Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - European External Action Service
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 September 2026 and now EU law.
- ✓ Referred to committee 9 September 2025
- ✓ Committee work Report adopted 2 March 2026
- ✓ Tabled for plenary 26 March 2026
- ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 29 April 2026
- ✓ 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
- Rapporteur
- Pasquale TRIDICO The Left
- Shadow rapporteurs
- Andrey KOVATCHEV PPEJosé CEPEDA S&DOndřej KNOTEK PfEŞerban Dimitrie STURDZA ECRVlad VASILE-VOICULESCU Renew
- For opinion
- AFET — Foreign Affairs · rapporteur Evin INCIR S&DDEVE — Development AFCO — Constitutional Affairs SEDE — Security and Defence
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 Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament: Changes the approach to Georgia, limiting contacts with authorities and focusing on civil society. Adds a paragraph on Ukraine support with strict controls and anti-fraud measures. Adds a paragraph on religious hatred and intolerance, and updates the EPPO investigation details. Deletes a paragraph on the use of Signal chat by the Vice-President/High Representative. Other changes are formal: splitting paragraphs, updating titles, and correcting punctuation. see the changes →
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary: The resolution now grants discharge for 2024 instead of postponing it, and adds numerous calls for audits, performance reviews, and transparency measures. It strengthens language on budgetary constraints, underfunding, and duty of care, and adds calls for better staff consultation and security. It expands sections on FIMI, disinformation, and the EU Diplomatic Academy, including new paragraphs on AI safeguards and cybersecurity training. It updates figures and adds new paragraphs on coordination with Member States and communication visibility. The other changes are formal or wording: updated terminology, corrected percentages, and rephrased sentences. see the changes →
Committee opinions: Opinion (AFET),Draft opinion (AFET)
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
- Outcome
- 10 September 2026 Published in the Official Journal
The act is now EU law.
- Plenary stage
- 29 April 2026 Plenary voteAdopted Adopted
Show all 27 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 recorded2. Separate vote on paragraph 10RejectedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded3. Separate vote on paragraph 10AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded4. Separate vote on paragraph 10AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded5. Separate vote on paragraph 25AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded6. Vote on text inserted after paragraph 26Adoptedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded7. Amendment 8, adding text after paragraph 26 13:53 A10-0053/2026 – Pasquale Tridico – After § 26 – Am 8Rejected8. Separate vote on paragraph 27AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded9. Separate vote on paragraph 27Rejectedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded10. Amendment 9, adding text after paragraph 27 13:53 A10-0053/2026 – Pasquale Tridico – After § 27 – Am 9Rejected11. Amendment 10, adding text after paragraph 27 13:54 A10-0053/2026 – Pasquale Tridico – After § 27 – Am 10Rejected12. Separate vote on paragraph 29RejectedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded13. Separate vote on paragraph 29AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded14. Separate vote on paragraph 29AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded15. Separate vote on paragraph 30RejectedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded16. Separate vote on paragraph 30Adoptedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded17. Separate vote on paragraph 30AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded18. Separate vote on paragraph 31AdoptedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recordedRejected20. Vote on text inserted after paragraph 35RejectedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recorded21. Separate vote on paragraph 52Adoptedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded22. Separate vote on paragraph 53Adoptedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded23. Separate vote on paragraph 65Adoptedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded24. Separate vote on paragraph 71RejectedA vote by raised hands. Only the outcome is recorded, not who voted how. — no individual positions recordedAdopted26. Separate vote on paragraph 73Rejectedelectronic vote (totals only) — no individual positions recorded27. Final vote — text as a whole 13:56 A10-0053/2026 – Pasquale Tridico – Motion for a resolution (as a whole)Adopted - 28 April 2026 Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
Sitting of 28 April 2026 📄 Council / Commission text C10-0145/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0146/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0147/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0148/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0149/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0150/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0151/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0152/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0153/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0154/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0155/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0156/2025📄 Council / Commission text C10-0157/2025📄 Report A10-0046/2026📄 Report A10-0050/2026📄 Report A10-0051/2026📄 Report A10-0052/2026📄 Report A10-0053/2026📄 Report A10-0054/2026📄 Report A10-0055/2026📄 Report A10-0056/2026📄 Report A10-0057/2026📄 Report A10-0059/2026📄 Report A10-0081/2026📄 Report A10-0085/2026📄 Report A10-0087/2026 - 26 March 2026 Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
- Committee stage
- 2 March 2026 Committee vote: report adopted
CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
- 30 January 2026 Amendments tabled in committee
Members of CONT (Budgetary Control) proposed changes to the draft.
- 15 January 2026 AFET (Foreign Affairs) adopted its opinion
The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.
- 18 December 2025 Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
- 9 September 2025 Referred to the CONT (Budgetary Control) committee
The lead committee prepares the report; AFET (Foreign Affairs), DEVE (Development), AFCO (Constitutional Affairs), SEDE (Security and Defence) give an opinion.