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            DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT         

of 12 April 2005         

on the discharge to the Director of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2003

(2005/548/EC)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,

having regard to the Court of Auditors’ report on the annual accounts of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia for the 2003 financial year together with the Monitoring Centre’s replies (1),

having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 8 March 2005 (6861/2005 — C6-0067/2005),

having regard to the EC Treaty, and in particular Article 276 thereof,

having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (2) and in particular Article 185 thereof, and to Council Regulation (EC) No 1652/2003 of 18 June 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 establishing a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (3) and in particular Article 12a thereof,

having regard to Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 of 19 November 2002 on the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (4) and, in particular, Article 94 thereof,

having regard to Rules 70 and 71 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the Report of the Committee on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0074/2005),

The President

Josep BORRELL FONTELLES            

The Secretary-General

Julian PRIESTLEY            

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(1)OJ C 324, 30.12.2004, p. 91.

(2)OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.

(3)OJ L 245, 29.9.2003, p. 33.

(4)OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72.

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            RESOLUTION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT         

containing the comments accompanying the decision on the discharge to the Director of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2003

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,

having regard to the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia for the 2003 financial year together with the Centre’s replies (1),

having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 8 March 2005 (6861/2005 — C6-0067/2005),

having regard to the EC Treaty, and in particular Article 276 thereof,

having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (2) and in particular Article 185 thereof, and to Council Regulation (EC) No 1652/2003 of 18 June 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 establishing a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (3) and in particular Article 12a thereof,

having regard to Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 of 19 November 2002 on the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (4) and, in particular, Article 94 thereof,

having regard to Rules 70 and 71 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the Report of the Committee on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0074/2005),

1.   Notes the following figures for the accounts of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) for the financial years 2003 and 2002:

Revenue and expenditure account for the financial years 2003 and 2002

2.   Welcomes the Centre’s results in reducing carry-overs of operating appropriations; invites the Centre to continue its efforts further to reduce carry-overs; expects the Centre to indicate which among its activities could be financed by differentiated appropriations thus allowing for a further reduction in carry-overs;

3.   Expects the Centre, in line with the ECA’s observation, correctly to present in its general budget any Community subsidies it received and managed in relation to external programmes (Phare subsidies) as well as other sources of income in order to present a truly general budget;

4.   Calls on the Centre to comply with the ECA’s recommendation to set up an efficient system for managing and monitoring revenue to be collected which should allow the timely issue of recovery orders;

5.   Expects the Centre to improve contract management in order to comply with the provisions of the Financial Regulation; invites the Centre, from now on, to closely monitor contract implementation so as to ensure better control of the quality of work delivered;

6.   Welcomes the solution given to the general request to make public the 2003 report on racism, and encourages the Centre to improve the preparatory works for this kind of report for the future;

7.   Notes and regrets the absence of an equality plan and expects the Agency to develop a plan shortly in order to become an equal opportunities employer; expects the Agency not only to consider equality issues at the stage of recruitment but also to work proactively and on a long-term basis to promote gender equality;

8.   Welcomes the plan for a diversity audit and welcomes the fact that the Centre has integrated staff from minorities at all levels; expects the Centre to clearly improve the proportion of women employed in higher positions;

9.   Welcomes the Centre’s communication strategy but hopes to see further measures to develop and strengthen this strategy especially in the context of information and communication to the citizens where EUMC must be seen as having a particularly important role to play in awareness raising and combating racism and xenophobia;

General points addressed to the Commission and the Agencies

General points addressed to the Agencies

General points addressed to the ECA and the Agencies

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(1)OJ C 324, 30.12.2004, p. 91.

(2)OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.

(3)OJ L 245, 29.9.2003, p. 33.

(4)OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72.

(5)OJ L 330, 4.11.2004, p. 66.

(6)  As set out in Annex 1 to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament ‘Building our common future, policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007-2013’, (COM(2004) 0101, p. 38).

(7)  See Annex to the Commission’s report on the follow-up to 2002 Discharges (COM(2004) 0648, p. 108).

(8)OJ L 269, 5.10.2002, p. 15.

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