Budget discharge: decisive vote for EU spending in 2011
Parliament is set to approve the lion's share of the EU's budget spending for financial 2011 under the "budget discharge procedure" but is likely to decide to postpone the discharge for the Council of Ministers.
The Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency risks failing its accounts test at this stage. All other EU institutions and agencies are likely to be granted discharge. The Budgetary Control Committee does however recommend merging the European Police College and EUROPOL. Rapporteurs and the committee chair will hold a press conference after the vote on Wednesday.
The European Parliament is the sole discharge authority vetting spending of the EU annual budget and the European Development Fund. At the end of a budget year it may grant, postpone or refuse a discharge, which is required for the formal closure of institutional accounts.
Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, PL)
Procedure: budget discharge
Debate: Tuesday, 16 April
Vote: Wednesday, 17 April
Press conference: 14:00 on Wed, 17 April, in LOW N-1/201 (briefing room) with committee chair Michael Theurer (ALDE, DE), Jens Geier (S&D, DE) and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, NL).