Sittings · Document

Report 2024/2030(DEC) 2025-04-30

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX

30.4.2025 A10-0065/5

Amendment 5

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Ondřej Knotek, Nikola Bartůšek, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas EU agencies1 are distinct legal entities set up to carry out specific technical, scientific or managerial tasks that help Union institutions to design and implement policies; whereas they are located in different member states and have significant influence in areas of vital importance to European citizens’ daily lives, such as health, safety, security, freedom and justice;

_________________

1 There are three types of EU Agencies: decentralised agencies, executive agencies and other bodies.

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/6

Amendment 6

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas this resolution contains, for each body within the meaning of Article 70 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, and for the Euratom Supply Agency, cross-cutting observations accompanying the discharge decisions, in accordance with Article 268 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and Article 3 of Annex V to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure; no longer allowing, as was the case in previous years, for each discharge to be examined individually, to identify and address their specific issues, or to take informed decisions on each of them; underlines that this practice undermines transparency and distorts the final vote on the resolution; calls for a return to the examination of individual discharges as of the 2024 financial year, both in the Committee on Budgetary Control and in the opinion-giving committees;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/7

Amendment 7

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas Union decentralised agencies and the Euratom Supply Agency should focus on missions with clear European added value and the organisation of such missions should be optimised to avoid overlaps in the best interests of the Union taxpayer; as already identified in the area of health (where the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control gives it competences which overlap with those of the Commission’s European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority);

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/8

Amendment 8

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Highlights the importance of the discharge procedure as it is not only a treaty-based obligation, but also promotes and aims to ensure transparency, accountability and open dialogue on the finances of the Union; notes that it also grants the agencies a possibility to showcase their work and demonstrate their added value to the Union and its citizens; stresses, furthermore, that agencies provide answers to the questionnaires sent by Parliament and are invited to public hearings by the discharge authority and that this gives citizens, companies, NGOs and other stakeholders the possibility to follow the meetings and be assured that the revenue and expenditure are in line with the principles of sound financial management;

3. Highlights the importance of the discharge procedure as it is not only a treaty-based obligation, but also promotes and aims to ensure transparency, accountability and open dialogue on the finances of the Union; to this end, deplores the fact that, unlike in previous years, the agencies’ discharges are no longer the subject of individual resolutions, which made it possible to better deepen and identify the areas of operation and failure by entity and to take a decision on each of them, as this resolution is in fact biased; notes that it also grants the agencies a possibility to showcase their work and demonstrate their added value to the Union and its citizens; stresses, furthermore, that agencies provide answers to the questionnaires sent by Parliament and are invited to public hearings by the discharge authority and that this gives citizens, companies, NGOs and other stakeholders the possibility to follow the meetings and gives them the illusion that they can thus ensure that the revenue and expenditure are in line with the principles of sound financial management;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/9

Amendment 9

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Considers that the concept of granting discharge by an internal discharge authority as in the case of the EUIPO, CPVO and SRB could potentially lead to a conflict of interest; believes that discharge granted by Parliament avoids the potential for conflicts of interest and contributes to the transparency and public image of the agencies;

4. Considers that the concept of granting discharge by an internal discharge authority as in the case of the EUIPO, CPVO and SRB could potentially lead to a conflict of interest; believes that discharge granted by Parliament minimises the potential for conflicts of interest and contributes to the transparency and public image of the agencies;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/10

Amendment 10

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Ondřej Knotek, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Points out that while the establishment or expansion of EU agencies is intended to enhance the Union's capabilities, it is critical to ensure that this process is guided by thorough evaluations, impact assessments and a clear demonstration of added value; highlights that this approach would not only ensure better regulation but also enhance the effectiveness, accountability, transparency and coherence of the Union’s institutional landscape;

7. Points out that while the establishment or expansion of EU agencies is intended to enhance the Union's capabilities, it is critical to ensure that this process is guided by thorough evaluations, impact assessments and a clear demonstration of added value; so that lessons can be learned and consideration can be given to terminating their mandate if necessary; highlights that this approach would not only ensure better regulation but also enhance the effectiveness, accountability, transparency and coherence of the Union’s institutional landscape;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/11

