Resolution (EU) 2016/1483 of the European Parliament of 28 April 2016 with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014, Section IX — European Data Protection Supervisor
Date: 2016-04-28
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European Data Protection Supervisor, budgetary discharge, financial year, general budget (EU)








L_2016246EN.01016101.xml










14.9.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


L 246/161








            RESOLUTION (EU) 2016/1483 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
         
of 28 April 2016
         
with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014, Section IX — European Data Protection Supervisor


THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,






—


having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014, Section IX – European Data Protection Supervisor,










—


having regard to Rule 94 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 Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A8-0109/2016),






1.   

Notes the conclusion of the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) that the payments as a whole for the year ended 31 December 2014 for administrative and other expenditure of the European Data Protection Supervisor (the ‘Supervisor’) were free from material error and that the examined supervisory and control systems for administrative and other expenditure were effective;



2.   

Notes that in the Court’s annual report on the implementation of the Supervisor’s budget concerning the financial year 2014 (the ‘Court’s report’), the Court observed that no serious weaknesses had been identified in respect to the audited topics related to the human resources and procurement for the Supervisor;



3.   

Notes that in 2014 the Supervisor had a total allocated budget of EUR 8 012 953 (EUR 7 661 409 in 2013) and that the implementation rate was 92 % (84,7 % in 2013); welcomes the improved result;



4.   

Regrets that the Court’s report was stated as being confidential in the Supervisor’s annual activity report (‘AAR’) for 2014;



5.   

Stresses that the Supervisor's budget is purely administrative, with a large amount being used for expenditure relating to persons working within the institution and the remaining amount relating to buildings, furniture, equipment and miscellaneous running costs;



6.   

Notes that all open recommendations made by the Internal Audit Service were closed in 2014, including that on securing the data contained in complaints;



7.   

Notes that further to internal audit recommendations and according to the Supervisor's Strategic Internal Audit Plan, a Procurement Plan was adopted for the first time for the year 2014; encourages the Supervisor to improve its financial autonomy;



8.   

Regrets that the Supervisor did not make available full information about its policy on conflicts of interest; urges the Supervisor to adhere to the rules covered by Article 16 of the Staff Regulations, to lay down clear binding rules regarding ‘revolving doors’ in accordance with the guidelines published by the Commission and to make that information available to Parliament in its AAR for 2015;



9.   

Notes that the Supervisor adopted a decision on internal rules concerning whistleblowing in 2015; asks the Supervisor to include that information in its AAR for 2015 and to ensure full compliance with Article 22c of the Staff Regulations, which entered into force on 1 January 2014;



10.   

Notes that very limited information is available on procurement procedures and selection criteria of contractors; observes that only one contract award decision for 2014 is published on the Supervisor's website; calls on the Supervisor to include a list of all contracts awarded in which it has participated, even if launched by other institutions, and their procedures and selection criteria on their website and in its AAR for 2015;



11.   

Notes the agreement achieved at the end of 2015 by Parliament and the Council on the new data protection legal framework, proposed by the Commission on 25 January 2012;



12.   

Reiterates its call to be informed about the use of videoconferencing facilities in 2014; welcomes the information on the use of new devices, such as Parliament’s voxbox;



13.   

Endorses the use of key performance indicators to assess the efficient use of resources; calls on the Supervisor to continue to provide the scoreboard in its AARs;



14.   

Reiterates its request made in 2015 for the Supervisor's building policy to be attached to its AAR, especially given that it is important that the costs of such a policy be properly rationalised and not excessive; calls, therefore, on the Supervisor to provide the discharge authority with its building policy in its AAR for 2015;



15.   

Reiterates its request made in 2015 to have an exhaustive table of all the human resources at the Supervisor's disposal, with a break-down according to grade, sex and nationality; notes that that table should be automatically included in the Supervisor’s AARs; calls, therefore, on the Supervisor to provide Parliament with an exhaustive table of all human resources as detailed in this paragraph in its AAR for 2015;



16.   

Notes that appropriations allocated to missions, travels and other ancillary expenditure of its Members and staff were kept unchanged in 2014; calls on the Supervisor to reduce that expenditure, where possible, without undermining its role;



17.   

Calls on the Supervisor to provide, by the end of May 2016, detailed information on missions undertaken by its Members and staff in its AARs, including the cost of each mission;



18.   

Notes the cut to the budget lines for translation, publications and activities of the Supervisor.