RESOLUTION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT  
of 10 May 2012  
with observations forming an integral part of its Decision on discharge in respect of the 
implementation of the budget of the European Institute for Gender Equality for the financial 
year 2010  
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,  
— having regard to the final annual accounts of the European Institute for Gender Equality for the financial 
year 2010,  
— having regard to the Court of Auditors’ report on the annual accounts of the European Institute for 
Gender Equality for the financial year 2010, together with the Institute’s replies (  1 ), 
— having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 21 February 2012 (06083/2012 – C7-0051/2012),  
— having regard to Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,  
— 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,  
— having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
20 December 2006 on establishing a European Institute for Gender Equality (  3 ), and in particular 
Article 14 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 Rule 77 of, and Annex VI to, its Rules of Procedure,  
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee 
on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A7-0132/2012),  
A. whereas the European Institute for Gender Equality (‘the Institute’) was established on the basis of 
Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 and gained its independence on 15 June 2010,  
B. whereas the Court of Auditors has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the annual 
accounts of the Institute for the financial year 2010 are reliable and that the underlying transactions are 
legal and regular,  
C. whereas the overall budget of the Institute for the financial year 2010 was EUR 6 500 000; whereas the 
budget of the Institute is entirely financed by the Union’s contribution,EN 17.10.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 286/201  
( 1 ) OJ C 366, 15.12.2011, p. 173.  
( 2 ) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.  
( 3 ) OJ L 403, 30.12.2006, p. 9.  
( 4 ) OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72.
1. Welcomes the Court of Auditors’ first report on the annual accounts of the Institute, for the financial 
year 2010;  
Budgetary and financial management  
2. Notes that the Institute was granted administrative and financial autonomy on 15 June 2010;  
3. Believes that a merger of the Institute and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights should 
be considered in order to avoid duplication and reduce overhead costs;  
4. Ascertains from the Annual Activity Report (AAR) of the Institute that from 1 January to 15 June 2010 
the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), the Institute’s parent 
DG, held financial management responsibility on its behalf, in particular for staff and administrative 
expenditure, and that over that period, DG EMPL made payments in a total amount of EUR 846 876,91;  
5. Acknowledges from the AAR that within the limited period between six months after adoption of the 
Annual Work Programme 2010 and gaining administrative and financial independence, the Institute had 
a budget execution rate of 65 % in terms of committed appropriations and 26 % in terms of paid 
appropriations; invites the Institute to take immediate steps to ensure a satisfactory budget execution rate 
in the future;  
6. Notes from the AAR of the Institute that upon revision of its draft budget for the financial year 2010, 
the Management Board highlighted two budgetary imbalances amounting to an aggregate imbalance of 
EUR 415 000:  
— a budgetary imbalance of EUR 195 000 under Title II, which was related to the under-expenditure in 
rental costs as the Lithuanian Government covered the rental costs for the Institute’s premises in 
Lithuania for its first two years of activity;  
— a budgetary imbalance of EUR 220 000 under Title III due to the expected under-expenditure in 
operations-related expenditure;  
notes that in October 2010 the Management Board agreed not to allocate these frozen funds to the 
Institute; calls on the Institute to inform the discharge authority of the action taken in respect of those 
frozen funds;  
Accounting  
7. Establishes that in 2010 the Institute defined the responsibilities of financial actors for staff members 
and developed financial circuits for commitments; notes, moreover, that the Institute nominated all 
financial actors defining their roles and responsibilities by the end of 2010;  
8. Notes from the AAR of the Institute that its Director delegated the power of Authorising Officer to the 
Head of Administration for a maximum amount of EUR 500 000 for Title I and II, and limited to one 
year for Title III; also takes note that a backup for the Accounting Officer was appointed;  
9. Ascertains from the AAR that, by the end of 2010, procedures were in place and being implemented for 
the following administrative areas: missions, complaints management, procurement Q&A, VAT, quality 
accounting, bank reconciliation, payment run, commitments and payments, and that a telecom policy 
and document registration framework were developed and implemented;EN L 286/202 Official Journal of the European Union 17.10.2012
Public procurement  
10. Observes that in 2010, 63 procurements were carried out and contracts for the procured services were 
signed; notes that the total contracted amount was EUR 1 974 626;  
11. Establishes from the AAR that two major difficulties occurred in the procurement process:  
— the time span available for implementing a procurement procedure was extremely tight and put the 
execution of planned studies and the relevant budget at risk;  
— the lack of qualified support for the Operations Unit, where the majority of staff had little or no 
knowledge of public procurement procedures;  
as a result, these complications created certain delays and a number of procurement procedures had to 
be cancelled which, as a result, caused the major part of the budgetary commitment to be carried 
forward to 2011; calls, therefore, on the Institute to improve the situation and inform the discharge 
authority of the action taken;  
12. Notes in addition that 85 % of procured contracts, EUR 1 628 122, were related to services that 
supported operational activities, and that the remaining amount EUR 292 504 (15 %) were for 
procured goods and services which supported administrative activities;  
Human resources  
13. Takes note from its AAR that the Institute recruited 23 Temporary Agents and 6 Contract Agents, and 
reached 92,3 % of its Establishment Plan target;  
14. Underlines the need to fill all vacancies which are necessary for the effective functioning of the Institute 
and the fulfilment of its stated goals;  
Performance  
15. Notes that, according to Article 20 of the Institute’s founding Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006, the 
Institute should have commissioned an independent external evaluation of its achievements by 
18 January 2010; acknowledges from the AAR that the Management Board postponed the  ex-post  
evaluation given that the Institute was not operational as of 19 January 2010, but decided to 
commission an  ex-ante  evaluation in 2010 and a mid-term evaluation by 2013; asks the Institute 
to immediately communicate the results of that  ex-ante  evaluation to the discharge authority;  
16. Acknowledges that the Institute, supported by DG EMPL, launched in December 2010 specifications 
for the ‘Second Ex-ante Evaluation of EIGE Focusing on the Institute’s Specific Objectives and Oper ­
ations’;  
17. Calls on the Institute to inform the discharge authority of the execution of those evaluations and on 
their respective conclusions;  
18. Reminds the Court of Auditors that the work of the Institute is of utmost importance for the 
promotion of gender equality in the Union; notes, therefore, that future reports should reveal in 
detail whether the Institute’s activity is hindered by difficulties at any stage of the budgetary procedure;  
19. Points out that, at a time of economic crisis and austerity, it is vital that the Institute offers best value 
for money without jeopardising the successful fulfilment of its important remit;  
Location  
20. Notes from the AAR of the Institute that on 1 March 2010 the Institute’s staff was relocated from its 
temporary premises in Brussels to its permanent seat in Vilnius, Lithuania;EN 17.10.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 286/203
Internal audit  
21. Is informed by the Institute that the first Internal Audit Service audit will be performed during 2012;  
22. Ascertains from its AAR that OLAF visited the Institute and provided a first training session for staff 
on audit principles and internal control standards in November 2010; acknowledges, moreover, that a 
cooperation agreement between OLAF and the Institute was prepared in 2010 and adopted by the 
Institute’s Management Board on 26 January 2011;  
23. Refers, in respect of the other observations accompanying its Decision on discharge, which are of a 
horizontal nature, to its resolution of 10 May 2012 (  1 ) on the performance, financial management and 
control of the agencies.EN L 286/204 Official Journal of the European Union 17.10.2012  
( 1 ) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2012)0164 (see page 388 of this Official Journal).