natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Observes that the Agency experiences challenges in attracting and holding suitably qualified staff to support its activities, mainly due to the location of its office in Crete, where international education is a challenging factor; acknowledges the fact that the Agency concluded a service level agreement with each of the private schools being used by the children of the staff in the Athens office, as no European schools are based there; notes, furthermore, that a new mandate and service agreement was concluded between the Commission and the Agency which provides the detail of the funding for European schools used by the children of Agency’s staff;
Europaparlamentet konstaterar med tillfredsställelse att nivån på och typen av överföringar 2013 hölls inom de finansiella bestämmelsernas gränser enligt den årliga verksamhetsrapporten och revisionsrättens granskningsresultat.
Notes that, according to the Agency’s Annual Activity Report, the Agency conducted a job-screening exercise using the common methodology adopted for the Agencies for the first time in 2014; notes, furthermore, that, according to that exercise, 68 % of the Agency’s staff were in the operational functions category, 22 % were in the administrative support and coordination category and 10 % were employed in relation to neutral functions;
Upphandlings- och rekryteringsförfaranden
Internal audit
Europaparlamentet noterar från byråns årliga verksamhetsrapport att antalet anställda som omfattas av tjänsteföreskrifterna var 62 i slutet av 2014.
Takes note of the fact that at the beginning of 2014, the Agency had 25 open recommendations from previous reports of the Commission’s Internal Audit Service (‘IAS’); acknowledges the fact that 24 recommendations were closed during 2014 as confirmed by the IAS in its ‘on-the-spot’ visit to the Agency in November 2014; notes that one remaining open recommendation was closed in 2015, after the tool for e-workflows had been implemented;
Parlamentet noterar vidare att tre anställda lämnade byrån, meddelanden om 10 lediga tjänster publicerades och sju personer rekryterades under 2014.
Other comments
Europaparlamentet konstaterar att byrån upplever utmaningar att locka till sig och behålla personal med lämpliga kvalifikationer till stöd för sin verksamhet, vilket framför allt beror på att kontoret ligger på Kreta där tillgången till internationell utbildning är en försvårande faktor.
Acknowledges the fact that the Agency adopted internal policies in order to improve cost-effectiveness and the environmental friendliness of its facilities; notes that an important step towards satisfying both requirements was the adoption of a ‘paperless’ platform serving as workflow and storage of internal documents; notes with satisfaction that the Agency has practically eliminated all paper-based workflows, including financial transactions and human resources files and documents, and has replaced them with electronic documents and workflows in an effort to achieve a paperless office environment; acknowledges the fact that this tool was successfully introduced in January 2015;
Parlamentet konstaterar att byrån ingick ett servicenivåavtal med var och en av de privata skolor som barnen till personalen vid Atenkontoret går på, eftersom det inte finns någon Europaskola där.
States that the annual reports of the Agency could play an important role in compliance regarding transparency, accountability and integrity; calls on the Agency to include a standard chapter on those components in its annual report;
Parlamentet konstaterar att ett nytt mandat och serviceavtal ingicks mellan kommissionen och byrån med närmare uppgifter om den finansiering av Europaskolorna som används för barnen till byråns personal.
Acknowledges the fact that, as a follow up from the 2013 discharge of the Agency, according to the lease agreement between the Greek authorities, the Agency and the landlord, rent for the offices in Athens is paid by the Greek authorities; is concerned about the constant late payment of rent, which continued in 2014 and 2015 and which presents significant reputational, financial and business-continuity risks for the Agency; notes with concern that in 2015, the payment of the instalment for the first six months of the year was made on 27 August 2015 and only after the Agency received a warning that litigation would be launched by the landlord of the Athens office; urges the Commission, the Agency and the Greek authorities to find a solution for this issue in order to reduce significantly the risks to which the Agency is exposed;
Europaparlamentet konstaterar att byrån 2014, enligt sin årliga verksamhetsrapport, för första gången gjorde en översyn av arbetsuppgifterna med hjälp av den gemensamma metod som har antagits för byråerna.
Refers, for other observations of a cross-cutting nature accompanying its decision on discharge, to its resolution of 28 April 2016 [1] on the performance, financial management and control of the agencies.
