The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the report by Véronique MATHIEU (EPP, FR) on discharge to be granted to the Euratom Supply Agency, calling on the European Parliament to grant the Director-General of the Agency in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2008.
Noting that the Agency’s annual accounts for the financial year 2008 are reliable, and the underlying transactions are legal and regular, MEPs approve the closure of its accounts. However, they make a number of recommendations that need to be taken into account when the discharge is granted, in addition to the general recommendations that appear in the draft resolution on financial management and control of EU agencies (see 2010/2007(INI):
- statutes: Members recall that under Decision 2008/114/EC, Euratom, Euratom, established in Luxembourg in 1958, has a new Statute and has become an Agency. In 2008, the Agency did not receive any subsidy to cover its operations and the Commission bore all expenses incurred by the Agency for the implementation of the 2008 budget. They note therefore that, in the absence of an autonomous budget, the Agency is de facto integrated in the Commission. They point out, nevertheless, that this situation raises the issue of the need to maintain the Agency in its current form and organisation;
- internal audit: Members acknowledge that, in accordance with Article 3 of its Statutes, the Agency has selected its own internal auditor, who took up his duties only on 1 July 2009.