work, it is essential to have an overview of the timing of different steps in policy implementation in the coming years. This type of briefing was first published (and subsequently updated) in 2014 covering the 2014-2020 programming period. This version includes the policy actions of the 2021-27 period, while still indicating the last steps of the 2014-20 period. It includes a detailed (but non-exhaustive) timetable of policy actions in 2024, together with an overview of major actions for the remainder of the programming period, from 2025. Given its contribution to cohesion in the European Union, policy actions under the Recovery and Resilience Facility are now included in the calendar.
Indieners : Diana HAASE

Due Diligence in EU Institutions' Own-Account Procurement: Rules and Practices EN

12-01-2024 PE 758.335 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT), investigates whether EU institutions implement human rights and sustainability due diligence when they purchase goods and services. Based on documentary analysis and interviews, this study finds that sustainability due diligence is lacking in procurement carried out by the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU agencies. Accordingly, it makes recommendations to promote better integration of due diligence into the procurement of goods and services by the EU institutions.
Indieners : ​Claire METHVEN O’BRIEN, Roberto CARANTA

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights January 2024 EN

Kort overzicht
Indieners : ANDRZEJ SANDERSKI, ANNA MANGINI

Workshop: Sponsorships of EU Presidencies: stocktaking and perspectives EN

18-12-2023 PE 757.730 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : The workshop highlighted various aspects and perspectives around corporate sponsorship of EU Presidencies, including the follow-up of the EU Ombudsman's recommendations and Council guidelines on the subject-matter.
Indieners : FRANCISCO JAVIE PADILLA OLIVARES

AT A GLANCE Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - December 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Indieners : ANDRZEJ SANDERSKI, ANNA MANGINI

PUBLICATIONS CATALOGUE 2019-2023 EN

30-11-2023 PE 691.721 BUDG CONT
Catalogus
Samenvatting : This catalogue provides the list of publications and events prepared by Policy Department for Budgetary Affairs during the eighth legislative period (2019-2024) in the field of budgetary affairs. The first part gives an overview of the studies and briefings requested by BUDG and CONT sometimes in cooperation with the other committees. The second part lists the workshops held at the request of these committees. Short summaries describe the content of each document. The full-text versions of all documents are available online at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses.
Indieners : NIELS FISCHER

The impacts of recent inflation developments on the EU finances EN

29-11-2023 PE 756.629 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : The focus of this study is the effect of inflation on the ongoing implementation of the current MFF on an aggregate level. The relevant inflation impacts and the channels via which they take effect are presented and analysed for the MFF and the EU revenue system. The study then maps and discusses policy options to mitigate these effects regarding the ongoing MFF and NGEU implementation, as well as with a view to the ongoing MFF mid-term revision.
Indieners : Margit SCHRATZENSTALLER, Marcus SCHEIBLECKER, Atanas PEKANOV & Veronika KUBEKOVÁ

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors: Sweden and Portugal EN

22-11-2023 PE 756.930 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for ECA members in Sweden and Portugal and the countries’ candidates.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE, Eleanor Remo JAMES

AT A GLANCE Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - November 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Indieners : ANDRZEJ SANDERSKI, ANNA MANGINI

EU assistance to Ukraine and scrutiny of the EU financing provided EN

14-11-2023 PE 756.959 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held an exchange of views with the parliamentary committee on budgets of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on 6 November 2023. This briefing provided background information for that debate.
Indieners : Diana HAASE, András SCHWARCZ

ITER financing by the EU budget - state-of-play EN

06-11-2023 PE 756.469 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : Initiated in 2005 and involving seven global partners (EU, United States, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea and India), the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a pioneering project to build and operate an experimental facility to demonstrate the scientific viability of fusion as a future sustainable energy source. According to the Commission, although the project has already had a positive impact on the European economy and is highly relevant for the future, it is necessary to decrease significantly the EU budget contribution to its financing in 2023, in view of accumulated difficulties and delays. A new "baseline" for the project (specifications, schedule, cost estimate) is expected in 2024.
Indieners : Alix DELASNERIE

Preventing EU funds from ending up with individuals or companies tied to the EU-Russia sanctions lists EN

25-10-2023 PE 746.371 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing will give a brief overview of the EU-Russia sanctions framework, before discussing existing EU tools for protecting its financial interests, access to beneficial ownership data and EU initiatives to ensure sanctions enforcement. It serves as background information for the CONT Committee workshop of 6 November 2023 on ‘Preventing EU funds from reaching sanctioned individuals or entities’.
Indieners : Eleanor Remo JAMES

The EU Emissions Trading System: Method and Effects of Free Allowance Allocation EN

