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DRAFT OPINION (2024/2030(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU agencies for the financial year 2023

ENVI-PA-764979

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Antonio Decaro

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The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety gives a positive opinion on granting discharge to the executive directors of five EU agencies for the 2023 budget, while making recommendations for improvement.

Committee position. The opinion recommends granting discharge to the executive directors of the agencies for the 2023 financial year.

Key points

  1. Welcomes cooperation with the ECDC, ECHA, EEA, EFSA and EMA, and considers visits to agencies key for parliamentary scrutiny.
  2. Notes the Court of Auditors found the agencies' 2023 transactions legal and regular, and welcomes corrective actions following 2022 observations.
  3. Calls on agencies to increase cooperation, digitalisation, and gender and geographical balance in senior management.
  4. For ECDC: welcomes implementation of its extended mandate, the One Health Task Force, and working arrangements with HERA; notes it delivered 90% of planned outputs.
  5. For ECHA: concerned about decreased fee income and recruitment difficulties; calls for adequate staffing and completion of hazardous substance identification.
  6. For EEA: welcomes its outputs and monitoring reports, but notes staff imbalance and calls for substantial staff growth.
  7. For EFSA: notes it closed 660 scientific questions in 2023, calls for timely advice and improved cooperation with stakeholders.
  8. For EMA: notes it recommended 77 new human medicines and 14 new veterinary medicines in 2023, and calls for timely access to documents.
  9. Calls on the Commission to resolve the EMA's London premises issue to allow focus on its public health mission.

Who is affected

  • The five EU agencies: ECDC, ECHA, EEA, EFSA and EMA, and their executive directors.
  • The European Commission, asked to improve ECHA's budgetary certainty and resolve EMA's London premises issue.

Figures and deadlines

  • ECDC delivered 90% of planned outputs, with 5% postponed and 4% cancelled or delayed.
  • EFSA closed 660 scientific questions in 2023, slightly below the target of 673.
  • EMA recommended 77 new human medicines, including 39 new active substances, and 14 new veterinary medicines, including 9 new active substances.
  • EMA confirmed seventeen orphan-status designations.
  • EMA's 2023 revenue: 88.21% from fees, 11.43% from Union budget, 0.36% from other sources.
  • EMA received 6,965 requests for information and 709 requests for access to documents in 2023.