Parlamentet noterar vidare att 68 % av byråns personal enligt denna översyn utförde operativa uppgifter, 22 % utförde administrativa stöd- och samordningsuppgifter och 10 % var förknippade med neutrala uppgifter.
Resolution (EU) 2016/1547 of the European Parliament
Europaparlamentets resolution (EU) 2016/1547
with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Railway Agency for the financial year 2014
med de iakttagelser som utgör en del av beslutet om ansvarsfrihet för genomförandet av budgeten för Europeiska järnvägsbyrån för budgetåret 2014
having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Railway Agency for the financial year 2014,
med beaktande av sitt beslut om ansvarsfrihet för genomförandet av budgeten för Europeiska järnvägsbyrån för budgetåret 2014,
having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A8-0106/2016),
med beaktande av betänkandet från budgetkontrollutskottet och yttrandet från utskottet för transport och turism (A8-0106/2016), och av följande skäl:
A. whereas, according to its financial statements, the final budget of the European Railway Agency (‘the Agency’) for the financial year 2014 was EUR 25715600, representing a decrease of 0,55 % compared to 2013; whereas the entire budget of the Agency derives from the Union budget;
A. Den slutliga budgeten för budgetåret 2014 för Europeiska järnvägsbyrån (nedan kallad byrån) uppgick enligt dess egen redovisning till 25715600 EUR, vilket utgör en minskning med 0,55 % jämfört med 2013.
B. whereas the Court of Auditors, in its report on the annual accounts of the European Railway Agency for the financial year 2014 (‘the Court's report’), has stated that it has obtained reasonable assurances that the Agency's annual accounts are reliable and that the underlying transactions are legal and regular;
Byråns budget kommer helt och hållet från unionens budget.
Budget and financial management
B. Revisionsrätten har i sin rapport om årsredovisningen för Europeiska järnvägsbyrån för budgetåret 2014 (revisionsrättens rapport) förklarat att man har uppnått en rimlig säkerhet om att byråns räkenskaper är tillförlitliga och att de underliggande transaktionerna är lagliga och korrekta.
Notes that the budget monitoring efforts during the financial year 2014 resulted in a high budget implementation rate of 97,34 %, representing a decrease of 0,53 % compared with 2013; notes, furthermore, that the payment appropriations execution rate was 85,82 %, representing a decrease of 2,3 % compared with the previous year;
Budgetförvaltning och ekonomisk förvaltning
Commitments and carry-overs
Europaparlamentet noterar att insatserna för uppföljning av budgeten under budgetåret 2014 resulterade i ett högt budgetgenomförande på 97,34 %, vilket innebär en minskning med 0,53 % jämfört med 2013.
Notes from the Court's report that the level of committed appropriations carried over for Title III (operational expenditure) was at EUR 2200000 (37,7 %); notes furthermore that these carryovers relate to delayed operational and IT projects and result from contracts being signed late in the financial year due to the procurement procedures being launched only after the adoption of Agency’s budget and work programme; notes that the carryovers are closely followed by the Agency, reaching an execution rate of at least 95 % in the following year;
Parlamentet noterar vidare att genomförandegraden för betalningsbemyndigandena var 85,82 %, vilket innebär en minskning med 2,3 % jämfört med föregående år.
Calls on the Agency as far as possible to reduce the level of committed appropriations carried over in the future in order to strengthen transparency and accountability;
Åtaganden och överföringar till efterföljande budgetår
Procurement and recruitment procedures
Europaparlamentet noterar utifrån revisionsrättens rapport att andelen gjorda åtaganden som fördes över under avdelning III (driftsutgifter) uppgick till 2200000 EUR (37,7 %).
