On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the financial year 2022
ENVI-AD-754666
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Pascal Canfin
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The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety gives its opinion on granting discharge to the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for the 2022 budget. It recommends that discharge be granted.¶¶ It notes the Centre's EUR 99,9 million core budget, its 98,86% commitment execution and 73,61% payment execution, and its work on antimicrobial resistance, emergencies and the reinforced mandate.¶¶¶ It calls on the Centre to ensure transparency in publishing studies, communicate in all EU languages, and ensure declarations of interest are filed, and on the Commission to grant it the resources to meet its Strategy 2021-2027 objectives.¶¶¶
Committee position. The committee recommends that discharge be granted to the Director of the Centre for the 2022 budget, and calls for transparency, communication in all EU languages, full declarations of interest and adequate resources.¶¶¶
Key points
- Recalls that the Centre identifies, assesses and communicates threats to human health from infectious diseases in surveillance, preparedness, scientific advice, microbiology, training and communication.¶
- Notes the Centre's 2022 core budget was EUR 99,9 million, a 40% decrease from 2021 due to changes in HERA grants, with 96,6% of revenue from the Union budget.¶
- Welcomes the working agreement of 16 March 2023 between the Centre and the European Health Emergency Response Authority to avoid overlaps and use resources more efficiently.¶
- Welcomes the Centre's monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and support for the Union's five targets adopted by the Council on 13 June 2023 to be achieved by 2030, noting resistance kills more than 35 000 people annually in the EU, Iceland and Norway.¶
- Notes 2022 commitment execution of 98,86% (a decrease of 0,49% from 2021) and payment execution of 73,61%, up 9,5% from 2021.¶
- Notes that additional posts from the extended mandate were filled in 2022, and that new tasks and workload must come with adequate staff and resources, as staff shortages threaten operations.¶
- Notes with concern the overlapping mandate between the Centre and HERA and calls for less duplication and a clear division of tasks.¶
- Welcomes the Centre's implementation of its reinforced mandate in force since December 2022 and its ASPIRE transformation programme, and notes its COVID-19 emergency plan was downgraded to 'maintenance phase' in June 2022.¶¶
- Notes the Centre ran two additional public health emergencies in 2022, for monkey pox and hepatitis of unknown origin, and supported member states with the influx of refugees from the Russian aggression against Ukraine.¶¶
- Notes the Centre delivered 89% of programmed outputs under its Strategy 2021-2027, with 8% postponed and 3% delayed or cancelled, and published 210 scientific outputs and 65 peer-reviewed articles.¶
- Calls on the Centre to ensure full transparency in publishing scientific studies and to make key information, especially on public health emergencies, available in all EU languages and easily understandable.¶
- Calls on the Commission to grant the Centre the resources to meet its Strategy 2021-2027 objectives and implement its revised founding Regulation; notes 3% of Management Board and 3% of Advisory Forum members did not file declarations of interest and calls for full compliance.¶¶
Who is affected
- The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: called on to improve transparency, communication and declarations of interest.¶¶
- The European Commission: asked to grant the Centre the resources to meet its Strategy 2021-2027 objectives and implement its revised founding Regulation.¶
- Management Board and Advisory Forum members and alternates: required to submit annual declarations of interest.¶
Figures and deadlines
- EUR 99,9 million: the Centre's core budget for 2022.¶
- 40%: decrease in the core budget compared to 2021 due to changes in HERA grants.
- 96,6%: share of total revenue from the Union budget.
- 16 March 2023: date of the working agreement between the Centre and HERA.¶
- 13 June 2023: date the Council adopted its Recommendation on antimicrobial resistance targets.¶
- 2030: deadline for the antimicrobial resistance targets.
- More than 35 000 people: annual deaths from antimicrobial resistance in the EU, Iceland and Norway.
- 98,86%: commitment execution in 2022; 73,61%: payment execution.¶