Activities of Edit HERCZOG related to 2011/2217(DEC)
Shadow reports (2)
SECOND REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2010 PDF (184 KB) DOC (105 KB)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2010 PDF (194 KB) DOC (119 KB)
Amendments (34)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the Joint Statement and Common Approach adopted (in June 2012) by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, resulting from the work of the Inter Institutional Working Group on decentralised agencies, and in particular the sections on governance, operations, programming, accountability and transparency,
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ....Grants the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2010;
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ...Grants the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2010;
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ...Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2010;
Amendment 6 #
Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ...Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2010;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that agencies' level of budget execution in terms of committed appropriations and of payment appropriations provide important information to enable the discharge authority to assess their overall performance; notes, however, that in 2010 the Agency failed to provide this information in the documents presented; therefore, urges the Agency to inform the discharge authority of the exact level of its budget execution in terms of committed appropriations and of payment appropriationachieved a budget execution in terms of committed appropriations of 99,99 % and of 90,75 % in payment appropriations, as stated in its annual accounts;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. AcknowledgesTakes note from the Agency's Final Accounts that EUR 12 809 551,05 of the 2010 appropriations have been carried forward to 2011; reminds the Agency that this situation is at odds with the budgetary principle of annuality and can be reduced by correct and proper programming and monitoring of the implementation of its budget to minimise the carryover of appropriations; calls, therefore, on the Agency to take effective action in this respectacknowledges that out of the overall amount carried over EUR 8 941 279 are external assigned revenues which are multiannual and hence are not subject of the principle of annuality;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes from the Agency's Final Accounts that cancellation of unused payment appropriations carried over from the previous year amounted to EUR 585 282,87; understands from the Agency that this amount is lower to the amount cancelled in 2009, i.e. EUR 693 127,02; urgnotes, the Agency, nonetheless, to take concrete measures against cancellrefore, that a cancellation rate of only 1,5 % represents an improved anticipations of the amounts carried overfinancial needs;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Raises doubts that,Notes that the Agency has carried out procurement procedures concerning canteen services, cleaning services, security services and furniture, the Agency failed to ensure the maximum competition and value-for-money during the procurement procedures but favoured ‘historical’ contractors even though these contractors changed their official name over time; recalls the audit by the Court of Auditors in October 2011 on this matter without finding any irregularities;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that, for five months, from 22 May 2010 to October 2010, the Agency covered its building with a green façcade which cost EUR 294 641 and that the contract was realised by the companies Ramboll, as general contractor, and Green Fortune; is surprised that there has been no public tcarried out by a consortium involving the University of Copenhagen, the company Ramboll, as gender; demands from the Agency's Director details on howal contractor, and the companies were chosen as contractorsy Green Fortune; takes note ofrom the Agency's Director, in her letter of 11 April 2012, that these costs were covered by the budget lines ‘2140 - Fitting-out of premises’ (EUR 180 872) and ‘3323 - Communications’ (EUR 113 769); underlines that the commitment appropriations under budget line 2140 increased from EUR 85 000 to EUR 271 049 against the opinion of reply of 15 June 2012 and acknowledges that the negotiated procedure to select the contractors was in compliance withe Agency's Head of Administration; notes that also in May 2010 the Head of Administration entered into sick leave and since then the position is occupied by an interim Head; notes from the Director's letter of 30 April 2012 that budget line 2140 has been reinforced by a budget transfer of EUR 180 872 from the budget line ‘2100 - Rent’; recalls that in December 2009 the Agency paid the rrticle 1261,b) of the implementing rules of the Financial Regulation; takes note of the Agency's explanation regarding the use of its budget to cover the greent for Q1 2010, thus avoiding reducing the amount to be repaid to the Commission; therefore calls on the Agency to explain the discharge authority why it has extracted EUR 180 872 from the budget line ‘Rent’, while rent is a fixed sum by contract, and to provide information and written evidence on the procedures with regards to the budgetary transfers; expects the Agency to complete all the requested actions by the end of Augustacade project; calls on the Agency to rigorously apply the principle of budget annuality following the Court of Auditors' findings in 2009 and the discharge resolutions of 2009 and 20120;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. 8. Calls on the Internal Audit Service (IAS) to investigate immediately the Agency's contracts in the area of canteen services, cleaning services, security services and furniture to establish whether the call preparation, publication, evaluation and contract management phases respect the two following principles: maximum competition and value-for-money and on the allegations of ‘fictitious employment’ and to inin general to continue its audit work on a risk assessment approach and to maintain the current practice of one audit per year form the discharge authority in due course on the Court of Auditors findingsAgency;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Is informed that 7 internal candidates and 40 external applicants were recruited in 2010; acknowledges the split amongst categories of internal candidates of 1 official, 5 temporary agents and 1 contract agent and the split amongst externally recruited staff of 1 official, 13 temporary agents, 29 contract agents and 4 national experts;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls onFinds it important for the Agency to make a moren explicit link between measures, resources and results; acknowledges the efforts of the Agency to combine measures, resources and results in its Management Plan as well as in the Annual Activity Report;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that, until very recently, from March 2010 until April 2011 the Executive Director of the Agency was a Board Member of Earthwatch and a Mmember of the European Advisory Board of Worldwatch Europe, two environmental NGOsEarthwatch, an international environmental charity engaging people worldwide in scientific field research and education, alongside to her activities in the Agency;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Is seriously concerned that in 2010, while the Executive Director was still directly involved in the Management of Earthwatch, some staff members of the Agency, including the Executive Director, went for 5 - 10 days of research in different biodiversity projects in the Caribbean or Mediterranean managed by Earthwatch and that the Agency paid to the NGO about EUR 2 000 per