25-10-2023 PE 755.098 CONT BUDG
Uitgebreide analyse
Samenvatting : This in-depth analysis for the Committee on Budgetary Control concerns the system used for the free allocation of emission allowances within the EU ETS. It reviews recent press criticisms of the free allocation system, reviews the transparency of the system and assesses the risk it creates unintended distortions. It estimates the cost of free allocation to the EU budget and how these proceeds might be spent. It concludes with three policy recommendations.
Indieners : Andrew LILICO, Deborah DRURY
Soort document

Samenvatting

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors: Belgium and Finland EN

24-10-2023 PE 755.856 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for ECA members in Belgium and Finland and the countries’ candidates.
Indieners : MINNA OLLIKAINEN, Michaela FRANKE

An estimate of the European Union’s long-term borrowing cost bill EN

19-10-2023 PE 754.286 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The European Union’s economic policy response to the COVID-19 crisis led to a radical change in the scale and nature of borrowing by the bloc. Given the newfound relevance of EU borrowing rates for the EU budget, in Claeys et al. (2023), we examined the main drivers behind their evolution since the launch of the borrowing programme put in place in 2021 to finance NextGenerationEU (NGEU). We also discussed how these interest rates could evolve in the future and estimated what the interest costs borne directly by the EU budget could amount to until the end of the 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Finally, we made recommendations on how to reduce the costs of EU borrowing for European taxpayers. This follow-up briefing written for the European Parliament’s BUDG committee provides an update on the situation concerning EU interest rates and NGEU disbursements, and examines additional questions raised by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) after our previous background briefing.
Indieners : Grégory CLAEYS, Conor McCAFFREY, Lennard WELSLAU

Gender budgeting in the Member States EN

17-10-2023 PE 754.386 CONT BUDG FEMM
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing gives an overview of the state of play of gender budgeting in the EU Member States. Their parliaments were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding gender budgeting in their national policies. Replies from 24 countries have been received. Nine countries do neither practise gender budgeting nor consider to introduce it. The reason given is that often the country’s gender equality policy is seen as sufficient. Three countries have not yet introduced gender budgeting but are discussing its potential usefulness. It is often seen as a next step in the country’s gender mainstreaming approach. The remaining 12 countries have introduced gender budgeting. They are at different stages in its implementation: Some are running pilot projects, for others it is part of the annual budget procedure. Countries at more advanced stages are now trying to improve the implementation, data collection and documentation. These countries are also considering to introduce performance budgeting in other areas related to social or environmental policies.
Indieners : Alexandra Cynthia Jana POUWELS

Study in Focus: Options for a stronger and more agile EU budget EN

16-10-2023 PE 755.100 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The full study presents recommendations, drawing on several scenarios, for how the EU budget could be recast to enable it to be more agile and responsive in dealing with new and future challenges requiring EU-level expenditure or lending.
Indieners : Iain BEGG, Jacques LE CACHEUX et al.
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Studie

Options for a stronger and more agile EU budget EN

16-10-2023 PE 755.099 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : The EU budget has to reconcile certainty in generating funding for what are, predominantly, multi-annual investment programmes, with a capacity to generate funding on a sufficient scale when circumstances and priorities change. Off-budget mechanisms have largely been preferred for dealing with the latter. This study presents recommendations, drawing on several scenarios, for how the EU budget could be recast to enable it to be more agile and responsive in dealing with new and future challenges requiring EU-level expenditure or lending.
Indieners : Iain BEGG, Jacques LE CACHEUX & al.
Gelinkte documenten

Kort overzicht

Policy Departments' Monthly highlights - October 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, on the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.
Indieners : ANDRZEJ SANDERSKI, ANNA MANGINI

Study in Focus: Transparency and accountability of EU funding for NGOs active in EU policy areas within EU territory EN

04-10-2023 PE 754.285 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The original full study reviews transparency rules, guidance, systems and practices in EU NGO grant funding, and to what extent these ensure public transparency. The study also provides an overview of NGO management and decision-making culture, and good practice approaches to NGO regulation. The study makes recommendations to improve public transparency and NGO regulation at EU level, and at the same time improve dialogue between EU institutions and NGOs.
Indieners : Roderick ACKERMANN, Michael HAMMER & al.

