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DRAFT OPINION (2025/2156(DEC))

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

SANT-PA-779459

Committee on Public Health · Rapporteur: Kateřina Konečná

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The Committee on Public Health's draft opinion on the 2024 budget discharge for EU agencies covers the ECDC and EMA. It recommends granting discharge to the Executive Directors, while noting financial and operational details and raising concerns.

Committee position. The Committee on Public Health recommends that discharge be granted to the Executive Directors of the Agencies for the 2024 financial year.

Key points

  1. Notes ECDC's 2024 core budget was EUR 93.9 million, with a 99.1% commitment implementation rate and 74.7% of the budget paid during the year.
  2. Notes ECDC completed or was completing 99% of its Single Programming Document outputs for 2024–2026, with 76 completed, 45 ongoing, and one postponed out of 122.
  3. Notes ECDC received 73 additional posts from 2021–2024 and activated its Public Health Emergency plan for about five weeks in August 2024 in response to mpox.
  4. Acknowledges ECDC's communication challenges and calls for improved clarity and accessibility of public communication, noting the new Director's emphasis on public engagement.
  5. Calls on ECDC to consider gender balance in future recruitments, noting senior management is 67% men and 33% women.
  6. Notes EMA's 2024 total budget was EUR 478,482,000, a 6.8% increase, with a surplus of EUR 4,594,984.37, and expresses concern about London premises rent challenges.
  7. Notes with concern that EMA is largely fee-funded (89.78% from industry fees) and that 21 companies provided half of these fees, raising conflict of interest concerns.
  8. Notes EMA recommended 114 new human medicines, 25 new veterinary medicines, and one new maximum residue limit in 2024, and maintained 15 orphan designations.
  9. Welcomes Regulation (EU) 2024/568 on fees as a milestone for financial sustainability, and notes EMA was involved in 12 court cases without external counsel.
  10. Calls for gender balance in EMA senior management (currently 56% men, 44% women) and insists on rules to prevent revolving door between EMA and industry.
  11. Supports activities related to the Union list of critical medicines and strengthening security of supply, emphasizing EMA's role in the European Health Union.

Who is affected

  • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) – subject to discharge and recommendations on communication and gender balance.
  • European Medicines Agency (EMA) – subject to discharge and concerns about funding, premises, and revolving door.
  • European Commission – called on to secure a long-term political resolution of EMA's London premises issue.
  • Pharmaceutical industry – provides majority of EMA funding, raising conflict of interest concerns.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 93.9 million – ECDC core budget for 2024, an increase of 4.2%.
  • 99.1% – ECDC commitment appropriations implementation rate; 74.7% of budget paid.
  • EUR 22.8 million carried forward from 2023, of which EUR 21.9 million paid (95.8%).
  • 122 defined outputs in ECDC SPD, with 76 completed, 45 ongoing, one postponed.
  • 73 additional posts for ECDC during 2021–2024.
  • EUR 478,482,000 – EMA total budget for 2024, a 6.8% increase.
  • EUR 4,594,984.37 – EMA surplus for 2024, 0.9% of approved budget.
  • 89.78% – EMA's 2024 C1 revenue from industry fees.