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DRAFT REPORT (2024/2025(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee

CONT-PR-764993

Committee on Budgetary Control · Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński

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This draft report concerns granting discharge to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2023 budget. It proposes granting discharge and includes observations on budget management, internal control, HR, ethics, digitalisation, buildings, environment, and cooperation.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2023 financial year, with observations in the accompanying resolution.

Key points

  1. Notes the Committee's budget was EUR 158,767,970 in 2023, a 4.1% increase from 2022, with implementation rates of 98.70% for commitments and 90.67% for payments.
  2. Notes the Court of Auditors found no specific issues for the Committee in 2023, but administrative spending under Heading 7 had a 30% error rate in a sample of 70 transactions.
  3. Notes savings from remote attendance allowances (EUR 1,677,000) and energy reduction (EUR 65,000), and commends the Committee for not needing an amending budget despite inflation and war impacts.
  4. Asks the Committee to report all key performance indicators with targets and achievement levels, and to implement audit recommendations and keep the discharge authority informed on various audits.
  5. Notes improvements in internal control compliance (87.40%) and effectiveness (78.10%), and a 53% reduction in critical risks from internal controls.
  6. Notes staffing challenges, with 707 staff at end of 2023, and calls for better geographical distribution, especially at management level.
  7. Notes progress on ethics: new rules, training, and a harassment complaint closed; asks to be informed on OLAF cases and Ombudsman enquiry.
  8. Notes cybersecurity spending is only 3% of IT budget, far from the 10% target, and asks co-legislators and Commission to consider this in the budgetary procedure.
  9. Welcomes building savings from concentrating in the VMA building, and asks for updates on audits and return on investments of smart technologies.
  10. Notes environmental improvements but a slight deterioration in waste rate; asks to assess solar panel performance, which decreased to 5.75 MWh in 2023.
  11. Commends cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions and other institutions, and asks for details on savings from the cooperation agreement.
  12. Notes increased communication budget and social media followers, and welcomes the use of open-source platforms, though presence on Mastodon was discontinued in 2024.

Who is affected

  • The European Economic and Social Committee: subject to discharge and asked to report on various matters.
  • The Secretary-General of the Committee: granted discharge for 2023 budget implementation.
  • Co-legislators and the Commission: asked to consider cybersecurity funding shortfall.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 158,767,970: final adopted budget for 2023, up 4.1% from 2022.
  • 98.70% commitment implementation rate in 2023, up from 96.12% in 2022.
  • EUR 1,677,000: savings from remote attendance allowance in 2023.
  • EUR 65,000: savings from reduced energy consumption in 2023.
  • 87.40% compliance and 78.10% effectiveness of internal control standards in 2023.
  • 707 staff members at end of 2023.
  • 3% of IT budget allocated to cybersecurity, below the 10% target.
  • 5.75 MWh: electricity produced by solar panels in 2023, down from 15.5 MWh in 2022.

Legal basis: Article 314(10) and Articles 317, 318 and 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union