2022 discharge: General budget of the EU - European Council and Council
Parliament checks how an EU institution or agency spent a past year’s budget and signs it off — or refuses to.
Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 10 October 2024 and now EU law.
- ✓ Referred to committee 12 September 2023
- ✓ Committee work Report adopted 30 September 2024
- ✓ Tabled for plenary 3 October 2024
- ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 22 October 2024
- ✓ Parliament’s position Final
How a file moves through Parliament
A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. The adopted resolution is Parliament’s final position; it is not itself law.
Who is working on it
- Lead committee
- CONT — Budgetary Control
- Rapporteurs
- Jonas SJÖSTEDT The LeftLuke Ming FLANAGAN The Left
- Shadow rapporteurs
- MEP #197482 IDTomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ PPEMEP #33982 PPEMEP #197584 S&DCsaba MOLNÁR S&DMEP #28372 ECRGerben-Jan GERBRANDY RenewMEP #249826 RenewMEP #197539 Verts/ALE
- For opinion
- TRAN — Transport and Tourism ECON — Economic and Monetary Affairs AGRI — Agriculture and Rural Development CULT — Culture and Education PECH — Fisheries EMPL — Employment and Social Affairs BUDG — Budgets DEVE — Development REGI — Regional Development AFET — Foreign Affairs JURI — Legal Affairs ITRE — Industry, Research and Energy FEMM — Women’s Rights and Gender Equality LIBE — Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs ENVI — Environment, Climate and Food Safety INTA — International Trade IMCO — Internal Market and Consumer Protection AFCO — Constitutional Affairs · rapporteur Salvatore DE MEO PPE
The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.
The text, version by version
Latest Adopted by Parliament → Adopted by Parliament: The main change is that Parliament now refuses discharge to the Council instead of postponing the decision. The resolution is restructured: detailed budgetary and audit observations are replaced by statements on the Council's non-cooperation and Parliament's prerogatives. New paragraphs criticize the Council's attitude, the Hungarian Presidency, and unanimity voting, while reaffirming previous observations. The other changes are formal: updated date, removed abbreviation, and capitalization. see the changes →
Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament: The decision changes from refusing discharge to postponing it, and the resolution adds extensive new content on budget, audits, and political priorities. New paragraphs cover Council budget figures, Court of Auditors findings, and detailed observations on management, staffing, ethics, and transparency. Drops paragraphs on Council's attitude, Treaty revision, and Article 7 procedure, while adding new ones on Ukraine, appointments, and transparency. The other changes are formal: title update, punctuation, and capitalization. see the changes →
Tabled for plenary → Tabled for plenary: The resolution now refuses discharge to the Council instead of postponing the decision, reflecting continued non-cooperation. It adds criticism of the Council's refusal to answer Parliament's questionnaire and participate in hearings. It introduces a call for Treaty revision to give Parliament explicit discharge competence over all institutions. It adds a paragraph criticising the Hungarian Council Presidency under an Article 7 procedure. The other changes are formal: updated citations and capitalisation. see the changes →
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary: The new version postpones the discharge decision instead of refusing it and adds many new paragraphs with detailed observations on the Council's budget, management, and policies. It removes a paragraph on Treaty revision and adds a letter from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs with suggestions. The other changes are formal: adding an abbreviation and correcting capitalization. see the changes →
Committee draft → Committee draft: The main change is that Parliament now refuses discharge to the Council instead of granting it, due to continued non-cooperation. The resolution adds a call for Treaty revision to give Parliament explicit discharge competence over all institutions. It also drops detailed observations on the Council's budget and management, replacing them with a reference to a prior resolution. Other changes are wording and renumbering of paragraphs. see the changes →
Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.
Timeline
- Plenary stage
- 22 October 2024 Plenary voteAdopted Adopted by a large majorityFor 431 Against 131 Abstained 83
Final vote — text as a whole at 13:13 · 67% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →
Show all 5 ballots in voting order
1. Final vote Proposal for a decisionAdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recordedAdopted3. Separate vote on paragraph 16AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recordedAdopted5. Final vote — text as a whole 13:13 A10-0003/2024 – Jonas Sjöstedt – Motion for a resolution (as a whole)Adopted - Outcome
- 10 October 2024 Published in the Official Journal
The act is now EU law.
