Eurojust 2006 2007 2008 2009

Performance n.a. The lack of indicators, the deficits in measurement of user satisfaction and the lack of coordination between the budget and the work programme make it difficult to evaluate Eurojust’s performance Calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority on the Key Performance Indicators and their links to the Agency’s objectives, budget and work programmes of the Agency

Carry-over appropriations The annuality and the specification principles are not strictly observed: the management of the budget showed a high number of transfers of appropriations between budget lines and in many cases the supporting documentation was insufficiently detailed The annuality principle was not strictly observed: high levels of carry-overs and weaknesses in the programming and monitoring (budget: EUR 18 900 000; appropriations: EUR 18 000 000; carry-over: EUR 5 200 000) — The annuality principle was not strictly observed: the level of appropriations carried over from the previous year and then cancelled (EUR 1 000 000, or 25 % of appropriations carried over) was high — Calls on the Commission to keep Eurojust’s cash holdings as low as possible; Eurojust has a permanently high level of cash holdings (December 2008: EUR 4 612 878,47) — The Court of Auditors does not comment on the level of carry-overs and cancellations of appropriations in 2009 — Calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority of the steps taken to avoid carrying forward appropriations, such has been a constant issue during the previous discharge procedures

Procurement procedures Deficiencies in the procurement procedures Deficiencies in the procurement procedures, as in the two previous years (i.e. the Agency extended existing contracts in a manner contrary to the rules) Deficiencies in procurement procedures, as in the three previous years: in most procurement cases no prior estimation of the market value was made before the procedure was launched; weaknesses in the monitoring of contracts and the programming of procurements; calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority on the plan to overcome this situation Congratulates the Agency for establishing measures to estimate the market value of relevant products/services before commencing a procurement procedure; considers this initiative an important practice to be followed by other agencies; welcomes, in addition, the Agency’s annual procurement plan for 2009, which greatly helped the Agency’s units and services in the management of their tenders; considers that these initiatives improve the authorising officer’s guidance and control

Human resources n.a. — Weaknesses in the recruitment procedures — Reduction of the vacancy rate from 34 % at the end of 2007 to 25 % at the end of 2008 — Shortcomings in the recruitment planning — Shortcomings in the planning and implementation of recruitment procedures: 26 % of the posts are still vacant — Eurojust has not respected the principle of specification — Calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority about its new recruitment procedure — The Court of Auditors notes shortcomings in the planning and implementation of the recruitment procedures (24 % of posts remain vacant) — Calls on the Agency to set up a comprehensive recruitment action plan to significantly reduce the vacancy rate and to inform the discharge authority about this — Calls on the Agency to reduce the number of temporary staff to the number recommended by the IAS — Expresses concern that the Court of Auditors has reported that three out of six middle management posts at the Agency were filled on a temporary basis by ‘acting’ staff members