On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU – Commission for the financial year 2024
AFET-AD-779393
Committee on Foreign Affairs · Rapporteur: Evin Incir
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The Committee on Foreign Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to include its suggestions in the motion for a resolution on the 2024 EU budget discharge.¶ It asks the Commission to ensure transparent and timely spending of the €50 billion Ukraine Facility and €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, and to increase support to Moldova.¶¶ It calls for strict rule-of-law conditionality in pre-accession and NDICI-Global Europe assistance, suspension of bilateral assistance to Georgian authorities, and reinstated funding for UNRWA.¶ It asks for closer examination of Chinese and Russian influence, more rapid-response funding for civil society, stronger oversight of migration and defence funding, and better follow-up on the 4.9% error rate under heading 6.¶¶¶ It calls for more transparency, cooperation with OLAF and EPPO, and stronger safeguards under Global Gateway to avoid strategic dependencies on China.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Foreign Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its suggestions into the motion for a resolution on the 2024 budget discharge, focusing on conditionality, oversight and transparency in EU external spending.¶
Key points
- Calls on the Commission to ensure transparent, timely and efficient implementation of the €50 billion Ukraine Facility, with strengthened monitoring, auditing and reporting, and to accelerate military and reconstruction aid to Ukraine.¶
- Emphasises the need for increased EU financial support to Moldova, accompanied by robust risk-management, strict conditionality and regular reporting in resilience, energy security, public administration reform and strategic communication.
- Calls for reinforced rule-of-law and merit-based conditionality in pre-accession assistance and NDICI-Global Europe, linking disbursements to progress on rule of law, judiciary reforms, media freedom and alignment with EU foreign and security policy.¶
- Welcomes the Commission's pause on the draft implementing decision concerning Tanzania and calls on it to withdraw the draft and submit a new one that does not adversely affect funding for NGOs and civil society.
- Calls for full reinstatement of access and funding for UNRWA with strong oversight, and welcomes UNRWA's fulfilment of all conditions set by the Commission for continued funding in 2024.
- Calls for continued suspension of all financial bilateral assistance directly benefiting Georgian authorities until further notice, and a simultaneous increase in funding for Georgian civil society and independent media.¶
- Calls for closer examination of China's and Russia's influence in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, and for these risks to be integrated into financial programming, fraud risk assessments and project-level due-diligence.¶
- Calls on the Commission to increase rapid-response funding for human rights defenders, independent journalists, women's rights NGOs and democratic activists in partner countries, with flexible, low-bureaucracy access.¶
- Calls for stronger oversight of EU-funded anti-smuggling, return cooperation and capacity-building programmes, ensuring efficient use of resources and full respect for human rights.¶
- Calls on the Commission to ensure rigorous financial oversight in EU defence-related instruments, including EDIRPA and EDIP, by improving procurement transparency, strengthening audit trails and facilitating reporting to Parliament.¶
- Notes the 4.9% material error rate under heading 6 in 2024, welcomes the Commission's controls over clearance of pre-financing to international organisations, and calls for prompt implementation of the ECA's recommendations.¶
- Calls on the Commission to deepen cooperation with OLAF and EPPO, systematically inform Parliament on possible misuse of EU external funds, and reinforce due-diligence and procurement safeguards under Global Gateway to prevent strategic dependencies on China.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Ukraine: continued EU financial and military support, with accelerated aid and stronger monitoring.¶
- Moldova: increased EU financial support with strict conditionality and regular reporting.
- Georgia: suspension of bilateral assistance to authorities, increased funding for civil society and media.¶
- UNRWA: reinstatement of full access and funding with oversight and accountability.¶
- Commission: called on to improve transparency, oversight and cooperation with OLAF and EPPO.¶¶