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DRAFT REPORT (2023/2141(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Agency for Support for BEREC (BEREC Office) for the financial year 2022

CONT-PR-753507

Committee on Budgetary Control · Rapporteur: Petri Sarvamaa

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This draft report by the Committee on Budgetary Control concerns the 2022 budget of the Agency for Support for BEREC (BEREC Office). It proposes granting the Director discharge and approving the closure of the accounts, and sets out observations in a resolution. The observations note a 2022 budget of EUR 7 428 456, a commitment implementation rate of 99,99 % and a payment execution rate of 82,78 %, and welcome the Court of Auditors' assurance that the accounts are reliable and the transactions legal and regular. They cover performance, efficiency gains, staff policy, conflicts of interest, transparency, procurement, cyber security, environmental certification and the Agency's work with Ukraine, and recommend action on unfulfilled key performance indicators and adoption of the Charter on diversity and inclusion.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes that Parliament grant the Director of the Agency for Support for BEREC discharge for the 2022 budget and approve the closure of the accounts, with observations set out in the accompanying resolution.

Key points

  1. Parliament would grant the Director of the Agency for Support for BEREC discharge for the 2022 budget and approve the closure of the Agency's 2022 accounts.
  2. The Agency's final adopted 2022 budget was EUR 7 428 456, up 1,19 % on 2021, and derives mainly from the Union budget.
  3. The Court of Auditors obtained reasonable assurance that the Agency's annual accounts are reliable and the underlying transactions legal and regular.
  4. No procurement or internal control issues requiring corrective action were reported for 2022, and no corrective actions from previous years remain outstanding.
  5. Budget monitoring produced a commitment implementation rate of 99,99 %, above the management board's 95 % threshold, and a payment execution rate of 82,78 %.
  6. The Agency uses key performance indicators; most objectives were met, but Parliament recommends addressing those unfulfilled or progressing slower than expected, such as the advanced gateway for meetings tool and the BEREC ICT strategy contract.
  7. Efficiency gains came from centralising some functions, interinstitutional procurement (seven procedures joined, six framework contracts concluded), greater use of Commission IT applications and use of external resources.
  8. On 31 December 2022 the establishment plan had 16 temporary agents, alongside 19 contract agents, 8 seconded national experts and 10 interim staff and consultants.
  9. Staff turnover rose to 16,3 % in 2022 from 4,6 % in 2021, particularly affecting the Administration and Finance Unit; the Agency launched selection procedures for five vacant posts and recruited quickly from reserve lists for three others.
  10. Parliament commends the Agency's work-life measures, notes overall gender balance of 52 % female and 48 % male, and regrets that the Agency has not adopted the Charter on diversity and inclusion, encouraging it to do so.
  11. The Agency publishes management board CVs and conflict-of-interest declarations, requires declarations from staff and experts, and its Management Board adopted an Anti-Fraud Strategy 2023-2025 and deployed ethics modules in Sysper.
  12. The Agency uses the Commission's Public Procurement Management Tool, applies cyber security measures including two-factor authentication and CERT-EU services, targets EMAS certification within three years, and works with Ukraine's regulator on connectivity and regulatory harmonisation.

Who is affected

  • The Agency for Support for BEREC (BEREC Office) and its Director, who would receive discharge for the 2022 budget.
  • The Agency's staff, seconded national experts, trainees and interim workers, who must submit and update conflict-of-interest declarations.
  • The Agency's management board, which publishes members' CVs and declarations and adopted the Anti-Fraud Strategy 2023-2025.
  • Ukraine's national regulatory authority, whose participation in the Agency's operations and regulatory harmonisation are welcomed.
  • Latvia as host member state, where Parliament calls on the Agency to keep increasing its visibility.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 7 428 456 — the Agency's final adopted budget for the financial year 2022.
  • 1,19 % — the increase in the 2022 budget compared to 2021.
  • 99,99 % — the budget implementation rate for commitment appropriations in 2022.
  • 0,02 % — the increase in the commitment implementation rate compared to 2021.
  • above 95 % — the threshold for the budget implementation rate set by the management board.
  • 82,78 % — the payment appropriations execution rate for 2022, up 13,44 % on 2021.
  • 16,3 % — the staff turnover in 2022, compared with 4,6 % in 2021 and 5,4 % in 2020.
  • 52 % female and 48 % male — the overall gender balance of the Agency's staff in 2022.

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