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors: Denmark, Spain and Ireland EN

04-10-2023 PE 754.025 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for ECA members in Denmark, Spain and Ireland and the countries’ candidates.
Indieners : Mirari URIARTE IRAOLA, Michaela FRANKE, ELEANOR JAMES

Transparency and accountability of EU funding for NGOs active in EU policy areas within EU territory EN

28-09-2023 PE 753.974 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This study has been prepared for the Committee on Budgetary Control. It assesses recent developments in the transparency and accountability of EU NGO funding. The Commission has transitioned all programmes to a single, centralised grant management system that can potentially enhance the public transparency of grant funding significantly. Nevertheless, overall public transparency remains limited. The study recommends a more comprehensive, systematic approach to public transparency involving the Parliament, Commission, and NGOs.
Indieners : Roderick ACKERMANN, Margarita SANZ, Michael HAMMER, Veronika KUBEKOVÁ, Kylie JABJINIAK, Ellen HIETSCH

Policy Departments' Monthly highlights - September 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, on the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors: Slovakia EN

28-08-2023 PE 753.256 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Slovakia and the country's new candidate.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ, Michaela FRANKE, NINA HUSARČÍKOVÁ

Ukraine: Financing of reconstruction and the role of the EU budget EN

28-08-2023 PE 751.219 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing provides background information on the financing needs of Ukraine’s reconstruction, options to finance the process and the possible role of the EU budget, as well as the governance architecture and the involvement of the European Parliament.
Indieners : Diana HAASE, András SCHWARCZ

Budgetary aspects of EU defence policy EN

13-07-2023 PE 752.384 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing provides an overview of recent developments in EU defence spending and serves as background information for the BUDG Committee’s exchange of views with Commissioner Breton of 19 July 2023.
Indieners : Eleanor Remo JAMES

Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with the European Commission- 10 July 2023 EN

06-07-2023 PE 747.851 CONT BUDG ECON
Uitgebreide analyse
Samenvatting : Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Gentiloni are invited to the eleventh Recovery and Resilience Dialogue (RRD) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation. Section 1 of this briefing covers recent developments relating to the implementation of RRF, in particular the European Semester assessment of the general RRF implementation progress, the status quo of new REPowerEU chapters, requests for additional loans, and the mid-term evaluation of the RRF. Section 2 focuses on the Commissions’ preliminary assessment for Romania’s payment request, elaborating on an example that may be of interest from a scrutiny perspective; the Commission activated the ‘payment suspension' procedure for two milestones that Romania has not yet fulfilled. This briefing also provides some information available in the public domain regarding Italy’s upcoming payment request. Section 3 finally focusses on funding aspects of the RRF, namely the effect of rising interest rates, the MFF revision, and the Commission’s proposal for new own resources.
Indieners : MINNA OLLIKAINEN, Francisco Javier PADILLA OLIVARES, SAMUEL DE LEMOS PEIXOTO, Marcel MAGNUS, WOLFGANG LEHOFER, GIACOMO LOI

EU Financial assistance to Africa and Latin America 2021-2027 EN

22-06-2023 PE 749.815 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing gives an overview of the different kind of EU funding for Africa and Latin America. Short explanations of the different types of funding are given and tables are provided with the different amounts targeting Africa and Latin America. The main EU budget instrument for funding for Africa and Latin America is the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument - Global Europe (NDICI). Besides the NDICI there are other funds that address humanitarian aid and emergency responses. Funding is done through different means. For example, grants, loans, investments and budget support. All these different types of funding have their pros and cons and target different issues in the partner regions. For 2024, the European Commission is planning a midterm revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027. It is not yet clear if this will also have influence on the planning and implementation of the NDICI.
Indieners : Alexandra Cynthia Jana POUWELS

Human and Financial Resources in Decentralised EU Agencies EN

22-06-2023 PE 751.324 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The question of whether the 34 decentralised European Union (EU) Agencies and EPPO are adequately equipped with human and financial resources is a recurring discussion in the different budget and discharge procedures addressing the work of the Agencies. A common issue voiced is that extensions of an agency’s mandate are not matched by a corresponding increase in available funding and human resources. In a special report on the future of EU agencies from 2020, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) comes to a similar conclusion, stating that new tasks for the agencies rarely come with an adequate number of additional posts in the establishment plan. Further issues relevant in the context of EU agencies and their management are the increasingly important role of Contract Agents (CAs) as part of the Agencies’ structural workforce, problems with finding suitable staff in certain policy areas and in Member States with lower remuneration due to lower correction coefficients and the use of interim staff and “revolving doors”. By providing and discussing a variety of available statistics and data as regards the financial and human resources of decentralised agencies, this briefing aims to give a comprehensive overview regarding this issue. First, this briefing shows broader trends of staff developments in the EU decentralised Agencies. Then, it considers other issues related to personnel and staffing, before finally focusing on budgetary trends.
Indieners : HENDRIK LARS BECKER

