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OPINION (2023/2129(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section III – Commission and executive agencies

CULT-AD-753716

Committee on Culture and Education · Rapporteur: Romeo Franz

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The Committee on Culture and Education gives its opinion to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the 2022 budget discharge for the Commission and executive agencies, covering Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and Creative Europe. It welcomes the adaptation of the programmes to a changing reality and near-full budget execution, but regrets burdensome application procedures, the backloaded Erasmus+ budget profile and underfinancing of Creative Europe. It asks the Commission to simplify applications, increase programme budgets, strengthen inclusion and accreditation trust, and assess greening, digital and data protection issues. It requests OLAF to investigate possible misuse of EU funds through false projects under Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

Committee position. The Committee on Culture and Education calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its suggestions into its motion for a resolution on the 2022 discharge, covering programme implementation, inclusion, simplification, fraud prevention and data protection.

Key points

  1. Welcomes the Commission's and EACEA's efforts to adapt Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and Creative Europe, including higher individual support rates, longer deadlines and a voluntary refocusing on Ukraine, and expects more inclusion measures.
  2. Notes that Erasmus+ fully resumed its mobility mission in 2022, with numbers comparable to pre-pandemic years, despite the pandemic, inflation, energy prices and Russia's war against Ukraine.
  3. Notes the launch of the European Education Area, MediaInvest, Culture Moves Europe and the 2022 European Year of Youth, and regrets that Culture Moves Europe excludes air travel below 600 km.
  4. Notes nearly full budget execution for Erasmus+ and full execution for the European Solidarity Corps, with credits redeployed, and some EUR 50 million of Creative Europe payments deferred to 2023.
  5. Notes that DG EAC's and EACEA's risk at payment stayed low and their error rate remained below the 2% materiality threshold in 2022.
  6. Reaffirms the need to increase the budgets of EU youth, cultural and educational programmes and asks the Commission to keep cooperating closely with member states.
  7. Reiterates concern about the backloaded Erasmus+ budget and welcomes the extra EUR 35 million awarded in 2022, which helps support those fleeing Ukraine.
  8. Regrets that application procedures remain burdensome and urges the Commission to simplify them so small and volunteer-based organisations can apply, while acknowledging that extending accreditation has eased access.
  9. Highlights that the 2021 Erasmus+ inclusion framework seems to bear fruit, with 23% more projects having gender equality as a main or important objective in 2022 than in 2021.
  10. Requests OLAF to investigate possible misuse of EU funds through false projects under Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, and calls on the Commission to ensure accredited applicants respect European values.
  11. Welcomes the EUR 3 million reinforcement of the 2022 European Year of Youth and calls for its results to be sustained; asks the Commission to assess digital-gap measures and RRF allocations for education, culture and digital transformation.
  12. Welcomes Creative Europe frontloading and cascade funding, urges stronger greening of programmes, calls for urgent action on personal data protection and full anti-fraud strategies, and asks for better coordination and a joint assessment of pilot project selection.

Who is affected

  • Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps and Creative Europe beneficiaries, including small and volunteer-based organisations, who face application and IT obstacles.
  • The Commission, DG EAC, DG CNECT and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which are asked to simplify procedures, fix IT tools and implement audits.
  • OLAF, asked to investigate possible fraud through false Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects.
  • Member states, asked to cooperate on programme budgets and assessed on their Recovery and Resilience plans for education and digital skills.
  • Small, rural or remote communities, SMEs and NGOs working with vulnerable groups, which should be better reached by inclusion measures.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 50 million of Creative Europe payments deferred to 2023.
  • 2% materiality threshold for the overall error rate in 2022.
  • EUR 35 million extra awarded to Erasmus+ in 2022.
  • 23% more projects with gender equality as a main or important objective in 2022 than in 2021.
  • EUR 3 million reinforcement of the 2022 European Year of Youth.
  • Minimum 10% allocation for education, 2% for the cultural sector and 20% for digital transformation within RRF plans.
  • Air travel excluded for journeys below 600 km under Culture Moves Europe.