Having examined the revenue and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2016 and the balance sheet as at 31 December 2016 of the European Police College (CEPOL), as well as the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the Agency for the financial year 2016, 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 2016.
The Council welcomed the Court's opinion that, in all material respects, the Agency's annual accounts present fairly its financial position as at 31 December 2016 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of the Agency's Financial Regulation, and that the underlying transactions for 2016 are legal and regular in all material respects.
The Council made the following observations:
- recruitment: while noting the high staff turnover in the Agency and acknowledging that the relocation of the Agency from the United Kingdom can have an influence in the attractiveness of the Agency as a workplace, the Council stressed the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. It encouraged the Agency to continue implementing staff retention measures;
- financial programming: the Agency is called on to continue improving its financial programming in order to reduce the level of commitments carried over to the next financial year to the minimum strictly necessary, in line with the budgetary principle of annuality.