On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound)

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SUGGESTIONS

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

– having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Annual report on the implementation of the EU budget for the 2022 financial year;

– having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2022;

– having regard to the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions’ Consolidated Annual Activity Report (CAAR) 2022

1. Expresses its satisfaction that the European Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) has declared the transactions underlying the European Foundation’s for the improvement of living and working conditions (Foundation) annual accounts for the financial year 2022 to be legal and regular and that its financial position as at 31 December 2022 is fairly represented;

2. Highly values the Foundation’s high quality work enhancing and disseminating knowledge, and providing evidence-based expertise to support the development of better informed social, employment and work-related policies in Europe, and appreciates the important work done and added value provided by the Foundation in this field; welcomes the Foundation’s work programme to analyse policy options to improve working conditions, industrial relations, employment and living; believes that the Foundation can play a crucial role in further analysing the increase in telework and hybrid work and related impacts on work–life balance and quality of working conditions, dissemination of best practices and assessing possible policy responses;

3. Notes that the budget of the Foundation for the financial year 2022 was EUR 26 million (EUR 27 million in 2021); expresses its satisfaction that the Foundation’s budget for 2022 was executed by 100% (as it was in 2021); highlights the need of ensuring adequate human and financial resources allowing the Foundation to fulfil its mandate and continue implementing its work programme with a very high activity completion rate, including in the light of the significant challenges regarding the changing world of work;

4. Regrets the fact that throughout 2022 the Foundation confronted a challenge because of high inflation rates; notes that this required a substantial shift in resources from the operational budget to the staff-related title; acknowledges the fact that targeted savings allowed the Foundation to deliver on its 2022 work programme;

5. Reiterates the importance of high-quality data provided by the Foundation’s ongoing monitoring tools for evidence-based policymaking, especially the Europe-wide surveys conducted by the Foundation;

6. Appreciates that Foundation’s leadership is seeking close cooperation with other European Union Agencies, including Cedefop, EU-OSHA, ETF, EIGE, FRA, EEA, and ECDC, which aims at strengthening the synergies between these agencies and avoid overlaps;

7. Appreciates the Foundation’s close working relationships with international organisations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), with which a new Framework agreement for cooperation was signed in 2022, as well as the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD);

8. Appreciates that the Foundation is further building on its relations with the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and close collaboration is taking place in the domains of digitalisation and new forms of work, as well as monitoring structural change in the labour market;

9. Takes note that some weaknesses related to the procurement procedure for networking services were found due to the lack of a clear distinction between selection and award criteria; welcomes the fact that the Foundation has taken the steps to correct its tender templates accordingly;

10. Regrets that some weaknesses related to Foundation’s traineeship programme in 2022 were found related to updating trainees’ remuneration, resulting in the payment of €3 330 less than it should have to the 16 affected trainees; welcomes, however, the fact that the Foundation made the necessary corrections after paying adjustments to the trainees from October 2022 onwards; also appreciates the fact that in order to avoid such issues in the future, the Foundation updated its rules for 2023 accordingly;

11. Commends the Foundation for having established a corporate plan to improve energy efficiency and climate neutrality of its operations;

12. Recommends, on the basis of the facts available, that discharge be granted to the Executive Director of the Foundation in respect of the implementation of the Foundation’s budget for the financial year 2022.

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

Date adopted

11.1.2024

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

36

0

3

Members present for the final vote

João Albuquerque, Atidzhe Alieva-Veli, Dominique Bilde, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Milan Brglez, Jordi Cañas, David Casa, Leila Chaibi, Ilan De Basso, Jarosław Duda, Estrella Durá Ferrandis, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Cindy Franssen, Helmut Geuking, Elisabetta Gualmini, Agnes Jongerius, Radan Kanev, Ádám Kósa, Katrin Langensiepen, Elena Lizzi, Sara Matthieu, Jozef Mihál, Max Orville, Dennis Radtke, Antonio Maria Rinaldi, Mounir Satouri, Monica Semedo, Eugen Tomac, Romana Tomc, Nikolaj Villumsen, Maria Walsh

Substitutes present for the final vote

Catherine Amalric, Romeo Franz, Lina Gálvez Muñoz, José Gusmão

Substitutes under Rule 209(7) present for the final vote

Chiara Gemma, Maria Noichl, Carina Ohlsson, Vera Tax

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

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