The European Parliament decided to grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) in regard to the implementation of the Centre’s budget for the 2020 financial year and to approve the closure of the accounts for the financial year in question.

Noting that the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Centre’s annual accounts for the financial year 2020 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular, Parliament adopted by 542 votes to 74 with 10 abstentions, a resolution containing a series of recommendations, which form an integral part of the decision on discharge and which add to the general recommendations set out in the resolution on performance, financial management and control of EU agencies:

Centre’s financial statements

The final budget of CEDEFOP for the financial year 2020 was EUR 18 277 890, representing an increase of 2.30 % compared to 2019.

Budget and financial management

The budget monitoring efforts during 2020 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 100 %, representing a slight increase of 0.01 % compared to 2019. Payment appropriations execution rate was at 93.76 %, representing a slight decrease of 1.36 % compared to 2019.

Other observations

Parliament also made a series of observations regarding performance, staff policy, internal control and Covid-19.

In particular, it noted that:

- the Centre uses a noteworthy performance measurement system that includes key performance indicators to assess the added value provided by its activities on project, activity and organisational levels and other measures to improve its budget management;

- the Centre accomplished and even exceeded its work plan and the targets and deliverables set therein for 2020 despite the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic;

- the Centre signed a new service-level agreement with the European Union Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA) to share resources, such as confidential counsellors’ services between the two agencies;

- recent work has been carried out to analyse the impact of the pandemic and digital transition on adapting business practices to the new realities in the Union labour market through e.g. the Covid-19 European Company Survey in conjunction with Eurofound;

- the good cooperation of the Centre with the European Training Foundation (ETF) and Eurofound;

- on 31 December 2020, the establishment plan was 97 % implemented, with 78 temporary agents appointed out of 81 temporary agents and 10 officials authorised under the Union budget;

- in 2020 the Commission’s internal audit service (IAS) conducted remotely a full risk assessment covering the Centre’s administrative, financial, operational and IT process and a follow-up auditing conducted by the IAS concluded that the Centre had implemented all the recommendation adequately and effectively;

- the Centre promptly shaped and activated a crisis management plan to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic by taking precautionary measures, such as teleworking and the cancellation of physical events and missions, to ensure business continuity;

- efforts have been made to increase the Centre’s cybersecurity and data protection, especially as regards training of and awareness-raising among staff.