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REPORT (2023/2148(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Chemicals Agency for the financial year 2022

A-9-2024-0135

Committee on Budgetary Control · Rapporteur: Petri Sarvamaa

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Parliament grants the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency discharge for the 2022 budget and approves the closure of the Agency's 2022 accounts. It notes the Agency's 2022 budget of EUR 114 777 691, a budget implementation rate of 98,61 % and a payment execution rate of 85,06 %. It asks the Commission to present a proposal to strengthen the Agency's governance and make its fee-based financing model more sustainable. It notes the Agency implemented 93 % of its work programme and completed 151 of 162 planned actions, and flags challenges in authorisations and biocidal substance assessments. It asks the Agency to report on gender and geographical balance in management, and welcomes its conflict-of-interest, anti-fraud, cybersecurity and animal-testing-alternative work.

Committee position. The Committee on Budgetary Control proposes that Parliament grant discharge to the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency for the 2022 budget, approve the closure of the accounts, and adopt observations in a resolution.

Key points

  1. Parliament grants the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency discharge for the implementation of the Agency's 2022 budget.
  2. Parliament approves the closure of the Agency's accounts for the financial year 2022.
  3. The Agency's final 2022 budget was EUR 114 777 691, up 5,83 % on 2021, funded mainly by collected fees and the Union contribution.
  4. Budget implementation reached 98,61 % for commitment appropriations and 85,06 % for payment appropriations.
  5. Parliament insists the Commission immediately present its promised proposal to strengthen the Agency's governance and the sustainability of its financing model.
  6. The Agency implemented 93 % of its work programme, achieving 151 of 162 planned actions and outputs for 2022.
  7. Parliament draws attention to an inefficient authorisation system, a growing number of hexavalent chromium applications and few draft assessment reports for biocidal active substances from member states.
  8. Parliament commends the Agency's efficiency strategy and its infrastructure optimisation, which cut processor and memory usage by roughly 25 %.
  9. Parliament asks the Agency to report on its diversity action plan, noting men hold 76 % of senior and middle management posts and only one director comes from Central-Eastern Europe.
  10. Parliament welcomes the revised conflict-of-interest policy, the new electronic tool for experts' declarations of interest and the Anti-Fraud Strategy revised in December 2022.
  11. Parliament welcomes the Agency's 2022 cybersecurity policy, IT-wide risk assessment, biometric authentication and failover testing between datacentres.
  12. Parliament reiterates its call on the Agency to speed up phasing out animal testing and notes its work on alternatives and a roadmap towards full replacement.

Who is affected

  • The European Chemicals Agency and its Executive Director, who receive discharge and must report back on gender and geographical balance.
  • The Commission, which is asked to present a proposal on the Agency's governance and financing model.
  • Member states, which are urged to submit more draft assessment reports for biocidal active substances.
  • The chemical industry, whose fees fund the Agency and whose applications strain its authorisation system.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 114 777 691 — the Agency's final budget for 2022.
  • 5,83 % — the increase in the 2022 budget compared to 2021.
  • 98,61 % — the budget implementation rate of current year commitment appropriations.
  • 85,06 % — the current year payment appropriations execution rate.
  • 93 % — the share of the work programme implemented, with 151 of 162 actions achieved.
  • 458 of 467 — temporary agents appointed out of authorised posts as of 31 December 2022.
  • 76 % men and 24 % women — the gender balance in senior and middle management.
  • roughly 25 % — the reduction in IT infrastructure usage (processors and memory).

Legal basis: Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.