On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2022

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SUGGESTIONS

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution:

1. Welcomes the fact that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) has declared the transactions underlying the annuals accounts of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) for the financial year 2022 to be legal and regular in all material respects; notes the Court’s observation on recurrent high rates of carry-overs related to operational activities amounting to € 6,4 million (26 %) of available 2022 commitment appropriations to 2023; highlights the Court’s comment that recurrent high rates of carry overs contradict the budgetary principle of annularity and are indicative of structural issues in the budget process and implementation cycle; notes FRA’s reply stipulating that the specific frame in which FRA works, makes it difficult to commit Operational expenditure earlier in the year and it is difficult to fully avoid carry overs;

2. Notes with satisfaction FRA’s assistance in identifying trend in the fields of anti-discrimination, artificial intelligence, its contribution to better law making and implementation by providing legislative and policy advice on matters such as children, victims’ rights, combatting terrorism, data protection; recognizes the quick reaction of FRA to the Russian invasion of Ukraine including being one of the first EU agencies at the border, monitoring the situation, preparing a report, two bulletins, online survey;

3. Welcomes the close cooperation with the European Border Coast Agency (Frontex), namely co-chairing the Frontex Consultative Forum and attending as fundamental rights expert at the Frontex Management Board meetings; welcomes the delivery of training sessions to CEPOL, Frontex and eu-LISA on fundamental rights and the use of IT systems in the area of borders and security; appreciates the participation in the work in the field of security with Europol;

4. Notes with satisfaction that FRA largely exceeded its key performance indicator targets and maintained a high level of stakeholder satisfaction; welcomes the fact that in 2022, FRA produced 28 publications, 3 062 research outputs, 342 written or verbal inputs, as well as organised or co-organised 134 meetings and events and that 4 319 references were made to the FRA in the media; notes with satisfaction the increased social media engagement in 2022;

5. Welcomes the high level of satisfaction of stakeholders with the activities by the FRA to promote cooperation through the Fundamental Rights Platform in 2022; appreciates that FRA organised a range of events, including the fourth Fundamental Rights Dialogue with young people, as well as other workshops and webinars to prompting rights, values and freedoms;

6. Acknowledges the role of FRA in empowering the national human rights infrastructure, by cooperating and creating synergies with human rights institutions and the partnership with civil society institutions;