On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section X - European External Action Service

PA_NonLegDec

OPINION

The Committee on Foreign Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

1. Highlights that recent events, notably Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have brought EU foreign policy and its implementation to the forefront of concerns among the EU Member States and institutions; underlines the central role played by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and its delegations in conducting the Union’s external policy;

2. Regrets that the European Court of Auditors in its Annual Report for the financial year 2023 observes that they found quantifiable error in one of the 13 payments examined, concerning the absence of a valid procurement procedure and six non-quantifiable findings concerning procurement at EU Delegations, including weaknesses in the methodology for selecting tenderers and evaluating tenders, as well as entering into a legal commitment before making the budgetary commitment;

3. Welcomes the Court of Auditors’ Special Report regarding the coordination role of the EEAS and its conclusions that coordination is mostly effective, allowing the service to properly support the High Representative/Vice-President to deliver their mandate; notes that nevertheless some weaknesses in information management, staffing and reporting remain; calls on the EEAS to implement the recommendations of the Special Report by the deadline in 2025;

4. Notes that that the EEAS is committed to make itself more cost-effective while continuing to face significant budgetary constraints in 2023; acknowledges that the EAAS has substantially cut mission and representation budget, reducing non-compulsory expenditure and freezing and postponing building maintenance, infrastructure and IT projects;