Amendment 11

Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Nikola Bartůšek, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Regrets that the general budget of the agencies (Union decentralised agencies, executive agencies and bodies) more than doubled in 10 years to reach 4.7 billion in 2023 (compared to 4.5 billion in 2022); is concerned that for four of the agencies – EIT, eu-LISA, ELA and ENISA – the error rate is between 3.2 and 4.1 %, representing more than EUR 28 million, which is problematic in terms of honesty in the use of public funds, but also in view of the large number of agencies; notes that ineligible costs have been identified for the EIT and calls for such situations not to be repeated; notes that the budget of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) increased by more than EUR 8 million between 2022 and 2023, reaching EUR 156.9 million, without any publicly established or assessed performance indicators or tangible results; regrets that this increase comes at a time when recurring concerns persist regarding the transparency of authorisation procedures, the management of conflicts of interest, and the influence of industrial lobbies on certain scientific assessments; considers that any budgetary increase for the EFSA must be subject to strict conditionality, based on measurable objectives, enhanced independence of expertise, and more rigorous oversight by democratically elected bodies;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/12

Amendment 12

Tamás Deutsch, Anders Vistisen, Nikola Bartůšek, Virginie Joron

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. In accordance with the principles of proportionality, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility, all Union Agencies established with a defined mandate shall be subject to automatic dissolution upon the completion of their original mission, unless a formal extension is explicitly justified and approved by both the European Parliament and the Council. The continuation of any agency beyond its founding objectives shall be considered an unjustified burden on Union resources, a contributor to institutional redundancy, and a deviation from sound governance practices. Agencies that no longer serve a unique and essential function within the Union framework shall be disbanded without delay. The Commission shall, on an annual basis, submit a detailed review of each agency's relevance, with a binding recommendation for sunset proceedings where appropriate. The persistence of agencies beyond their necessity fosters bureaucratic inertia, undermines public trust, and diverts critical funding away from emerging priorities. Therefore, the Union shall embed time-limited mandates, strict performance reviews, and automatic closure mechanisms in all agency founding regulations.

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/13

Amendment 13

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek, Nikola Bartůšek, Virginie Joron, Anders Vistisen, Julien Sanchez

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Finds that the current architecture of the Union Agencies does have duplications and overlapping mandates, believes that the Union needs to lead the way to cut administrative costs, simplify, in order to boost competitiveness and to streamline EU public administration, recommends to assess how a DOGE-style (Department of Government Efficiency) reform package could be implemented and how could it could benefit the efficiency of the governance of the Union and its agencies;

Or. en

30.4.2025 A10-0065/14

Amendment 14

Virginie Joron, Fabrice Leggeri, Nikola Bartůšek, Julien Sanchez, Anders Vistisen

on behalf of the PfE Group

Report A10-0065/2025

Erik Marquardt

2023 discharge: EU general budget - Agencies

2024/2030(DEC)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that a balanced approach, combining effective border control with robust fundamental rights safeguards, is key to maintaining a secure Schengen area and a credible migration management framework for the Union; reiterates, therefore, the importance of structural and continuous fundamental rights training for Standing Corps officers (Frontex), ensuring their awareness of and compliance with relevant fundamental rights obligations and standards and with international human rights and humanitarian law8 ; stresses, moreover, the importance of reporting fundamental rights violations, when witnessing such violations, via the issuance of Serious Incident Reports (SIRs);

18. Regrets and denounces the intrusion of the ideology of politically left-wing NGOs, supported by the Commission, which have imposed themselves in recent years, increasing the number of staff mandated to monitor fundamental rights and providing training in this area to Standing Corps officers (Frontex), thus diverting the Frontex agency from – and sometimes even hindering – its core mission; regrets that expenditure on remuneration in 2023 for the Fundamental Rights Office (headquarters and monitors) amounted to as much as EUR 4 367 527 (+78 % in one year) and that expenditure related to fundamental rights activities amounted to EUR 105 083 in 2023 (up 21 % in one year);

_________________

8 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0075 - part 3.

Or. en