On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) for the financial year 2022
LIBE-PA-756191
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · Rapporteur: Tomáš Zdechovský
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The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs gives its suggestions to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the discharge for CEPOL's 2022 budget. It welcomes the Court of Auditors' legal and regular accounts but regrets EUR 4.2 million in non-compliant expenditure and a qualified opinion on payments.¶¶ It asks the Commission to study merging CEPOL with other agencies in the same remit, and calls for more training on cybercrime, cyber forensics, artificial intelligence, data protection, fundamental rights and anti-racism.¶¶ It notes CEPOL's 418 training activities, 43838 participants and 296 exchanges in 2022, its training on protecting investigative journalists, hate crime and victims' support, its webinars on the war in Ukraine and support to the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office, and its cooperation with third countries and partner agencies.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs proposes that the Committee on Budgetary Control incorporate its suggestions into the motion for a resolution on CEPOL's 2022 discharge, welcoming the accounts while noting the qualified opinion on payments and calling for more training and a merger feasibility study.¶¶¶
Key points
- The committee calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its suggestions into the motion for a resolution on CEPOL's 2022 discharge.¶
- It welcomes the Court of Auditors' finding that CEPOL's 2022 accounts are legal and regular in all material respects.¶
- It regrets EUR 4.2 million in non-compliant expenditure, which exceeded the materiality threshold and led to a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of payments.
- It underlines that CEPOL reaches only a small fraction of its target population and encourages the Commission to study the feasibility of merging CEPOL with other agencies in the same remit.¶
- It welcomes CEPOL's 418 training activities with 43838 law enforcement officers, 296 exchanges, the Expert Group on Fundamental Rights strategy paper, ad hoc training on protecting investigative journalists, and training on hate crime and victims' support.¶
- It recalls that EU law enforcement training must reflect EU priorities and member states' needs and support the response to serious and organised crime and other threats to internal security.¶
- It welcomes counter-terrorism training against transnational left and right wing extremism and radicalisation, and calls for more training on cybercrime, cyber forensics, artificial intelligence, data protection, fundamental rights and anti-racism.
- It appreciates CEPOL's webinars on the war in Ukraine, its ad hoc training needs analysis, its support to the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office on Open Source Intelligence training, and extra seats for Ukrainian participants.¶
- It welcomes CEPOL's cooperation with third countries and partner EU agencies, bodies and networks including Europol, Eurojust, Frontex, EJTN, the Commission, EMCDDA, EUIPO, FRA, EASO and Interpol.¶
Who is affected
- CEPOL: its 2022 budget, accounts and training activities are the subject of the discharge procedure.¶¶¶
- The Commission: asked to study the feasibility of merging CEPOL with other agencies in the same remit.¶
- Law enforcement officers: participants in CEPOL's training activities and exchanges.¶
- Ukrainian participants and the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office: received training support and extra seats.¶