Sponsorships of EU Presidencies: stocktaking and perspectives EN

19-06-2023 PE 751.217 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : Most of the Member States have used corporate sponsorship during their Council presidency. Although the official meetings of the Council are financed by the EU budget, the rotating presidency usually organises unofficial meetings and events that are not covered, while other extra costs also incur due to the presidency tasks. Even the regular Council tasks may costs extra for the Member State holding the presidency as it may need to reinforce the permanent representation in Brussels, send more diplomats to be present at all the meetings in Brussels, and also take care of more officials or politicians visiting the country than usual. A Council presidency may also be a good opportunity for the country to promote its local businesses, tourist attractions or cultural heritage. Therefore, it is customary to organise political, business, social and cultural events connected to the presidency in the home country, in Brussels or other Member States. These meetings require venues, transport, security, travel and accommodations, catering, interpretation and translation, technical support and media logistics. All these extra costs are borne by the Member State, and many of them choose to involve sponsors in covering these. Sponsors mostly contribute in kind, most often with transport solutions, catering, IT or communications. In exchange, these sponsors may be presented with their names and logos alongside official Council Presidency logos.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ, FRANCISCO JAVIE PADILLA OLIVARES

The rising cost of European Union borrowing and what to do about it EN

30-05-2023 PE 749.450 CONT BUDG
Uitgebreide analyse
Samenvatting : The interest rate cost of EU borrowing for non-repayable support, which lies with the EU budget, could be twice as high as what was initially estimated at the start of the EU’s 2021-2027 budget cycle. This Bruegel paper finds that the European Commission’s issuance strategy can still be improved to reduce EU borrowing costs at the margin. It should also continue to work on building market infrastructures for EU bonds. Moreover if EU countries want to reap the full benefits of EU borrowing, some political progress will have to take place. Finally, the EU should quickly review how interest costs are accounted for in the EU budget and in the MFF.
Indieners : Grégory Claeys, Conor McCaffrey, Lennard Welslau

The Role of Investigative Journalism to Uncover Fraud and Corruption in Europe EN

23-05-2023 PE 747.083 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control has organised a public hearing with the aim of getting a better understanding of how investigative journalism can help to uncover cases of fraud and corruption within Member States, which is of particular concern to the CONT Committee due to potential cases of fraud within EU funds. The hearing was scheduled out of concern for declining levels of press freedom in Central Europe, in this context it is important to discuss the vital role that a free media fulfils in society. This briefing will provide a background on the role of investigative journalists before moving on to discuss the role that they play in uncovering fraud and corruption in Europe. It will then discuss the decline of press freedom in Central Europe before analysing different policies that could be used to protect investigative journalists.
Indieners : ADAM JAMES NUGENT

Background information for the CONT public hearing on Conflict of interests: application of the EU rules in the management of EU funding in the Member states EN

16-05-2023 PE 749.503 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on budgetary control (CONT) holds a public hearing on 24 May 2023, with the objective to allow representatives from both managing authorities in the Member States and the audit services of the Commission to discuss the lessons learned and possible issues and to contribute to the improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the EU rules on conflict of interest.
Indieners : Alix DELASNERIE

Study in Focus: The use of contract agents in decentralised EU agencies EN

15-05-2023 PE 749.607 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This study by Deloitte examines various aspects related to the management of Contract Agents in seven decentralised Agencies of the European Union: ECHA, EEA, EIGE, ENISA, ESMA, Eurofound and Europol. It evaluates the evolution of Contract Agents as part of the workforce and presents findings on processes related to personnel budgeting, recruitment and retention, salary and remuneration, and advancement prospects for contract staff.
Indieners : Deloitte Consulting & Advisory B.V.
Gelinkte documenten

Studie

The use of contract agents in decentralised EU agencies EN

15-05-2023 PE 749.451 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This study examines the management of Contract Agents in seven decentralised Agencies of the European Union: ECHA, EEA, EIGE, ENISA, ESMA, Eurofound and Europol. It evaluates the evolution of Contract Agents as part of the workforce, and presents findings on processes related to personnel budgeting, recruitment and retention, salary and remuneration, and advancement prospects for contract staff. This document was prepared by the Policy Department at the request of the Committee on Budgetary Control.
Indieners : Nathalie VANDAELE, Thierry VAN SCHOUBROECK, Dave DE VOEGHT, Thomas PENSAERT, Katarzyna REISENZEIN, Merel VANDERSEYPEN
Gelinkte documenten

Kort overzicht

The tools for protecting the EU budget from breaches of the rule of law: the Conditionality Regulation in context EN

05-05-2023 PE 747.931 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The rule of law Conditionality Mechanism is a new instrument that entered into force in January 2021. It allows the European Union (EU) to take measures in cases when breaches of the rule of law principles affect or seriously risk affecting the EU budget or the EU’s financial interests. As this new mechanism has so far only been applied once, some questions are left open on its application and the possibilities offered by it. The full study discusses the potential scope of application of this new tool. In particular, it analyses how it can be used either as an alternative to, or in combination with, other tools and mechanisms aimed at protecting the EU’s financial interests.
Indieners : Eulalia RUBIO, Tamás KISS-GÁLFALVI et al.

