Report on the annual accounts of the Translation Centre for the bodies of the European Union for the 2003 financial year together with the Centre's replies
Date: 2004-09-30
Institutions: European Court of Auditors
Subjects: European Court of Auditors, Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, administration of the Institutions, financial control, interinstitutional relations (EU), operating result, report

C 324/46

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2004

on the annual accounts of the Translation Centre for the bodies of the European
Union for the 2003 financial year together with the Centre’s replies

REPORT

(2004/C 324/07)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE COURT’S OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OBSERVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

2-5

6-8

Tables 1 to 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Centre’s replies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

47

47

48

52

Paragraph

Page

30.12.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 324/47

INTRODUCTION

1.
The Translation Centre for the bodies of the European
Union (hereinafter the Centre) was established by Council Regu-
lation (EC) No 2965/94 (1). The Centre’s role is to provide the EU
bodies, and any other EU institutions and bodies which call upon
its services, with the translation services necessary for their activi-
ties. Table 1contains a summary of the Centre’s responsibilities
and activities based on information provided by the Centre.

THE COURT’S OPINION

2.
This opinion is addressed to the European Parliament and
the Council in accordance with Article 185(2) of Council Regu-
lation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (2).

3.
The Court of Auditors has examined the annual accounts
of the Translation Centre for the bodies of the European Union
for the financial year ended 31 December 2003. In accordance
with Article 14(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2965/94, the
budget was implemented on the responsibility of the Director.
This responsibility includes the drawing-up and presentation of
the accounts (3) in accordance with the internal financial provi-
sions provided for in Article 15 of the same Regulation. The Court
is required, pursuant to Article 248 of the Treaty establishing the
European Community, to examine these accounts.

4.
The Court carried out its audit in accordance with its
auditing policies and standards. These have been adapted from
generally accepted international auditing standards to reflect the
specific nature of the Community context. It examined the
accounting documents and applied the auditing procedures that
it considered necessary in this context.

The Court thus obtained reasonable assurance that the
5.
annual accounts for the financial year ending on 31 December
2003 were reliable and that the underlying operations, taken as a
whole, were legal and regular. The content of the following obser-
vations does not call the audit opinion expressed by the Court in
this report into question.

OBSERVATIONS

6.
The implementation of the budget for the financial year
2003 and of the appropriations carried over from the previous
financial year is shown in Table 2. The revenue and expenditure
account and the balance sheet submitted by the Centre for the
financial year 2003 are presented in summary form in
Tables 3 and 4.

The Centre’s accounts for 2003 were adopted on the basis
7.
of the accounting principles laid down in its new Financial Regu-
lation (4). The Centre did not reprocess all of the accounting data
for the financial year 2002 in accordance with the accounting
rules used to draw up its annual accounts for the financial year
ending 31 December 2003.

8.
Provisions for risks and charges totalled 8 601 000 euro at
the end of 2003, an increase of 2 195 000 euro when compared
with 2002. Most of this amount (6 071 000 euro) concerned the
sums claimed by the Commission corresponding to its share of
pension contributions for the Centre’s employees; the amount is
disputed by the Centre. The remainder (2 530 000 euro) was
established to cover rent owed to the Luxembourg authorities as
soon as the definitive amount has been set. The Centre must
make every effort to resolve these problems (5).

This Report was adopted by the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg at its meeting of 29 and 30 September
2004.

For the Court of Auditors
Juan Manuel FABRA VALLÉS
President

(1) OJ L 314, 7.12.1994, p. 1.

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

(3) As laid down in Article 83(3) of the Centre’s Financial Regulation, the
final accounts for the financial year 2003 were drawn up on 14 Sep-
tember 2004 and sent to the Court of Auditors, which received them
on 27 September 2004. A summarised version of these accounts is
presented in the tables attached to this report.

(4) Article 78 of the Centre’s Financial Regulation.
(5) See the Report concerning the financial year 2001 (paragraph 7,

OJ C 326, 27.12.2002, p. 22).

C 324/48

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2004

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EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2004

Translation Centre for the bodies of the European Union — Revenue and expenditure account for the financial

Table 3

2003

2002

(1 000 euro)

Operating revenue
Invoicing for the financial year
Miscellaneous revenue

Operating expenditure
Current expenses

Financial income
Bank interest
Exchange-rate gain

Financial charges
Bank charges

Exceptional income (h)
Exceptional expenses (i)

Source: Data compiled by the Centre.

Total (a)

Total (b)

Operating result (c = a – b)

Total (d)

Total (e)

Financial result (f = d – e)

22 075
223

22 298

18 255

18 255

4 043

387
1

388

10
10

378

Result for ordinary activities (g = c + f)

4 421

Exceptional result (j = h – i)

19
9

10

Result for the financial year (g + j)

4 431

18 113
291

18 404

18 446

18 446

– 42

495
2

497

0
0

497

455

0
0

0

455

30.12.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 324/51

Translation Centre for the bodies of the European Union — Balance sheet at 31 December 2003 and 31 December 2002 (1)

Table 4

Assets

2003

2002

Liabilities

2003

2002

Intangible assets

760

889

Own capital

(1 000 euro)

Tangible assets

Furniture and vehicles

IT equipment

Fixed assets under construction and advances
paid

Subtotal

Current assets

VAT paid and recoverable from the Member
States

219

398

35

652

Budget out-turn (a)

Result of adjustments (b)

4 404

8 330

27

267

Economic out-turn (a + b)

4 431

8 330

Out-turns carried over from previous financial
years (2)

486

1 642

1 642

0

Permanent pre-financing fund

8 330

753

Subtotal

14 403

Provisions for risks and liabilities

8 601

3

25

Short-term liabilities

Amounts owed by Community institutions and
bodies

2 676

3 360

Amounts owed to Community institutions and
bodies

Sundry receivables

10

26

Payment appropriations to be carried over

Disposable assets

20 354

16 126

Sundry liabilities

Subtotal

2 689

3 411

Sundry creditors

Advances to customers

0

784

162

5

500

Subtotal

1 451

Total

24 455

21 179

Total

24 455

21 179

(1) The use of the model proposed by the Commission resulted in balances being reallocated under existing headings.
(2) This amount actually corresponds to fixed assets after depreciation as at 31 December 2002 (see table 3 of the report concerning the financial year 2002, OJ C 319,

30.12.2003, p. 29).

Source: Data compiled by the Centre — This table summarises the data supplied by the Centre in its own accounts.

9 972

6 406

3 360

1 247

15

15

164

4 801

C 324/52

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2004

THE CENTRE’S REPLIES

In principe, when there are changes to the methods used,
7.
the accounts for previous financial years should be drawn up
using the new method. Nevertheless it was not possible for the
Centre to make an objective evaluation of the effect of the change
on previous years. The analysis of the impact of the change on the
accounting for the financial year 2003 can be found in the
annexes to the Centre’s accounts.

In July 2004 the Centre signed a memorandum of under-
8.
standing with the Luxembourg authorities resolving the problem
of the costs of using the Nouvel Hémicycle building. With regard
to the pension contributions for the Centre’s employees, renewed
attempts will be made to find a solution.