On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU agencies for the financial year 2024

OPINION

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

Part I –Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation for the financial year 2024

1. Notes a steady increase of the operational activity of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), which involved handling of 12.972 cases in 2024, over 640 coordination meetings, 32 coordination centres and 361 Joint Investigation Teams (‘JIT’) (annual increase of 25%), facilitating the execution of 452 European Arrest Warrants and the use of 2668 European Investigation Orders;

2. Commends the efficiency gains Eurojust has achieved by implementing 99.94% of its budget and 98.35% of its establishment plan; notes these results have been achieved against important budgetary constraints stemming from increased operational workload and high inflation;

3. Welcomes the support of Eurojust to activities relating to the war of aggression against Ukraine, the JIT investigating alleged core international crimes, the implementation of the Core International Crimes Database (CICED) and the support the development of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression hosted by Eurojust; insists on the need to dedicate adequate resources to those activities and their development;

4. Welcomes the launch of the European Judicial Organized Crime Network (EJOCN) in September 2024 and hosted by Eurojust, as unique hub of exchange of expertise between judicial authorities involved in the investigation and prosecution of the organized crime; points to the need to define a coherent development strategy for EJOCN to increase its relevance for practitioners;

5. Welcomes the conclusion by Eurojust of working arrangements with third countries and the adoption of a strategy on cooperation with international partners (2024-2027); calls for strengthening its international cooperation activities through further development of working arrangements, conclusion of partnerships and cooperation agreements;

6. Welcomes the close cooperation of Eurojust with European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and setting of the inter-agency working group to further explore cooperation opportunities; insists that the legislative review cycle of Eurojust, Europol and European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) offers a unique opportunity to further enhance synergies between them in particular in the operational cooperation, data and information exchange, while ensuring complementarity and avoiding duplication;

7. Notes with a serious concern important delays in the implementation of the new Case Management System; highlights the potential impact of these delays on the admissibility of evidence in cases handled by Eurojust, including those stored in CICED; calls on the European Commission to carry out systematic impact assessments and effort estimates in the development of complex IT systems, especially when deadlines for their operation are introduced in the legislative proposals;

Part II – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for the financial year 2024

8. Welcomes that European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) was able to fulfil its objectives and to deliver on the activities foreseen in its Annual Work Programme despite the continuous shortage on human and financial resources especially since the FRA mandate has been substantially expanded; notes and reiterates its concern that FRA continues to suffer from financial and staff resources constraints; And calls for additional resources to be allocated to FRA both in terms of budget and staff notes that the number of publications produced was 102 compared to the set target 50, the number external meetings and events where FRA presented/spoke/formally intervened was 223 compared to the set target of 120, the number of written/verbal inputs delivered was 520 compared to the set target 120, and that the number of communication materials produced was 3 617 compared to the set target of 1 000; notes with satisfaction that FRA has a very high level of outturn which is above 99%; considers it an important indicator of sound financial management and respect of the budgetary principles; welcomes the cooperation with other EU agencies; international and national human rights bodies and civil society in order to ensure there is compliance with fundamental rights; underlines that the lack of resources can affect the quality of the work that the agency has provided which has been very important for ensuring that EU policy and legislation takes fundamental rights into account;

9. Highlights the role of FRA as a key guardian of fundamental rights and the rule of law, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights which is primary EU law, and commends its support to ensure the respect, protection, and fulfilment of fundamental rights in existing EU laws and policies, including its contributions to equality and anti-discrimination initiatives, such as combating racism, antisemitism, and islamophobia, supporting the collection of equality data, assisting in the implementation of national Roma strategic frameworks, and providing input to Commission reports on the 2020–2025 EU Anti-Racism Action Plan and related national action plans, the 2020–2025 LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, and the first progress report on the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life; stresses the important role of FRA in promoting the protection of civil society and safeguarding human rights defenders at risk; in providing research and capacity-building support related to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and international human rights standards; and the annual Fundamental Rights Report;

10. Welcomes the FRA first project to provide strategic foresight in the area of fundamental rights, aiming to anticipate future challenges to fundamental rights and enabling the agency to better support EU policymaking and Member States in addressing emerging issues;

11. Emphasises FRA’s guidance and engagement in the area of asylum and migration, borders and interoperability and its important focus on fundamental rights, Member States’ international obligations and EU human rights law in this area, including the Agency’s work to ensure that migration policies are designed and implemented with full respect for fundamental rights, and the training sessions conducted for national authorities, focusing on fundamental rights safeguards in migration and asylum;

