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REPORT (2024/2025(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee

A-10-2025-0054

Committee on Budgetary Control · Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński

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Parliament grants discharge to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2023 budget and adopts a resolution with observations. The resolution notes the Committee's budget implementation, internal management, human resources, ethics, digitalisation, buildings, environment, interinstitutional cooperation and communication, and makes recommendations.

Key points

  1. Notes the Committee's 2023 budget was EUR 158,767,970, a 4.1% increase from 2022, with commitment appropriations implemented at 98.70%.
  2. Notes the Court of Auditors found no specific issues for the Committee, but 30% of sampled Heading 7 transactions contained errors.
  3. Calls on the Committee to include all key performance indicators and objectives in future reporting.
  4. Calls on co-legislators and the Commission to consider that only 3% of the IT budget is allocated to cybersecurity, far from the 10% target.
  5. Urges the Committee to increase its cybersecurity budget to at least 10% of IT expenditures.
  6. Calls on the Committee to implement recommendations from the external HR mapping audit, including revising the appraisal system by 2025.
  7. Regrets the lack of data on burnout cases and encourages publication of anonymised data.
  8. Urges real-time tracking of declared conflicts of interest and annual public disclosure of financial interests for members and senior staff.
  9. Calls for an anti-fraud strategy, noting it is still missing despite repeated requests.
  10. Calls for publication of all meetings held by Committee members with third parties.
  11. Calls on the Committee to strengthen monitoring and reporting on labour rights, social inclusion, and human rights violations within EU-funded programs.

Who is affected

  • The European Economic and Social Committee and its Secretary-General, who is granted discharge.
  • Committee members and senior staff, who must publicly disclose financial interests and assets annually.
  • The Committee and the European Committee of the Regions, which share joint services and cooperate on buildings and IT.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 158,767,970: final adopted budget for 2023, up 4.1% from 2022.
  • 98.70%: implementation rate of commitment appropriations in 2023.
  • EUR 13,827,713: carry-over from 2023 to 2024, about 8.70% of the budget.
  • EUR 145: allowance for remote attendance per meeting per day in 2023.
  • EUR 1,677,000: budgetary savings from remote attendance decision.
  • 553.66 tons of CO2: environmental savings from less travel in 2023.
  • EUR 1.8 million: savings from renting the VMA building compared to three previous buildings.
  • EUR 12,700,000: combined IT budget of the Committee and CoR in 2023.

Legal basis: Article 314(10) and Articles 317, 318 and 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union