# Official Journal C 286/2004

| | ISSN 1725-2423 |
| --- | --- |
| Official Journal
  of the European Union | C 286 |
| | |
| English edition | Information and Notices | Volume 4723 November 2004 |

ISSN 1725-2423

Official Journal

of the European Union

C 286

English edition

Information and Notices

Volume 4723 November 2004

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| Notice No | Contents | page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| | I   Information |
| | Court of Auditors |
| 2004/C 286/1 | Report by the external auditor on the Court of Auditors'accounts for the financial year 2003 | 1 |
| 2004/C 286/2 | Reportby the Court of Auditors on the audit of the operational efficiency of themanagement of the European Central Bank for the financial year 2003, togetherwith the European Central Bank's replies | 13 |

Notice No

Contents

page

I   Information

Court of Auditors

2004/C 286/1

Report by the external auditor on the Court of Auditors'accounts for the financial year 2003

1

2004/C 286/2

Reportby the Court of Auditors on the audit of the operational efficiency of themanagement of the European Central Bank for the financial year 2003, togetherwith the European Central Bank's replies

13

| EN | |
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EN

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I Information

Court of Auditors

| 23.11.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 286/1 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

23.11.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/1

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REPORT BY THE EXTERNAL AUDITOR ON THE COURT OF AUDITORS'
ACCOUNTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2003

(2004/C 286/01)

NOTE
TO READERS

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article
248 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, which gives the Court
of Auditors responsibility for auditing all of the Community's revenue and
expenditure, and the provisions of Article 276 of the said Treaty on the granting
of the discharge, the Court of Auditors has had its revenue and expenditure
accounts audited by an external auditor every year since the close of the
financial year 1987.

The reports which the external auditor of the Court
of Auditors drew up in respect of the Court's accounts for the financial years
1987 to 1991 were sent only to the Chairman of the European Parliament's Budgetary
Control Committee.

Pursuant to a decision taken by the Members of the
Court of Auditors at the Court meeting of 8 July 1993,
the external auditor's reports have since been published in the Official
Journal of the European Union, starting with the report on the financial
year 1992.

For the Court of Auditors

Juan
Manuel FABRA VALLÉS

President of the Court

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| 23.11.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 286/13 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

23.11.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/13

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Report
by the Court of Auditors on the audit of the operational efficiency of the
management of the European Central Bank for the financial year 2003, together
with the European Central Bank's replies

(2004/C 286/02)

| 1. | The Court's audit was based on Article 27.2 of the Protocol on
the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central
Bank (ECB) annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community. By virtue
of this Article, the Court is mandated to examine ‘the operational efficiency of the
management of the ECB’. |
| --- | --- |

1.

The Court's audit was based on Article 27.2 of the Protocol on
the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central
Bank (ECB) annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community. By virtue
of this Article, the Court is mandated to examine ‘the operational efficiency of the
management of the ECB’.

| 2. | The
Court selects different management fields for examination each year. |
| --- | --- |

2.

The
Court selects different management fields for examination each year.

| 3. | The
audit for 2003 dealt with the decision-implementation process and the reliability
of data processed by the information technology (IT) system for financial
and management accounting. |
| --- | --- |

3.

The
audit for 2003 dealt with the decision-implementation process and the reliability
of data processed by the information technology (IT) system for financial
and management accounting.

| 4. | The delays in
implementing projects remain significant. The Court encourages the ECB to
focus on the main reasons for these delays, their effects and the steps that
need to be taken to prevent their recurrence. Increased attention
should be given to proper planning and monitoring of human resources in this
area. The Court notes, however, that many of the delays arose during a period
of rapid growth for the ECB. |
| --- | --- |

4.

The delays in
implementing projects remain significant. The Court encourages the ECB to
focus on the main reasons for these delays, their effects and the steps that
need to be taken to prevent their recurrence. Increased attention
should be given to proper planning and monitoring of human resources in this
area. The Court notes, however, that many of the delays arose during a period
of rapid growth for the ECB.

| 5. | For the data
processed by the ECB's financial and management accounting IT system, the
ECB should keep up its efforts to document change-management procedures. This
will add to the integrity of the system. |
| --- | --- |

5.

For the data
processed by the ECB's financial and management accounting IT system, the
ECB should keep up its efforts to document change-management procedures. This
will add to the integrity of the system.

| 6. | In
general, the audit found that the procedures in place worked adequately, with
some improvements required. Various issues have already been addressed by
the ECB and steps have been taken to avoid their recurrence. Those improvements
that could still be made have been notified in detail to the ECB's management. |
| --- | --- |

6.

In
general, the audit found that the procedures in place worked adequately, with
some improvements required. Various issues have already been addressed by
the ECB and steps have been taken to avoid their recurrence. Those improvements
that could still be made have been notified in detail to the ECB's management.

This
report was adopted by the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg at its meeting of 16 September 2004.

For the Court of Auditors

Juan Manuel FABRA
VALLÉS

President

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