12. Welcomes the FRA contribution to the Artificial Intelligence Act, the expertise provided on the implementation of the Digital Services Act, and the report published by the Agency on the challenges of implementing the general data protection regulation (GDPR), informing the European Commission’s evaluation of the regulation; notes with satisfaction the work provided by FRA on harmful content online and moderation practices, enhancing data collection on online hate speech and on cybercrime and fundamental rights;

Part III – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Asylum Agency for the financial year 2024

13. Notes that in 2024, over 1 million applications for international protection (-11 % compared to 2023) were submitted, and still 746 000 decisions granting temporary protection were issued by the EU+ countries; highlights the continued operational and technical support European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) has provided to Member States in that context, in particular with operational plans in 13 Member States, adding to their national capacity to process operations and provide reception; notes further with satisfaction that operations develop according to the needs on the ground; welcomes that in the area of resettlement, the EUAA Resettlement Support Facility in Turkey is increasingly used by Member States resulting is the support of 34 resettlement missions, assisting 4100 persons in that context;

14. Appreciates that 1 200 training sessions were delivered by EUAA, attended by 18 000 participants, signalling an increase of 28% compared with 2023; notes with satisfaction that, after long preparative and committed work, the EUAA received official recognition as a further and higher education provider, in cooperation with the Maltese; is convinced that this is a milestone in transforming the training curriculum into a unique tool fostering a common approach to asylum and migration management within the EU; welcomes the adoption of the multiannual monitoring programme, establishing the order of the first monitoring cycle for the operational and technical application of the Common European Asylum System, between 2026 and 2030; welcomes as well the establishment of a common methodology for these monitoring exercises;

15. Recognizes the major contributions by the EUAA in the area of country of origin information and guidance, as well as situational awareness and connected data collection;

16. Welcomes the efforts of the EUAA to timely update all its support materials following the new legislation and the adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and strongly appreciates the contribution and support the EUAA provided in the preparation of the entry into application of the Pact, inter alia by 11 Pact-related products, key in guiding Member States and practitioners in their work;

17. Notes the EUAA’s budget in 2024 of EUR 172 million and its staff posts of 592 (compared to 529 in 2023); calls for appropriate levels of funding and staffing to the EUAA, taking into account the significant increase of the tasks entrusted to the agency in the context of the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; regrets that the filled positions in 2024 only attained the number of 508 posts; commends the staff of the EUAA for their commitment and the output of their work, despite considerable number of posts being vacant combined with a high workload for those at work; stresses the importance to foster a positive work environment facilitated by open communication channels and a merits-based rewarding; urges the EUAA to speed up recruitment processes to fill all open positions;

18. Congratulates the EUAA with the 99% of commitment and 95% of payment appropriations implemented, and encourages the EUAA to further elaborate and increase the quality of the internal control mechanisms; urges the EUAA to report to the Parliament periodically on the implementation of the written recommendations issued by the Management Board in 2025, on the corrective actions the Executive Director announced in her “Vision Statement on leadership implementing the changes in EUAA”; repeats the importance of the proactive engagement from the Management Board in steering the orientation for the EUAA’s activities, and recalls the importance of ensuring efficient and transparent procedures and structure to be set up in view of communicating with the Management Board allowing the exercise of timely and effective oversight; calls on the Commission to support and assist the Management Board Members in executing their oversight role;

19. Calls on the EUAA to establish an independent internal ethics function; encourages the EUAA to firmly address the weaknesses in human resources management revealed in the OLAF report, which was discussed in CONT on 15 July 2025, in view of maintaining the integrity and trust within the organisation;

20. Recalls the importance of strengthening the parliamentary overview in view of enhancing the EUAA’s accountability and reiterates the call on the agency to share the minutes of the Management Board deliberations; given the involvement of the European Parliament in the matters governed by the EUAA Regulation; calls on the management board to regularly invite an expert of the European Parliament to attend the meetings of the management board;

21. Welcomes the efforts of the EUAA to timely update all its support materials following the new legislation and the adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, and strongly appreciates the contribution and support the agency provided in the preparation of the entry into application of the Pact, inter alia by 11 Pact-related products, key in guiding Member States and practitioners in their work;

