2.
European Parliament resolution containing the comments which form part of the decision on the
discharge for implementing the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2003,
Section VIII —Ombudsman (C6-0021/2005 —2004/2047(DEC))
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2003 (1),
— having regard to the revenue and expenditure account and balance sheet for the 2003 financial year
(C6-0021/2005),
— having regard to the annual report of the European Court of Auditors concerning the financial year
2003, together with the institutions' replies (2),
— having regard to the statement of assurance as to the reliability of the accounts and the legality and
regularity of the underlying transactions, provided by the Court of Auditors pursuant to Article 248 ofthe EC Treaty (
3),
— having regard to Articles 272(10), 275 and 276 of the EC Treaty,
— 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 (4), in particular Articles 50,
86(4),145, 146 and 147 thereof,
— having regard to the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977 applicable to the general budget of the
European Communities (5),
— having regard to Rule 71 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A6-0066/2005),
The European Court of Auditors annual report
1. Notes that the Ombudsman administered a budget of EUR 4 438 653,00, of which 91,29 %
(EUR 4 052488) was committed and 87,65 % (EUR 3 551999,59) spent;
2. Notes the Ombudsman's explanation that the lower level of budget execution in 2003 was caused by
the transition period following the retirement of the former Ombudsman and the election of the newOmbudsman;
3. Notes that the Court of Auditors did not make any observations with regard to the execution of the
budget; asks, therefore, how the Court intends to evaluate the budget execution of the Ombudsman infuture;
4. Notes, however, that the European Parliament gave a favourable opinion on the work of the European
Ombudsman on the basis of his annual report (
6); records that 75 % of the complaints received fell outside
the Ombudsman's mandate, and that the Ombudsman only dealt with 363 enquiries although the overallcaseload amounted to 2 611 cases;
Follow-up to the 2002 discharge procedure
5. Welcomes the comprehensive information supplied to the Committee on Budgetary Control by the
Ombudsman in his letter of 13 December 2004;
6. Notes the documents relating to the framework agreement between the European Parliament and the
Ombudsman on administrative and financial assistance; notes furthermore that Parliament performs thefinancial initiation function concerning Title I, relating to personnel;
7. Recalls that the Ombudsman was looking into a low-cost way of travelling regularly to Frankfurt and
Zurich airport; notes that the European Parliament and the Ombudsman have agreed that Parliament willlease a supplementary official car, to be placed at the Ombudsman's disposal, in return for the payment ofmonthly charges; wishes to be informed about the final solution;
(1) OJ L 54, 28.2.2003.
(2) OJ C 293, 30.11.2004, p. 1.
(3) OJ C 294, 30.11.2004, p. 99.
(4) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 356, 31.12.1977, p. 1.
(6) Texts Adopted, 18.11.2004, P6_TA(2004)0065.9.2.2006 MT C 33 E/219 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
It-Tlieta, 12 ta' April 2005
Annual activity report of the authorising officer and annual report of the internal auditor
8. Welcomes the fact that the Ombudsman has willingly provided the authorising officer's and the inter-
nal auditor's annual reports, including a statement of assurance;
9. Notes that the Ombudsman's office developed software for a case management system on the basis of
a system used by a Belgian Ombudsman;
10. Observes that the implementation of the Financial Regulation has placed an enormous strain on the
Ombudsman's administration; congratulates the Ombudsman on the swift transposition of its provisionsand asks the Ombudsman to submit to the European Parliament a list of problems occurring with imple-mentation of the Financial Regulation;
11. Asks the Ombudsman to report, in time for the 2004 discharge procedure, about the progress made
in training financial actors with the help of vocational training courses;
12. Welcomes the clear structure of the internal auditor's annual report No 4/2002, which states:
“The initial findings did not reveal any areas of significant risk to budgetary implementation to the EO
[European Ombudsman] …”(
1); in addition, action plans have been set up, which will allow further strengt-
hening of the control environment.
(1) Internal Auditor's report No 4/2002, p. 5.
P6_TA(2005)0100
Discharge 2003: European Agency for Reconstruction
1.
European Parliament decision on the discharge to the Director of the European Agency for Recons-
truction in respect of the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2003 (N6-0216/2004
—C6-0235/2004 —2004/2051(DEC))
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to the Court of Auditors' report on the annual accounts of the European Agency for
Reconstruction for the financial year 2003, together with the Agency's replies (1),
— having regard to the Council's recommendation of 8 March 2005 (6864/2005 —C6-0076/2005),
— 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 Ar-
ticle 185 thereof, and to Council Regulation (EC) No 1646/2003 of 18 June 2003 amending Regulation(EC) No 2667/2000 on the European Agency for Reconstruction and in particular Article 8 thereof (
3),
— 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 EuropeanCommunities (
4) and, in particular, Article 94 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002,
— 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 Foreign Affairs (A6 –0074/2005),
(1) OJ C 41, 17.2.2005, p. 35.
(2) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 245, 29.9.2003, p. 16.
(4) OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72.C 33 E/220 MT 9.2.2006 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
It-Tlieta, 12 ta' April 2005