Notes from the Court's report that the Agency reopened a competition procedure for the award of a specific contract in the context of the ‘European Rail Traffic Management System’ framework contract; notes, moreover, that both the excessive weighting of quality and the high maximum contract value in the reopening tender resulted in financial offers close to the maximum contract value; has ascertained, however, that this is in contradiction with the objective of reopening a competition procedure, which is to ensure competition on price; acknowledges that the Agency was preparing internal guidance on the use of the reopening of the competition procedure to ensure better competition on price at the time of the audit; asks the Agency to inform the discharge authority about the advancements achieved in this regard;
Parlamentet noterar dessutom att dessa överföringar berodde på operativa projekt och it-projekt som försenades på grund av att kontrakt undertecknades sent under budgetåret eftersom upphandlingsförfarandena inleddes först efter att byråns budget och arbetsprogram hade antagits.
Notes that the Agency revised its selection procedures and made a number of improvements to the recruitment process in order to ensure full transparency and equal treatment of candidates; takes note that some further weaknesses were detected by the Commission's Internal Audit Service (IAS) resulting in the Agency introducing an ex ante control in order to ensure an independent monitoring of the selection procedures;
Parlamentet konstaterar att överföringarna följs noggrant av byrån, och att genomförandegraden är minst 95 % efterföljande år.
Takes note of the fact that the Agency adopted a decision enabling the use of long-term employments for its operational staff; has ascertained that it has enabled the possibility of long-term employment for the operational staff into its new regulation, as this possibility is expected to be incorporated in the new founding regulation of the Agency [1];
Europaparlamentet uppmanar byrån att i framtiden i möjligaste mån minska andelen gjorda åtaganden som överförs, i syfte att öka insynen och ansvarsskyldigheten.
Has ascertained that the Agency published the CVs and declarations of conflicts of interests of the majority of its Administrative Board members; regrets, however, that some declarations of conflicts of interests of its Administrative Board members as well as of its management staff are still pending; expressly notes that this practice does not further transparency and consequently the Agency should publish the remaining declarations without delay;
Upphandlings- och rekryteringsförfaranden
Notes the results of the first benchmarking exercise on the Agency's posts, with 20,9 % of the jobs dedicated to administrative support and coordination, 67,6 % to operational tasks and 11,7 % to control and financial tasks;
Europaparlamentet noterar utifrån revisionsrättens rapport att byrån återupptog ett urvalsförfarande för tilldelning av ett specifikt kontrakt i samband med ramkontraktet för det europeiska trafikstyrningssystemet för tåg.
Acknowledges that the selection and engagement procedures carried out in 2014 led to 96 % of the establishment plan being completed; welcomes the reduction of the previous high turnover in the operational staff and expects that the adoption of the new European Railway Agency Regulation will allow the Agency to achieve an appropriate balance of short- and long-term staff, in particular in operational units, in order to ensure business continuity;
Parlamentet noterar också att på grund av att kvalitetens viktningsvärde och det maximala kontraktsvärdet fastställdes alltför högt i det återupptagna anbudsförfarandet låg de finansiella anbuden nära det maximala kontraktsvärdet.
Prevention and management of conflicts of interest and transparency
Parlamentet har dock konstaterat att detta strider mot syftet med att återuppta ett urvalsförfarande, dvs. att uppnå priskonkurrens.
Has ascertained that the Agency published the CVs and declarations of conflicts of interest of the majority of its Administrative Board members; notes that the Agency is set to publish the remaining declarations of conflicts of interest of its Administrative Board members as well as of its management staff;
Parlamentet noterar att byrån höll på att utarbeta interna riktlinjer för användningen av återupptagande av urvalsförfarande för att uppnå priskonkurrens när revisionen gjordes, och uppmanar byrån att informera den ansvarsfrihetsbeviljande myndigheten om vilka framsteg som har uppnåtts i detta avseende.
Takes note of the fact that the Agency’s anti-fraud strategy was submitted to the Administrative Board in November 2014 and adopted in March 2015; notes that this anti-fraud strategy takes fully into account the European Anti-Fraud Office's ‘Methodology and guidance for anti-fraud strategies for EU decentralised Agencies’, and provides objectives for the Executive Director and the Administrative Board in the fight against fraud;
Europaparlamentet noterar att byrån ändrade sina urvalsförfaranden och gjorde ett antal förbättringar av rekryteringsförfarandet i syfte att garantera full insyn och likabehandling av kandidater.