Nomination for a Member of the European Court of Auditors: Hungary EN

03-05-2023 PE 748.840 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Hungary and the country's candidate.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ, Michaela FRANKE

Background information for the BUDG public hearing on: Financial impact of the war in Ukraine - current and future challenges for the EU budget EN

02-05-2023 PE 747.347 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgets (BUDG) held a public hearing on 26 April 2023, with the objective to explore the short and long term reconstruction needs of Ukraine and financing thereof. This briefing provided background information about Ukraine’s financing needs, options to finance the reconstruction process and the possible role of the EU budget, as well as the governance architecture and the involvement of the European Parliament.
Indieners : Diana HAASE, András SCHWARCZ

Statistical own resources Examples of the gender pay gap and food waste. EN

02-05-2023 PE 744.202 CONT BUDG
Uitgebreide analyse
Samenvatting : Statistical own resources could be devised to create more independence from the Gross National Income (GNI) contribution and address policy issues at the same time. Statistical own resources should practically be based on information already collected by Eurostat. Therefore, Member States do not have to provide new data. The base and call-rate of a policy-linked statistical contribution could be designed and fine-tuned to entail deliberate distributive implications among Member States. This could help to make a basket of new own resources politically acceptable and/or to make rebates and correction mechanisms superfluous.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ, Alexandra Cynthia Jana POUWELS, Barbara Mechthild BANDELOW

The tools for protecting the EU budget from breaches of the rule of law: the Conditionality Regulation in context. EN

30-04-2023 PE 747.469 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : The rule of law Conditionality Mechanism is a new instrument that entered into force in January 2021. It allows the EU to take measures in cases of breaches of the rule of law principles that affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the EU budget or the EU’s financial interests in a sufficiently direct way. This study discusses the potential scope of application of this new mechanism. In particular, it analyses how it can be used either as an alternative to, or in combination with, other tools and mechanisms aimed at protecting the EU’s financial interests.
Indieners : Eulalia RUBIO, Tamás KISS-GÁLFALVI, Thu NGUYEN, Tomás RUIZ DE LA OSSA, Francesco CORTI, Alba Forns GÓMEZ

Background information for the BUDG public hearing on EU external action and crisis response: is the EU budget fit for purpose? EN

22-03-2023 PE 746.372 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This paper examines the evolving notion of crisis response, how it is currently addressed by the EU budget under heading 6 of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (amounts and instruments/programmes) and how it may continue to be addressed in the future.
Indieners : Alix DELASNERIE

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - March 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors (Slovakia) EN

13-03-2023 PE 745.665 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Slovakia and the country's new candidate.

Workshop Proceedings: The role of the EU budget in international climate finance EN

01-03-2023 PE 744.203 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This joint workshop gave members of the BUDG and CONT Committees an overview of global efforts to finance the fight against climate change and of the EU’s role in this context. Key findings were:  The EU’s contribution, both regulatory and financial, is consid-erable and exceeds its ‘fair share’;  However, a significant gap remains between actual commit-ments globally and the agreed funding level of USD 100 bil-lion per year;  Even more funding will have to be mobilised, including from private donors, as this amount is merely the starting point for the next round of negotiations, which will also cover loss and damage. MEPs present agreed that both committees should continue to discuss these issues over the coming months..
Indieners : STEFAN SCHULZ

Study in Focus: Social tracking methodology for the EU budget EN

28-02-2023 PE 742.789 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The full study examines the evolving approach to tracking the effectiveness and impact of social expenditure from the EU budget. In the last decade, there has been a shift toward performance-based budgeting, putting the emphasis much more on the outputs and results of expenditure programmes. Despite these changes, ascertaining whether policies are achieving their underlying goals and contributing to the realisation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) remains difficult. This study analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the current system for monitoring and evaluating EU social spending and proposes improvements.
Indieners : Iain BEGG, Francesco CORTI et al. (CEPS)
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Social tracking methodology for the EU budget EN

