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From · Plenary report · 2024-03-12 A-9-2024-0089 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022
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To · Adopted text · 2024-04-11 TA-9-2024-0275 Discharge 2022: Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking
+7 added · −36 removed · 6 modified paragraphs

PR_DEC_JointUndertakings

P9_TA(2024)0275

1. PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

Discharge 2022: Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022

Committee on Budgetary Control

(2023/2175(DEC))

PE753.490

1. European Parliament decision of 11 April 2024 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022 (2023/2175(DEC))

– having regard to the final annual accounts of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022,

– 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 for the financial year 2022, pursuant to Article 287 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 22 February 2024 on discharge to be given to the Joint Undertaking in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2022 (00000/2024(06182/2024 – C90000/2024),C90113/2024),

– having regard to Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Rule 100 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A9-0089/2024),

3. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the resolution forming an integral part of it to the Executive Director ad interim of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, and to arrange for their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).

2. PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

2. European Parliament decision of 11 April 2024 on the closure of the accounts of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022 (2023/2175(DEC))

on the closure of the accounts of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022

(2023/2175(DEC))

– having regard to the final annual accounts of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022,

– 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 for the financial year 2022, pursuant to Article 287 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 22 February 2024 on discharge to be given to the Joint Undertaking in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2022 (00000/2024(06182/2024 – C90000/2024),C90113/2024),

– having regard to Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Rule 100 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A9-0089/2024),

2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Executive Director ad interim of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).

3. MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

3. European Parliament resolution of 11 April 2024 with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022 (2023/2175(DEC))

with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022

(2023/2175(DEC))

– having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022,

– having regard to Rule 100 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A9-0089/2024),

Budgetary and financial management

1. Notes that the report of the Court of Auditors on the annual accounts of the Clean Hydrogen H2 Joint Undertaking (the ‘Court’s report’) finds the 2022 annual accounts to present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking on 31 December 2022, the results of its operations, its cash flows, and the changes in net assets for the year then ended, in accordance with its financial regulation and with account rules adopted by the Commission’s accounting officer; notes, furthermore, from the Court’s report that the underlying transactions to the accounts are legal and regular in all material respects;

2. Welcomes the role of the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking in supporting research and innovation activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe;

16. Notes that, as regards the Horizon Europe programme, in 2022, the Commission made cash contributions of EUR 80 million, of which the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking used EUR 47 million (or 59 %) for pre-financing payments related to the first grant agreements concluded under the Horizon Europe programme;

17. Notes that the Clean HydrogenH2 Joint Undertaking launched the first call for proposals on Hydrogen under Horizon Europe, with a total value of EUR 300 million; notes that the evaluation of the 2022 call resulted in the withdrawal of four topics for which no suitable proposals had been submitted; notes that the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking transferred the unused payment budget of EUR 33 million to 2023, for the payment of pre-financings related to new grant agreements, planned to be signed at the beginning of 2023;

18. Notes, from the Court’s report, that, at the end of 2022, the implementation rates for the rates for the administrative budget (Title 2) were low with 62 % of commitment appropriations and 51 % of payment appropriations; notes that the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking explained that this was due to the payment suspensions concerning the arrangement of the Hydrogen Week event, the postponed procurement for the refurbishment of the office building, and the delayed conclusion of an important service framework contract;

21. Notes that the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking team of statutory staff consists of 29 positions (27 temporary agents and two contract agents); notes, in addition, that staff resources include two Seconded National Experts;

22. Notes, from the 2022 consolidated annual activity report, that the digital workplace for each member of staff is constantly modernised: the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking members of staff were ensured adequate access to the complete set of Commission applications for grant management; the hardware renewal roll-out was executed as planned together with the necessary license renewal for essential applications such as Slido, Webex, Business Object, Adobe or Mobile telephony, allowing each member of staff more flexibility under the new teleworking working scheme;

23. Notes that, according to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the Union, laid down in Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68 and the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking’s guidelines, the staff committee should designate at least one member to the selection committee for external recruitment procedures; notes that the Court found that the selection committee for the audited recruitment procedure did not include a member designated by the staff committee and that the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking could not establish a staff committee despite launching several calls for interest amongst its staff;

32. Appreciates that the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking developed a risk-based approach to ex-post audit with the aim to reduce its error rate by better targeted sample to detect the most error-prone beneficiaries and thus, strengthening the cleaning effect of their ex-post audits; considers this an important positive change in ex-post audit approach as the Commission internal control framework for Horizon Europe grants does not allow for establishing Joint Undertaking’s specific representative samples and, consequently, to calculate specific representative and residual error rates for Joint Undertakings;

33. Notes that the Court found that the Clean H2 Joint UndertakingUndertakings with a well-developed risk-based ex-post audit approach have a residual error rate below the average of the Clean H2 Joint UndertakingUndertakings without such an approach due to the systematic identification and audit of the riskiest beneficiaries;

Follow-up of previous years’ observations

35. Notes that, for the Clean H2 Joint Undertaking all previous years’ observations were closed because of the Clean H2 Joint Undertakings’ corrective actions taken during 2022.

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the report, until the adoption thereof in committee:

Entity and/or person

European Court of Auditors (ECA)

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Date adopted

22.2.2024

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

21

1

0

Members present for the final vote

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Caterina Chinnici, Carlos Coelho, Ryszard Czarnecki, Luke Ming Flanagan, Daniel Freund, Isabel García Muñoz, Monika Hohlmeier, Joachim Kuhs, Petri Sarvamaa, Eleni Stavrou, Angelika Winzig, Lara Wolters

Substitutes present for the final vote

Corina Crețu, Jozef Mihál, Andrey Novakov, Mikuláš Peksa, Sabrina Pignedoli, Michal Wiezik

Substitutes under Rule 209(7) present for the final vote

Ljudmila Novak, Mick Wallace

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

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