Notes that the Agency has in place a conflicts of interest policy for its staff and seconded national experts since 2012; acknowledges that this policy will be reviewed in the near future and calls on the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the progress made in this regard;
Parlamentet noterar att vissa ytterligare svagheter upptäcktes av kommissionens tjänst för internrevision, och att byrån som en följd därav har infört en förhandskontroll för att garantera en oberoende övervakning av urvalsförfarandena.
Internal audit
Europaparlamentet noterar att byrån har antagit ett beslut som gör det möjligt att ge driftspersonal långvariga anställningar.
Has ascertained from the Agency that the IAS during 2014 issued one recommendation marked as ‘very important’, which was closed by the Agency in December 2015; takes note of the fact that, further to the IAS’ follow-up of audit recommendations from previous years, two recommendations were closed by the Agency and four recommendations were being addressed by the Agency at the end of 2015; calls on the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the progress made in the implementation of these recommendations;
Parlamentet har konstaterat att byrån möjliggör långvariga anställningar för driftspersonalen i sina nya tjänsteföreskrifter, eftersom denna möjlighet förväntas finnas med i den nya inrättandeförordningen för byrån [1].
Internal controls
Europaparlamentet har konstaterat att byrån har offentliggjort meritförteckningar och förklaringar om intressekonflikter för de flesta av sina styrelseledamöter.
Acknowledges that an Internal Control Coordinator was appointed in March 2014 to support the development of an integrated management system and the implementation of the internal control standards, which will enhance the quality and relevance of the Agency’s work;
Parlamentet beklagar dock att vissa av styrelseledamöterna och ledningspersonalen ännu inte har lämnat in någon förklaring om intressekonflikter.
Has ascertained that the Agency assessed the effectiveness of its key internal control systems during the financial year 2014 and concluded that the 16 Internal Control Standards (ICS) are effectively implemented; notes, furthermore, that the assessment of the ICS showed the Agency was fully compliant with eight ICS and partially compliant with the other eight ICS; calls on the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the results of its action plans for achieving full compliance with the prioritised ICS;
Parlamentet anger uttryckligen att denna praxis inte främjar öppenhet och att byrån därför snarast bör offentliggöra återstående förklaringar.
Performance
Europaparlamentet uppmärksammar resultaten av den första jämförande undersökningen av byråns tjänster, som visar att 20,9 % av tjänsterna är avsatta för administrativt stöd och samordning, 67,6 % för operativa uppgifter och 11,7 procent för kontrollverksamhet och finansiella uppgifter.
Notes the high number of outputs (240) and key performance indicators (41) in the Agency's work programme 2014 and annual report; supports the view that a reporting system based on the Agency's impact on the railway sector would enhance transparency and visibility on mission delivery by the Agency;
Europaparlamentet konstaterar att de urvals- och rekryteringsförfaranden som genomfördes 2014 ledde till en tillsättning av 96 % av tjänsterna i tjänsteförteckningen.
Other comments
Parlamentet välkomnar minskningen av den tidigare höga omsättningen bland den operativa personalen, och förväntar sig att antagandet av den nya förordningen för Europeiska järnvägsbyrån ska ge byrån möjlighet att uppnå en lämplig balans mellan kort- och långtidsanställd personal, i synnerhet inom de operativa enheterna, för att trygga kontinuitet i verksamheten.
Notes that the participation of the civil society in the Agency's work during 2014 was ensured through the Agencies’ stakeholders representation in its Administrative Board and the consultation process for development of its work programme; takes note of the visibility of the Agency through its presence on social media, participation in public events, cooperation with railway-related academia, settlement of working parties and periodic stakeholders surveys with the aim of obtaining and analysing feedback from the groups of interest;
Förebyggande och hantering av intressekonflikter samt transparens
Calls for an overall improvement in the prevention of, and the fight against, corruption through a holistic approach, commencing with better public access to documents and more stringent rules on conflicts of interest, the introduction or strengthening of transparency registers and the provision of sufficient resources for law enforcement measures, and also through improved cooperation among Member States and with relevant third countries;
Europaparlamentet har konstaterat att byrån har offentliggjort meritförteckningar och förklaringar om intressekonflikter för de flesta av sina styrelseledamöter.