15-02-2023 PE 742.788 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : The EU tracks social expenditure for several reasons, ranging from ensuring financial control to assessing whether policies make the desired impact. This study:  examines the current state of social tracking in the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery and Resilience Facility;  explores how it could be improved to enhance the scrutiny of EU social spending;  puts forward a proposal for a pilot study of a theory-based monitoring approach as a potential innovation in social tracking.
Indieners : Iain BEGG, Francesco CORTI, Alessandro LISCAI, Tamás KISS-GÁLFALVI, Tommaso GROSSI, Laura RAYNER
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Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - February 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Background information for the CONT public hearing on ‘Cohesion policy investments and Next Generation EU recovery fund: state of play of the monitoring and controls’ EN

30-01-2023 PE 741.528 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held a public hearing on 23 January 2023, with the aim to analyse whether the delays with cohesion partnership agreements have affected the level of monitoring and controls of the spending in Member States. The topic of this public hearing was broad and encompassed concepts of two policy areas/instruments that are both unique and very complex in themselves. This briefing provided background information about key concepts and elements (including monitoring, reporting and control) that had been found to be relevant during the preparatory phase of the hearing, to facilitate the debate and help better understand both the similarities and the differences between these instruments.
Indieners : Diana HAASE

Background information for the BUDG-CONT workshop on "The Role of the EU Budget in International Climate Finance" EN

27-01-2023 PE 742.134 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committees on Budget (BUDG) and Budgetary Control (CONT) are holding a workshop on the role of the EU budget in international climate finance with invitation to Members of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). The workshop will cover a series of important questions regarding the financial instruments that are needed to reach the environmental goals that are set out in the Paris Agreement to which the European Union (EU) and all its Member States (MS) are signatories. More specifically, the question is raised how much has been committed so far financially and how much of this is the EU’s contribution. The key challenges in answering these questions are brought to light throughout the chapters. This briefing provides background information for Members of BUDG, CONT and ENVI about what is known to date about international climate finance and the role of the EU budget in this regard.
Indieners : SOPHIE JHELISA EISENBERGER, MANUK SAHAKYAN

Rule of law-related ‘super milestones’ in the recovery and resilience plans of Hungary and Poland EN

24-01-2023 PE 741.581 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : On 12 December 2022, the Council adopted the Hungarian recovery and resilience plan (RRP) based on the Commission’s positive evaluation. Compared to the original plan, a whole new component of measures has been added (Component 9: Governance and Public Administration) containing 38 measures with 111 milestones and targets. Of these, 27 milestones are referred to as ‘super milestones’ without which no payment under the RRF will be allowed. These ‘super milestones’ include some of the Key Implementation Steps of the 17 remedial measures proposed by Hungary under the rule of law conditionality mechanism, some measures concerning judicial independence included in the ongoing Article 7 procedure, recent country-specific recommendations (CSRs) and the Rule of Law Reports, and also audit and control-related measures. The Polish RRP was adopted by the Council on 17 June 2022. It only contained two ‘super milestones’ that need to be fulfilled before the first payment request is submitted, both related to the judiciary.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ
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ANN01

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - January 2023 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Special Reports of the European Court of Auditors - A Rolling Check-list of recent findings EN

16-12-2022 PE 734.700 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This publication seeks to assist the Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) in their work related to the 2021 discharge procedure, scrutinising how the general budget of the European Union is spent. It is based on a sample comprising 17 special reports by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), which have been presented during CONT committee meetings over the past 12 months (December 2021 to November 2022), and for which the committee secretariat prepared working documents. This analysis provides a general overview of the ECA's mandate and the emerging role of performance auditing. The main part of this study is a section of selected tables regarding each ECA special report. The tables seek to gather published information to provide a concise and useful summary.
Indieners : Susanna TENHUNEN, ECKHARD BINDER

Financial support for the treatment and accompanying of Ukrainian refugees EN

16-12-2022 PE 740.000 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committees on Budgetary Control (CONT) and on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) held a public hearing on 30 November 2022 that involved authorities of Member States hosting many Ukrainian refugees. This briefing provided background information for Members of CONT and LIBE about what is known to date about the implementation of measures taken by the European Union (EU) to support Member States’ authorities in their efforts and about the nature of challenges authorities are facing on the ground.
Indieners : Diana HAASE, SOPHIE JHELISA EISENBERGER, MANUK SAHAKYAN

Study in focus: The European Commission's Use of Consultants in Preparing Legislation EN

09-12-2022 PE 740.208 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The original full study on the Commission's use of consultants in the preparation of legislation was carried out by the Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES) in 2022. It examines the European Commission's use of consultants over the past 10 years, its evolution and extent, and considers the budgetary, legal and political implications raised by the current practice.
Indieners : Jack Malan et al. (Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services LLP)
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Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - December 2022 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