participant; understands that this unacceptable situation was repeated in 2011aware that in 2010 29 staff members of the Agency undertook separate research-based citizen science training provided by Earthwatch in different biodiversity projects;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Considers the training as a necessity in order to support the Agency's commitment to the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010, as laid down in the Management Plan and Work Programme for 2010; notes that the main focus of this activity was to increase the understanding of how to establish citizen science programmes in response to policy requirements for greater citizen participation in the area of Biodiversity and Marine Protected Areas;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Recognises the special training of staff as part of the career development; takes note that the total amount paid, EUR 33,791, to Earthwatch represents less than 7 % of the overall envelope dedicated by the Agency to professional development;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Agency and its Executive Director to give the Budgetary Control Committee concrete information on these trips and to provlook into detail on the procedures for training requests and matching training partners in order to avoide the total amount paid by the EEA to Earthwatch and Worldwatch in the financial years 2009 and 2010o have them listed in the exceptions register, which may lead to misinterpretation;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls onWelcomes the Agency to make a more explicit link between measures, resources and results's Management Plan System (MPS) which provides for a clear link between measures, resources and results; welcomes especially the fact that the Agency's MPS has been cited as best practice by the European Court of Auditors (in its Special Report No 5/2008), the Internal Audit Service and the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Finds it unacceptable that afternoteworthy, however, that the Court of Auditors did not questioned the trips, instead of a thorough investigation on the allegedspecial trainings which confirms no misuse of funds and no conflict of interest with regard to the Agency's Executive Director, the participants – staff of the EEA - were asked to write notes on the usefulness of the research trips; reminds the Court of Auditors that its responsibility is to control the Agencby any party;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that, fromin June 2010 until April 2011, the Executive Director of the Agency was voted to be a trustee and a member of the International Advisory Board of Earthwatch - an international environmental charity engaging people in scientific field research and education - and was erroneously reported to be a member of the European Advisory Board of Worldwatch Europe; acknowledges that, in accordance with the Executive Director's statement, she stepped down from her positions in Earthwatch in April 2011 following advice from the President of the Court of Auditors in the context of a possible conflict of interests;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is seriously concerned that inNotes that in February 2010, whilbefore the Executive Director was directly involved with Earthwatch, training was contracted for 29 staff members of the Agency, including the Executive Director, went for up to 10 days of research on different biodiversity projects in the Caribbean or Mediterranean managed by Earthwatch and that the Agency paid a total of EUR 33 791,28, to the NGO as stated by the Agency's Executive Director, and further notes that the ECA's final report for 2010 contained no findings about conflict of interest in this connection;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recognises the benefits of this special training of staff as part of the career development and takes note of the total amount paid for that trainingas a means to advance the Agency's biodiversity work in 2010/11 in the areas of climate change, invasive species effects and critically endangered species, takes note of the total amount paid for that training using normal training budget and the fact that it obviated the need for outside consultancy fees in the specialist areas;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Acknowledges that in 2010 the IAS concluded an audit on the ‘"management plan system (MPS)/monitoring of activities’" whose objective was to assess and provide assurance on the adequacy of the planning and monitoring of the Agency's activities; notes, in particular, that the IAS raised eight recommendations, six of which were rated ‘important’ and two ‘desirable’one remains open; welcomes the annual report on the state of play of implementation in this regard via the public Annual Activity Report;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – introductory part
Paragraph 24 – introductory part
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – introductory part
Paragraph 25 – introductory part
25. Calls, in addition, on the Agency to adopt without further delay measures to address the weaknesses foundHas taken note of the recommendations by the IAS in its previous audits on quality management and on grant management; in order to:s aware that for 3 out of 6 findings documentation has been provided to the IAS during the first half of 2011; calls on the Agency to continue its cooperation in this regard and asks the IAS to give notice on the state of play of the recommendations;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is surprisedNotes the Agency's assurance that the Worldwatch Institute Europe founded on 5in November 2010 indicatregistered as its address that of the Agency and used its premises as its own without any rent to the Agency, thus using premises paid by the EU budget; regrets that the Director's letter of 30 April 2012 refers only to Worldwatch Institute US based and not to the Worldwatch Institute Europe which used the Agency's premises without any rent;; without the Agency's consent, takes further note that the executive director of Worldwatch Institute Europe was an Agency's guest scientist; calls on the Agency to provide the discharge authority with concrete details and documentary evidence on this matter, including the person in the Agency who authorised this, the concrete date when Worldwatch Institute Europe ceased to use the Agency's premises, as well as whether the work performed by the respective guest scientist of the Agency was published under the Worldwatch Institute Europe name or that of the Agency by the end of August 2012ensure absolute clarity in any future guest scientist arrangements;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Draws attention to its recommendations from previous discharge reports, as set out in the Annex to this resolution; acknowledges the Agency's efforts to implement recommendations and to identify remedying actions;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Agency, in an effort to promote greater transparency in terms of preventing and combating cWelcomes the fact that the Agency prepared an updated Conflict of iInterests, to adopt immediatel policy and action plan to publish on its website the declarations of interest and, when they are not available,based on the findings and recommendations in the report from the cEurriculum vitae – including at least the educational and work background – for the management staff, the members of the scientific committee, the experts and the members of the Management Board by 30 June 2012; is of the opinion that such measures would allow the discharge authoropean Ombudsman; calls on the Agency to keep the discharge authority informed about the implementation of this policy following itys and the public to observe their qualificationdoption by the Agency's Mand to prevent potential conflict of interestagement Board on 27 June 2012;