22. Welcomes the adoption of the EUAA’s first fundamental rights strategy and the actions plans to follow; welcomes the setup of a complaints mechanism and the dedicated webpage to facilitate access to the mechanism; appreciates the 24 observations delivered by the fundamental rights officer (FRO) following analysis of operational plans, evaluations of the implementation of operational plans and field visits to EUAA operations; welcomes the first Annual Report of the Office of the FRO, providing an overview of activities in 2024;

Part IV – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice for the financial year 2024

23. Welcomes the operational achievements of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) in 2024, including the consolidation of SIS, VIS and Eurodac operations, the connection of Frontex to SIS, enabling full access to VIS for Bulgaria and Romania, and the formal takeover of the operational management of the e-CODEX system; notes also the agency’s preparations for the new Eurodac system, to be delivered by June 2026 for key functionalities, and the start of development of the Joint Investigation Teams Collaboration Platform (JITs CP);

24. Notes with satisfaction that in 2024, eu-LISA executed 100 % of its commitment appropriations amounting to EUR 307,39 million and fully implemented its payment appropriations of EUR 260,11 million, including carry-forwards; welcomes the significant reduction of carry-overs from 2024 to 2025 by approximately 50 % compared to the previous year, thereby addressing Parliament’s earlier concerns, but regrets that the cancellation rate of payment appropriations remained high at 14,5 %;

25. Underlines the urgency of delivering the interoperability architecture, taking into account the lessons of the joint rehearsal exercise, and stresses that swift and reliable information exchange is vital for the Union’s area of freedom, security and justice;

26. Regrets that the Entry/Exit System (EES) could not enter into operation in November 2024 and acknowledges the measures adopted by the eu-LISA to accelerate progress and guarantee the system’s entry into operation;

27. Welcomes eu-LISA’s strengthened focus on cybersecurity, including the operation of 24/7 monitoring, incident-response and exercises in cooperation with the JHA Agencies Network (JHAAN); stresses the importance of implementing the new Union cybersecurity and information security regulations in a timely manner;

28. Notes the efforts by EU-LISA in 2024 to make effective use of its financial and human resources; acknowledges the importance of further improving occupancy rates and the need to reduce reliance on external contractors by strengthening in-house capacities; welcomes the strategic management action plan to enhance system delivery, build in-house development capability, improve talent management and strengthen stakeholder relations; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that eu-LISA is provided with adequate resources to match its growing mandate;

29. Highlights the importance of eu-LISA’s capacity increase programme to ensure sufficient data-centre resources for both new and existing IT systems and welcomes the ongoing measures for enhancing reliable budget planning and monitoring; stresses the importance of finalising the sourcing strategy and increasing internal capacity to reduce dependence on external contractors;

Part V – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation, the participation in European Border Coast Guard Agency for the financial year 2024

30. Recognises that in 2024, the European Border Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) took significant steps to align its strategic direction and operational capabilities with the Pact on Migration and Asylum by implementing an internal action plan to support Member States in rolling out the Pact, by contributing to the EU mechanism for Preparedness and Management of Crises related to migration (Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint), and by adopting the Frontex International Cooperation Strategy 2024–2026;

31. Notes that in 2024, Frontex implemented the new chain of command, allowing for decentralised decision-making and faster reaction to emerging operational needs at the local level; considers that the new organisation and business model can ensure a more flexible, adaptive and cost-efficient management of operations compared with the previous system; calls on the agency to benchmark the new arrangements, setting quantitative and qualitative objectives and reporting on progress; welcomes the adoption of the Strategic Risk Analysis 2024;

32. Further notes that Frontex also deepened its partnership with EUAM Ukraine, reinforcing integrated border management and security at the EU-Ukraine border amidst the ongoing conflict;

33. Emphasises the key role of Frontex in protecting the Union’s external borders; acknowledges its role in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, with maritime and aerial assets deployed in joint operations that have responded to 1 599 incidents and assisted 65 919 migrants;

34. Welcomes the proactive follow-up by Frontex on complaints related to fundamental rights; highlights the importance of close cooperation with national authorities to ensure appropriate follow-up on alleged fundamental rights violations in line with national mechanisms; notes that the “Article 46 Working Group”, established on 27 September 2022 to facilitate the decision-making process of the Executive Director, concluded its work on 22 September 2024; stresses that Frontex officers must avoid involvement in any actions that could directly or indirectly violate fundamental rights; welcomes Frontex's reinforced commitment to transparency and accountability; stresses the need for more detailed post-operation information;

35. Welcomes the establishment of the Fundamental Rights Compliance Panel, confirming that compliance with fundamental rights in all Frontex activities is a responsibility shared across the agency;

