Sittings · Document

DRAFT OPINION (2025/2156(DEC)) 2025-11-03

Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - Agencies

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Romana Tomc

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The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its opinion into the motion for a resolution on discharge for five EU agencies for 2024. It recommends granting discharge to the Executive Directors of Eurofound, EU-OSHA, Cedefop, ETF, and ELA, while noting concerns such as high carry-over rates, late payments, and a qualified opinion on ELA's payments.

Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs recommends that discharge be granted to the Executive Directors of the five agencies for the 2024 financial year.

Key points

  1. Expresses satisfaction that the European Court of Auditors declared the 2024 accounts of Eurofound, EU-OSHA, Cedefop, ETF, and ELA legal and regular.
  2. Acknowledges growing cooperation among the five agencies and with other EU bodies, enhancing coherence and avoiding overlaps.
  3. Calls on the Commission to better use the agencies' expertise and analytical capacity to increase coordination and efficient use of Union budget resources.
  4. Notes that high inflation in 2022-2023 and rising costs reduced funding for core activities in 2024, risking agencies' ability to deliver missions; stresses reviewing operational budgets periodically.
  5. Welcomes Eurofound's research on housing, minimum wages, inequality, and social cohesion; invites it to address ECA recommendations.
  6. Highlights Eurofound's 15.1% carry-over rate, a decrease, and encourages further reduction of unplanned carry-overs.
  7. Welcomes EU-OSHA's work on occupational safety and health, including overviews on cardiovascular diseases and psychosocial risks; notes concern over 22.6% carry-over rate, above the 15% benchmark.
  8. Appreciates Cedefop's work on vocational training and skills, including the first EU-wide AI skills survey; encourages amending rules to ensure Greek seconded experts get daily subsistence allowances.
  9. Appreciates ETF's contribution to human capital in neighbouring countries; notes progress in gender balance with women at 57% of managers.
  10. Appreciates ELA's work on labour mobility and social security coordination; notes ECA's qualified opinion on payments, with EUR 2.6 million exceeding materiality threshold.
  11. Regrets that ELA's temporary staff proportion remained high at 47% in 2023 and 2024; encourages increasing permanent staff.
  12. Notes ELA reduced carry-over rate to 15% in 2024 but had late payment interest on 11.8% of payment requests and incorrect booking of EUR 266 861.

Who is affected

  • Eurofound, EU-OSHA, Cedefop, ETF, and ELA: their Executive Directors are recommended for discharge for 2024.
  • The Commission: called on to better use agencies' expertise and implement ECA recommendations.
  • Greek seconded national experts at Cedefop: should be eligible for daily subsistence allowances.

Figures and deadlines

  • 15.1% carry-over rate for Eurofound, a decrease from previous year.
  • 22.6% carry-over rate for EU-OSHA, above the 15% benchmark.
  • 57% of ETF managers are women.
  • EUR 2.6 million in ELA payments in 2024, representing 5.7% of total payment appropriations.
  • 47% temporary staff at ELA in 2023 and 2024.
  • 15% carry-over rate for ELA in 2024.
  • 11.8% of ELA payment requests had late payment interest.
  • EUR 266 861 incorrect booking of a budgetary amendment at ELA.

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