On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

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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 Cedefop’ 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 Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) 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. Notes that the budget of the Cedefop for the financial year 2022 amounted to EUR 26 million (25 million in 2021) ; expresses its satisfaction that the Cedefop utilised essentially all of its available funding with an overall budget implementation rate of 99,98%;

3. Appreciates the Cedefop’s activities, providing research, analyses and technical advice and expertise in vocational education and training (VET), qualifications and skills policies;

4. Notes the fact that due to the high inflation rates, and the related salary adjustment, salary increases above the initial projections coupled with an increase of the weighting factor, the flexibility for securing additional resources to the core business was limited;

5. Congratulates Cedefop for its commitment to the European Year of Youth and for successfully co-leading with Eurofound the 5-Agency event ‘Youth first! Employment, skills and social policies that work for young Europeans in times of uncertainty’, hosted by the European Parliament in September 2022;

6. Regrets the fact that the Court found some issues related to payments made by Cedefop to two seconded national experts (SNEs) employed by it; welcomes the fact that Cedefop intends to amend its rules to make it possible for any SNE that has to change their place of living and relocate to Thessaloniki to be eligible to receive allowances, as this would also ensure equal treatment of SNEs independently of their nationality;

7. Welcomes the fact that the Cedefop has completed all actions taken to the Court’s observations related to the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2021;

8. Recommends, on the basis of the facts available, that discharge be granted to the Executive Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training in respect of the implementation of the Cedefop’s budget for the financial year 2022.