36. Recognises the progress made in the implementation of the Fundamental Rights Action Plan and encourages Frontex to continue proactive efforts to involve national authorities in implementation and regular stocktaking, given its relevance for all components of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG);

37. Regrets that the occupancy rate of 85.3% (2 773 occupied posts) was below the targeted 93% and invites Frontex to continue its recruitment efforts to reduce the vacancy rate as soon as possible; strongly encourages the agency to continue its efforts towards geographical and gender balance;

38. Welcomes that the tendering procedure for the False and Authentic Documents Online system (FADO) implementation was completed, a contractor selected, the contract signed, and the implementation phase has started; calls on Frontex to fully implement FADO;

39. Notes the ongoing implementation of three OLAF financial recommendations and the recommendations of the European Ombudsman having as a deadline for the implementation May 2025; urges Frontex to ensure, without further delay, the full implementation of all recommendations from European audit and scrutiny bodies, particularly OLAF and those from the European Parliament’s Frontex Scrutiny Working Group, the European Ombudsman, the Court and the Frontex Working Group on Fundamental Rights and Legal Operational Aspects of Operations (WG FRaLO);

40. Notes that in 2024, the FRO spent around 1 850 days in the field, an increase of more than 10% compared with the previous year, monitoring Frontex activities in 24 countries; notes the improvements observed in the FRO’s access to operational areas, activities and documents; highlights, however, that the FRO continued to report limitations in accessing operational areas or activities; calls on Member States as well as third countries to provide the FRO with full access to operational areas and activities;

Part VI – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training for the financial year 2024

41. Notes that the 2024 European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) operating budget amounted to EUR 12 589 437, reflecting a 12.3 % increase compared to the final budget for 2023; welcomes that, in 2024, the implementation rate of the commitment appropriations by CEPOL was 100%, making the third consecutive year of reaching full implementation;

42. Acknowledges that CEPOL provides a comprehensive training portfolio on all areas of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT); notes that EMPACT topics and Cybercrime were the most popular topics attended by almost 64% of total number of participants in 2024; praises CEPOL for the fact that the quality of the agency’s products as measured by the customers’ satisfaction rate remained high in 2024, with overall 97% participants stating that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the activities;

43. Acknowledges that on 30 May 2024 the agency was the victim of a massive cyberattack, with its ICT infrastructure on-premises as well as the e-learning platform LEEd considered as fully compromised; welcomes the coordinated approach taken by the agency in close cooperation with CERT-EU and the Commission as regards building a new and secure IT infrastructure; notes that CEPOL received an additional EUR 1 153 938 in funding destined to support the extra costs in the IT domain (EUR 1 064 000) and salary reinforcement (EUR 89 938);

44. Acknowledges that the cyberattack caused a significant decrease in terms of outreach of trained law enforcement officials from EU Member States; acknowledges that, despite the cyberattack, the agency implemented 350 activities attended by around 21 600 participants in 2024, compared to 490 activities (-29 %) and 46 431 participants (-54 %) in 2023;

45. Notes that, while CERT-EU has completed their investigation on the cyberattack, the criminal investigation launched by Hungarian law enforcement, supported by Europol, is ongoing; stresses that the European Parliament stands ready to be informed about the results of the investigation;

46. Welcomes the fact that CEPOL continued to provide a cyber training portfolio through its CEPOL Cybercrime Academy; welcomes the fact that the dedicated training activities improved cybercrime knowledge and cyber capacities in Europe in the fields of the fight against child sexual exploitation, online fraud schemes and cyber-attacks;

47. Notes with regret that the training activities in the area of fundamental rights decreased in 2024 (when 10 activities were implemented with 427 participants) in comparison to 2023 (19 activities with 2 063 participants); underlines that the core objective of CEPOL is to support, develop, implement and coordinate training for law enforcement officials, while putting particular emphasis on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the context of law enforcement;

Part VII – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Drugs Agency for the financial year 2024

48. Notes that on 2 July 2024, the new European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) officially replaced the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction; recalls that the EUDA Regulation aims at addressing the drugs phenomenon in a holistic and evidence-based approach;

49. Notes that, to fulfil its new tasks, EUDA has benefitted in 2024 of an increase of more than 80 % in the annual budget and the recruitment of staff to fill 28 new posts; calls on EUDA to ensure the full implementation of its new mandate;

