Sittings · Document

DRAFT OPINION (2023/2173(DEC)) 2023-10-30

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking for the financial year 2022

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Vlad Gheorghe

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SUGGESTIONS

The Committee on Transport and Tourism 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 finding of the Court of Auditors that the transactions underlying the accounts of the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking (‘JU’) for the financial year 2022 are legal and regular in all material respects;

2. Commends the launch of the Clean Aviation (‘CA’) program in 2022, with a projected funding of EUR 4.1 billion, set to run until 2031;

3. Acknowledges that the JU in 2022 ran two programs: Clean Sky 2 (‘CS2’) program with EU financial contribution of EUR 1 755 million and CA program with EU financial contribution up to EUR 1 700;

4. Welcomes CA's 100% execution rate for operational expenditures in 2022; remarks that CS2 transition to the delivery and closure phase, resulting in 79,2 % implementation rate for payment appropriations, due to services delivered but not invoiced yet and frontloading for 2023 activities;

5. Notes that the JU has reported in-kind contributions for operational activities of the value of EUR 2 194 million for the CS2 programme and at least EUR 2 400 million for the CA programme, the JU has certified cumulative in-kind contributions for additional activities for EUR 1 218,5 million out of a reported total of EUR 1 376,1 million;

6. Welcomes the first open Call for Proposals by the JU, resulting in 19 Grant Agreements by year-end, totalling EUR 654 million;

7. Notes the CS2 programme’s transition to the delivery phase and acknowledges the increased workload in 2022 due to simultaneous management of several CS2 projects alongside the launch of the CA programme;

8. Salutes the progress in R&I, particularly engine manufacturing and SAF technologies and calls to intensify the research to contribute to the greening of aviation; urges the Commission to provide funding to implement new technologies;

9. Proposes that Parliament grants discharge to the Executive Director of the Undertaking for the implementation of the budget for 2022.