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From · Plenary report · 2024-03-12 A-9-2024-0090 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022
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To · Adopted text · 2024-04-11 TA-9-2024-0270 Discharge 2022: European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy)
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PR_DEC_JointUndertakings

P9_TA(2024)0270

1. PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

Discharge 2022: European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy)

on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022

Committee on Budgetary Control

(2023/2178(DEC))

PE753.493

1. European Parliament decision of 11 April 2024 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022 (2023/2178(DEC))

– having regard to the final annual accounts of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) 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),C90116/2024),

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

3. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the resolution forming an integral part of it to the Director of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy), 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 European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022 (2023/2178(DEC))

on the closure of the accounts of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022

(2023/2178(DEC))

– having regard to the final annual accounts of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) 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),C90116/2024),

– 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 report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A9-0090/2024),

2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Director of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy), 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 European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022 (2023/2178(DEC))

with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) for the financial year 2022

(2023/2178(DEC))

– having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy for the financial year 2022,

10. Notes that the Joint Undertaking’s governing board (GB) originally adopted the Joint Undertaking’s 2022 budget for EUR 854,49 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 845,45 million in payment appropriations and that it was modified in two amendments in the GB meetings of July and December 2022;

11. Notes that the final available appropriations, including the carry-over from the previous year amount to EUR 981,18 million in commitment appropriations (compared to EUR 1 069,9 million in 2021) and EUR 844.02844,02 million in payment appropriations (compared to EUR 764,8 million in 2021);

12. Notes that the execution rate of the Joint Undertaking’s final available budget stood at 72%72 % in commitments and 91%91 % in payments (compared to 99,7%99,7 % and 97,4%97,4 % respectively in 2021); notes that, the low implementation rates resulted from the slowdown of operational activities at the level of both the ITER-IO and the Joint Undertaking, mainly due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and recent technical design issues concerning the current assembly phase of the ITER project;

13. Notes, moreover, that the Joint Undertaking reduced the operational payments budget by EUR 92 million by means of an amended budget, and in addition, transferred EUR 9,5 million from its operational payments budget to the administrative budget (salaries), to finance the Joint Undertaking’s pension fund obligations to the Commission;

14. Underlines that the Court considered that there are weaknesses in the implementation of the Joint Undertaking’s administrative budget, due to the fact that this budget is set up as non-dissociated appropriations; notes that, as a result, administrative commitments based on administrative contracts and obligations for which payments that have not been made at the year end, may be carried over for payment to the following year;

15. Notes with concern that, at the end of 2022, for Title 2 - Infrastructure and Operating Expenditure, the implementation rate was 63%63 % when considering the new 2022 administrative payment budget only, and 69%69 % when also considering the unused administrative payment budget of previous years reactivated in 2022 for implementation, and the cancellation rate of commitment carried over from the previous year was high with an average of 20%;20 %;

Staff and recruitment

17. Notes, in addition, that 11 newcomers (six temporary agents and four contract agents and one seconded national expert) took up duties in 2022 and that four members of staff (all contract agents) became temporary agents on the basis of selection procedures;

18. Notes that the Joint Undertaking has slightly improved the gender imbalance; notes from the consolidated annual activity report, as regards gender balance, that around 38%38 % were female and 62%62 % male in the Joint Undertaking’s workforce; suggests that the Joint Undertaking continues to improve gender imbalance and strives for a balanced geographical balance in this respect;

19. Underlines that the Court considered that the Joint Undertaking’s senior management situation has remained unstable and in a significant state of transition at the end of 2022 with the departure of the director in June 2022, and the appointment of the head of the broader approach department as ITER-IO director-general in September 2022, resulting in personnel changes for four of the Joint Undertaking’s seven senior management positions;

33. Notes that from the five observations issued by the Court on 2019 and 2021 only two are closed;

34. Notes that the open observation for 2019 is on the excessive use of contracted or insourced resources (around 62%62 % in 2019), which presents significant risks for the Joint Undertaking, concerning the retention of key competences, unclear accountability, possible judicial disputes, and lower staff efficiency due to decentralised management;

35. Notes that, in 2022, the Joint Undertaking created a working group to assess the high use of external resources with the objective to better plan and justify their need;

37. Notes that, in 2022, following two recommendations from the 10th annual assessment report on human resources management, the GB approved an action plan for their implementation.

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:

16

5

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, 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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