50. Notes that the 2024 EUDA operating budget amounted to EUR 32 723 728; welcomes that, in 2024, the implementation rate of the commitment appropriations by EUDA was 100%; however, notes with concern that the rate of cancellation of 2024 payment appropriations amounted to 10.49 %, corresponding to the cancellation of EUR 3 401 035; acknowledges that this cancellation rate is the result of the constraints that affected the EUDA’s capacity to spend its 2024 budget until the agency’s new mandate began on 2 July 2024;

51. Welcomes the contribution of EUDA to the EMPACT and to the operational action plans (OAPs) of the EU policy cycle on organised and serious international crime; appreciates the development of the European Drug Alert System (EDAS) to issue alerts when serious drug-related risks appear on the market; welcomes the launch of the European Network of Forensic and Toxicological Laboratories and the European Threat Assessment System (ETAS);

52. Welcomes the continuous efforts from EUDA to implement the EU Early Warning System (EWS) in collaboration with partners in Member States; notes that 47 new psychoactive substances (NPS) were notified and that the total number of NPS currently monitored is approximately 1 000; appreciates the technical reports published by the agency;

53. Acknowledges that EUDA produced 33 scientific and institutional publications in 2024, and also authored or co-authored 16 scientific articles and book chapters, appreciates the scientific and evidence-based expertise provided by the agency;

54. Welcomes the launch of the European Drug Report 2024 and its focus on potent synthetic substances, new drug mixtures and changing patterns of use;

55. Notes with satisfaction that EUDA provided regular valuable support and information on drug policies to national policymakers and coordinated preparatory scientific reviews of drug-related harm, treatment and harm-reduction practices; emphasizes the importance of continuing this essential work to address evolving trends and challenges and calls for further strengthening of these activities by fostering closer collaboration with Member states and ensuring the proper dissemination of findings to a wider audience, including healthcare professionals and the general public;

56. Highlights that EUDA trained more than 11 700 professionals working in the drugs field, including health workers, law enforcement officers and policymakers within and outside the Union and that the eight webinars organised by EUDA were attended by approximately 1 400 professionals; welcomes the cooperation with other EU Agencies;

Part VIII – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation for the financial year 2024

57. Highlights that in 2024, Europol supported 3,324 operations, 65 operational task forces, and 432 action days; underlines the role of the agency as the EU criminal information hub, as SIENA (Secure Information Exchange Network Application) was used to exchange over 2 million messages, while the agency accepted 114,459 operational contributions in 2024 through the network;

58. Further notes that Europol provided 366 operational analysis reports and 29 strategic analysis reports: welcomes the high degree of stakeholder satisfaction that has been expressed/noted in relation to its analytical products;

59. Calls on Europol to implement the recommendations issued by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), notably in the context of its Supervisory Opinions; notes that a number of shortcomings were found as part of the EDPS inspection carried out in October 2023; calls on Europol to swiftly implement the 23 recommendations issued to ensure or to improve Europol’s compliance with the data protection legal framework;

60. Following the reprimand issued to Frontex in 2024, calls on both Europol and Frontex to work closely with the EDPS to ensure that any exchange of personal data of cross border crimes’ suspects complies with applicable data protection rules;

61. Expresses concern regarding a security incident which occurred at Europol in which the administrative personnel files of several Europol staff members and management went missing; calls on the agency to put in place appropriate measures to prevent such incidents from reoccurring;

62. Commends Europol for its report on “Decoding EU’s most threatening criminal networks”, a new flagship product describing how the most threatening criminal networks are organised, which criminal activities they engage in, and how and where they operate;

63. Welcomes the results laid out in the Joint Europol-Eurojust Annual Report 2024, detailing the successful cooperation achieved by the agencies in the fields of organised crime, migrant smuggling, financial and economic crimes, cybercrime, and terrorism and core international crimes; notes with satisfaction that the Europol and Eurojust pursued further collaboration and increased synergies, including by holding a Joint Meeting of the College of Eurojust and the Management Board of Europol “Reflections on cooperation”, convened on 9 October 2024, at Eurojust Headquarters;

64. Acknowledges the report of the agency on 'AI and policing – The benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence for law enforcement’, published in September 2024; and welcomes the its insights into present and future AI capabilities, projecting a course towards a more efficient, responsive and effective law enforcement model while underscoring concerns about data bias, fairness, and potential threats on privacy, accountability, human rights protection and discrimination ; calls on Europol to ensure the implementation of EDPS guidance in this regard, including by ensuring that strong oversight policies are put in place and enforced for processes that rely on AI.