- Plenary stage
- 3 October 2024 Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
- Committee stage
- 30 September 2024 Committee vote: report adopted
CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
- 24 July 2024 Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
- Plenary stage
- 23 April 2024 Plenary voteAdopted Adopted by a large majorityFor 435 Against 92 Abstained 77
Final vote — text as a whole at 13:13 · 72% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →
Show all 6 ballots in voting order
Adopted2. Amendment 1, adding text after paragraph 16 13:12 A9-0071/2024 – Luke Ming Flanagan – After § 16 – Am 1AdoptedAdoptedAdoptedAdoptedAdopted - 11 April 2024 Plenary voteAdopted Adopted by an overwhelming majorityFor 515 Against 62 Abstained 20
Motion for adjournment of the vote (Rule 200(4)) · 86% of votes cast in favour
- 10 April 2024 Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
Sitting of 10 April 2024 📄 Council / Commission text C9-0248/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0249/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0250/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0251/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0252/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0253/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0254/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0255/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0256/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0257/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0258/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0259/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0260/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0261/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0262/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0263/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0264/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0265/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0266/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0267/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0268/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0269/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0270/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0271/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0272/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0273/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0274/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0275/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0276/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0277/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0278/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0279/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0280/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0281/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0282/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0283/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0284/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0285/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0286/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0287/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0288/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0289/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0290/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0291/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0292/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0293/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0294/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0295/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0296/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0297/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0298/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0299/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0301/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0302/2023📄 Report A9-0067/2024📄 Report A9-0071/2024📄 Report A9-0072/2024📄 Report A9-0073/2024📄 Report A9-0074/2024📄 Report A9-0075/2024📄 Report A9-0080/2024📄 Report A9-0082/2024📄 Report A9-0084/2024📄 Report A9-0086/2024📄 Report A9-0087/2024📄 Report A9-0088/2024📄 Report A9-0089/2024📄 Report A9-0090/2024📄 Report A9-0091/2024📄 Report A9-0092/2024📄 Report A9-0093/2024📄 Report A9-0095/2024📄 Report A9-0096/2024📄 Report A9-0097/2024📄 Report A9-0098/2024📄 Report A9-0099/2024📄 Report A9-0100/2024📄 Report A9-0101/2024📄 Report A9-0102/2024📄 Report A9-0103/2024📄 Report A9-0104/2024📄 Report A9-0105/2024📄 Report A9-0106/2024📄 Report A9-0107/2024📄 Report A9-0108/2024📄 Report A9-0109/2024📄 Report A9-0110/2024📄 Report A9-0111/2024📄 Report A9-0112/2024📄 Report A9-0113/2024📄 Report A9-0114/2024📄 Report A9-0115/2024📄 Report A9-0116/2024📄 Report A9-0117/2024📄 Report A9-0118/2024📄 Report A9-0119/2024📄 Report A9-0120/2024📄 Report A9-0121/2024📄 Report A9-0122/2024📄 Report A9-0123/2024📄 Report A9-0129/2024📄 Report A9-0130/2024📄 Report A9-0131/2024📄 Report A9-0132/2024📄 Report A9-0133/2024📄 Report A9-0134/2024📄 Report A9-0135/2024📄 Report A9-0139/2024 - 6 March 2024 Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
- Committee stage
- 22 February 2024 Committee vote: report adopted
CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
- 14 December 2023 Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
- 7 December 2023 Committee opinion adopted
The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.
- 12 September 2023 Referred to the CONT (Budgetary Control) committee
The lead committee prepares the report; TRAN (Transport and Tourism), ECON (Economic and Monetary Affairs), AGRI (Agriculture and Rural Development), CULT (Culture and Education), PECH (Fisheries), EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs), BUDG (Budgets), DEVE (Development), REGI (Regional Development), AFET (Foreign Affairs), JURI (Legal Affairs), ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy), FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality), LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs), ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety), INTA (International Trade), IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection), AFCO (Constitutional Affairs) give an opinion.