States that the annual reports of the Agency could play an important role in compliance regarding transparency, accountability and integrity; calls on the Agency to include a standard chapter on these components in its annual report;
Parlamentet noterar att byrån planerar att offentliggöra förklaringar om intressekonflikter även för återstående styrelseledamöter och för ledningspersonalen.
Takes note of the fact that the Agency shares its Accounting Officer with the European Securities and Markets Authority and certain facilities with the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union in order to create synergies and achieve cost-effectiveness;
Europaparlamentet noterar att byråns bedrägeribekämpningsstrategi lades fram för styrelsen i november 2014 och antogs i mars 2015.
Notes that although the Agency became operational in 2005 it has been working on the basis of correspondence and exchanges with the host Member State since a comprehensive headquarters agreement between the Agency and the host Member State was not signed; acknowledges that the Government of the host Member State recently initiated informal discussions with the Agency on this matter; calls on the Agency and the host Member State to address this issue as a matter of urgency and to inform the discharge authority on the progress of the negotiations;
Parlamentet noterar att denna bedrägeribekämpningsstrategi till fullo beaktar innehållet i dokumentet Methodology and guidance for anti-fraud strategies for EU decentralised Agencies (Metoder och riktlinjer för bedrägeribekämpningsstrategier för EU:s decentraliserade byråer) från Europeiska byrån för bedrägeribekämpning, och fastställer mål för den verkställande direktören och styrelsen i kampen mot bedrägerier.
Deplores the fact that using two locations to carry out its activities exposes the Agency to additional costs and represents a waste of the European taxpayer's money; demands that this issue be addressed in order to restore value for taxpayer's money and operational efficiency while also avoiding needless indirect cost such as ‘wasted’ working hours due to travelling or additional administrative work;
Europaparlamentet noterar att byrån sedan 2012 har en strategi för intressekonflikter för personalen och utstationerade nationella experter.
Points out that the Agency's role in ensuring the safety and interoperability of European rail system; welcomes the Agency's role in following up the development, testing and implementation of European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) as well as in evaluating the specific ERTMS projects; notes furthermore that a review of the Agency's role (e.g. one-stop-shop for vehicle authorisation and safety certification) and powers forms part of the Fourth Railway Package; stresses that as it receives greater responsibilities, the Agency will need to be given the necessary financial, material and human resources to perform its new and additional tasks effectively and efficiently; notes with concern the contradiction between the recently approved legislation extending the Agency's mission and the budgetary cuts related to the Agency to be implemented within the scope of the multi-annual financial framework 2014-2020;
Parlamentet konstaterar att denna strategi kommer att ses över inom den närmaste tiden och uppmanar byrån att informera den ansvarsfrihetsbeviljande myndigheten om hur detta arbete fortskrider.
Encourages the Agency to collaborate with Member States in order to increase the number and quality of railway projects, especially ERTMS projects, proposed under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport programme; recalls the Parliament's position in budgetary procedure for recovering of total amounts relocated from the CEF to the European Fund for Strategic Investments;
Internrevision
Refers, for other observations of a cross-cutting nature accompanying its decision on discharge, to its resolution of 28 April 2016 [2] on the performance, financial management and control of the agencies.
Europaparlamentet har utifrån byråns uppgifter konstaterat att tjänsten för internrevision 2014 utfärdade en rekommendation som betecknades som ”mycket viktig”, och som avslutades av byrån i december 2015.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union Agency for Railways and repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/2004, COM(2013) 27, 30 January 2013.
Parlamentet noterar att efter att tjänsten för internrevision hade gjort en uppföljning av revisionsrekommendationerna från tidigare år avslutade byrån två rekommendationer och inledde arbetet med fyra rekommendationer i slutet av 2015.
Texts adopted of that date, P8_TA(2016)0159 (see page 447 of this Official Journal).
Parlamentet uppmanar byrån att rapportera till den ansvarsbeviljande myndigheten om hur genomförandet av dessa rekommendationer fortskrider.
Resolution (EU) 2016/1550 of the European Parliament
Europaparlamentets resolution (EU) 2016/1550