The European Commission’s use of consultants in preparing legislation EN

07-12-2022 PE 739.498 CONT BUDG
Studie
Samenvatting : This study on the Commission’s use of consultants in preparing legislation was produced for the Policy Department for Budgetary Affairs in 2022. It examines the European Commission’s use of consultants, its evolution and extent, and considers the budgetary, legal and political implications. In terms of scope, the study looks back over the past 10 years, providing an analysis of both the amounts spent on consultants and other issues including the types of activity that were contracted out, how many and which contractors were used, and which Commission DGs and avail themselves of the practice of using consultants. It also reviews the legal, ethical and political issues raised by current practices, including potential conflicts of interest, geographical diversity, and possible competition effects of procurement rules.
Indieners : A team from the Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services LLP led by Jack Malan.
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C transfers in the EP’s budget in 2020 - response to the COVID-19 crisis EN

23-11-2022 PE 702.617 COVI BUDG CONT
Briefing
Samenvatting : The EP’s budget is drawn up during the year n-1, with the preparations in its Directorates General already starting in the last quarter of the year n-2. The budgetary procedure - first inside the EP for the institution’s own budget, then for the budget of the EU as a whole in the interinstitutional part of the procedure - lasts throughout the year n-1, with an agreement usually reached during the last quarter of year n-1. For example, the preparations for the 2020 budget in the Directorates General started towards the end of 2018, with the main budgetary process taking place in 2019.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - November 2022 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

C and P transfers in the EP’s budget in 2021 – in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis EN

15-11-2022 PE 739.133 COVI CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing analyses C and P transfers in the EP’s budget during 2021. It differentiates between transfers linked directly and indirectly to the EP’s response to the COVID-19 crisis on the one hand and those that dealt with other, unrelated, needs on the other, including the EP’s building policy. A comparison between the main tendencies observed in 2020 and 2021 sheds light on the impact the COVID-19 crisis had on the EP’s budget in both years.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE

The impact of inflation on the EU budget EN

01-11-2022 PE 739.032 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This note provides a general assessment of the aggregate economic impact of inflation on the EU budget, both retroactively and prospectively (on a scenario-based approach). Against such backdrop, we will briefly underscore that available flexibilities and margins under the current MFF framework are very far from providing for a meaningful room of manoeuvre and tools to tackle adequately such challenge, before concluding with some follow-up remarks.
Indieners : FRANCISCO JAVIE PADILLA OLIVARES

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors (Estonia) EN

27-10-2022 PE 738.227 CONT BUDG
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : This briefing describes the treaty provisions and appointment procedure for ECA members at EU level. In addition, it provides information on the national nomination procedure for the ECA member in Estonia and the country's new candidate.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE

Gender equality in the college of the European Court of Auditors (October 2022) EN

18-10-2022 PE 737.872 CONT BUDG
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing aims to give an overview of gender balance in the college of the European Court of Auditors (ECA), which has a reputation of being a historically male-dominated institution. It first sets out the nomination procedure and the challenges it presents for the achievement of gender balance in the college of ECA members. Then, the actual number of female and male ECA members over time is analysed.
Indieners : Michaela Franke, Sophie Eisenberger, Manuk Sahakyan

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - October 2022 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Instruments and Tools at EU Level and Developed at Member State Level to Prevent and Tackle Fraud - ARACHNE EN

07-10-2022 PE 737.760 BUDG CONT
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control has organised a public hearing with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the technical support provided to Member States, particularly in the areas of better administration, digitalisation and EU fund implementation. This briefing provides background information on the tools available to Member States and their managing authorities in the fight against fraud and the broader protection of the Union’s financial interests. Although the fight against fraud involves a multitude of tools in many policy areas, the tool under examination in this paper is, for the moment, used only for projects implemented with the support of the European Structural and Investment Funds. However, the recent Commission proposal for a recast of the Financial Regulation extends its use to the implementation of all EU funds. This briefing note will provide background information on the ARACHNE tool and insight into how it is used. It will also provide an overview of the benefits of using ARACHNE, as well as some of the objections to its use.
Indieners : András SCHWARCZ, ADAM JAMES NUGENT

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors (Lithuania) EN

03-10-2022 PE 737.057 BUDG CONT
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Lithuanian national audit office, the Valstybes Kontrole, performs three different functions: (1) it audits the state and all public institutions as the country’s supereme audit institution as well as (2) all use of European funds as its audit authority. In addition, (3) it monitors the soundness of the Lithuianian budget from a fiscal point of view, including the country’s compliance with the EU’s Maastricht criteria (independent fiscal institution).
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE

Tracking the EU Commissioners’ commitments - Von der Leyen Commission, 2019 - 2024 EN

Briefing
Samenvatting : This document is a compilation of briefings that track the commitments made by the Vice-Presidents and Commissioners to the European Parliament – in their written answers to Parliament’s questions, at their hearings, and, in some cases, in subsequent appearances before Parliament’s committees. The document provides an overview of the state-of-play at the mid-term of the von der Leyen Commission. Since many of these commitments were made, major international crises have shifted some political priorities. The Vice-Presidents’ and Commissioners’ progress on their commitments should be considered in this context.

Tracking the EU Commissioners’ commitments - Von der Leyen Commission, 2019 - 2024: Johannes Hahn EN

20-09-2022 PE 730.889 BUDG CONT
Briefing
Samenvatting : This briefing follows up the commitments made by the commissioner since 2019.

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - September 2022 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Workshop Proceedings: EU customs control mechanisms and their possible improvement EN

15-07-2022 PE 734.922 BUDG CONT
Studie
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held a workshop with the aim to get a better understanding about customs control practices in Member States and their possible improvements. This publication includes the full documentation of the workshop: programme, summary of the debate, background briefing, profiles of speakers and their presentations.
Indieners : Diana HAASE

Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - July 2022 EN

Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

EU customs control mechanisms and their possible improvement EN

23-06-2022 PE 733.135 BUDG CONT
Briefing
Samenvatting : The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) decided to organise a workshop with the aim to get a better understanding about customs control practices in Member States and their possible improvements. This briefing provides background information to this event that took place the 15th June 2022.
Indieners : Diana HAASE

Possible Solutions for Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud EN

21-06-2022 PE 731.902 BUDG CONT
Studie
Samenvatting : This study examines the problem of Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) Fraud, the nature and scale of its impact on the EU’s finances, and potential solutions. The solutions that are assessed are: Split Payment Methods, Electronic Clearance Procedure (a digital solution), Real-Time Reporting (and TX++), VAT Coin, and the Definitive VAT system (and proposed amendments). Recommendations are made regarding the most appropriate solution.
Indieners : Jack MALAN and Ivan BOSCH CHEN, Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES). Two external experts assisted the CSES team: Professor Marie LAMENSCH Professor (UCLouvain and Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Stefano PAVESI (Ernst & Young).
Soort document

Samenvatting

PROCEEDINGS - Workshop The EU borrowing strategy for Next Generation EU: design, challenges and opportunities EN

20-06-2022 PE 733.141 BUDG CONT
Studie
Samenvatting : A workshop was organised for the Budgets committee (BUDG) on "The EU borrowing strategy for NGEU: design, challenges and opportunities" on 27 October 2021. This document consists of an In-depth analysis by Bruegel entitled "Next Generation EU borrowing: a first assessment", a policy paper by Sebastian Mack entitled "Don't change horses in midstream: how to make NGEU bonds the euro area's safe asset", biographies of the speakers and the Power Point slides of the Bruegel presentation.
Indieners : Alix DELASNERIE, GOSSE ZIER BUURMA

COVID-19 response of EU public administration EN

10-06-2022 PE 733.411 COVI BUDG CONT
Studie
Samenvatting : In order to provide the Members of the Budgetary Control Committee with reliable information and data on the COVID-19 response of the EU public administration, the study analyses the EU institutions’ response, their business continuity measures and their impact on the budget from 2020 onwards and staff of the respective institution. Furthermore, the study provides an overview of practices and challenges around the new working modalities EU institutions are adopting for the post-pandemic future, as well as recommendations for the way forward.
Indieners : Alessandro VALENZA, Dea HRELJA, Pietro CELOTTI, Caterina CASAMASSIMA, Michele ALESSANDRINI, Roland BLOMEYER, Nicolò FRANCESCHELLI
Soort document

Samenvatting

Nominations for Members of the European Court of Auditors (The Netherlands) EN

08-06-2022 PE 733.764 BUDG CONT
Kort overzicht
Samenvatting : At national level, the Dutch supreme audit institution, the Netherlands Court of Audit (Algemene Rekenkamer), is headed by three board members, who are appointed for life. However, board members can either end their term on their own initiative. They have to retire when they reach the age of 70. The Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) can also decide to end their mandate following misconduct, based on the compatibility law.
Indieners : Michaela FRANKE, Alexandra Cynthia Jana POUWELS, FRANCOIS JULIEN PATRICK JOUENNE--PEYRAT