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2025/2151(DEC) Discharge procedure First reading

Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - European Economic and Social Committee

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.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 9 September 2025
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 2 March 2026
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 17 March 2026
  4. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 29 April 2026
  5. ✓ 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 PPECsaba MOLNÁR S&DOndřej KNOTEK PfEŞerban Dimitrie STURDZA ECRMichal WIEZIK Renew
For opinion
SEDE — Security and Defence JURI — Legal Affairs CULT — Culture and Education SANT — Public Health TRAN — Transport and Tourism LIBE — Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs ENVI — Environment, Climate and Food Safety INTA — International Trade AGRI — Agriculture and Rural Development DEVE — Development REGI — Regional Development AFCO — Constitutional Affairs IMCO — Internal Market and Consumer Protection EMPL — Employment and Social Affairs ITRE — Industry, Research and Energy FEMM — Women’s Rights and Gender Equality AFET — Foreign Affairs BUDG — Budgets ECON — Economic and Monetary Affairs PECH — Fisheries

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

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA10-0131/2026 29 April 2026 ✦ Parliament grants discharge to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2024 budget and adopts observations on its management, covering budget execution, internal control, human resources, ethics, digitalisation, buildings, environment, interinstitutional cooperation and communication.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A10-0059/2026 17 March 2026 ✦ The European Parliament grants discharge to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2024 budget and adopts a resolution with observations on its management, performance, and accountability.⇄ what changed Committee draft Draft report (CONT) 16 December 2025 ✦ This draft report proposes granting discharge to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2024 budget, with observations in a resolution.

Latest Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament: The only substantive change is correcting the date of the Council decision on allowances from September to June 2024. Other changes are formal or wording: updated heading, rephrased appreciation, and typographical fixes. see the changes →

Committee draft → Tabled for plenary: The main change is postponing the discharge decision for 2024, with new calls for cost-saving measures, impact measurement, and cybersecurity funding. Several paragraphs are added or expanded to stress strategic workforce planning, zero-tolerance for harassment, and transparency in remote participation allowances. The text now encourages prioritising initiatives for growth and competitiveness, and calls for a digital transformation strategy with human oversight of AI. Other changes are formal or wording: typo corrections, rephrasing, and updates to citations and references. 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

  1. Outcome
  2. 10 September 2026 Published in the Official Journal

    The act is now EU law.

  3. Plenary stage
  4. 29 April 2026 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 29 April 2026 📄 Adopted text TA10-0131/2026📄 Report A10-0059/2026
    Adopted Adopted
    How the vote unfolded · 5 ballots

    adopted rejected lapsed square = amendment circle = part of the text decisive vote Solid = roll call (click for every MEP’s vote); faded = no individual positions

    Show all 5 ballots in voting order
    1. Final vote Proposal for a decision
    — no individual positions recorded
    Adopted
    2. Vote on text inserted after paragraph 14
    — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    3. Separate vote on paragraph 22
    — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    4. Vote on text inserted after paragraph 53
    — no individual positions recorded
    Rejected
    5. Final vote — text as a whole 13:57 A10-0059/2026 – Pasquale Tridico – Motion for a resolution (as a whole)
    Adopted
  5. 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
  6. 17 March 2026 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A10-0059/2026
  7. Committee stage
  8. 2 March 2026 Committee vote: report adopted

    CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  9. 28 January 2026 Amendments tabled in committee

    Members of CONT (Budgetary Control) proposed changes to the draft.

    📄 Amendments in committee (CONT)
  10. 16 December 2025 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (CONT)
  11. 9 September 2025 Referred to the CONT (Budgetary Control) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; SEDE (Security and Defence), JURI (Legal Affairs), CULT (Culture and Education), SANT (Public Health), TRAN (Transport and Tourism), LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs), ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety), INTA (International Trade), AGRI (Agriculture and Rural Development), DEVE (Development), REGI (Regional Development), AFCO (Constitutional Affairs), IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection), EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs), ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy), FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality), AFET (Foreign Affairs), BUDG (Budgets), ECON (Economic and Monetary Affairs), PECH (Fisheries) give an opinion.