Brussels, 27/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - The budgetary control committee at the European Parliament has recommended, by a narrow majority, not to grant discharge on the execution of the European Environment Agency's 2010 budget. Last May the Parliament had criticised the expenses of this Copenhagen-based European agency. The reason was its director's close connections with an environmental NGO, the installation of a “plant façade” on the agency's building which had cost €295,000, and failures in public tender procedures. A narrow majority of MEPs from the budgetary control committee are still not satisfied with the answers given by the agency and they have therefore recommended refusing the discharge (16 votes for the refusal, 12 votes against and one abstention).
The budgetary control committee decided by a large majority, however, to grant discharge on the execution of the 2010 budgets of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), thanks to additional information provided by the two agencies which appeased the MEPs' concerns.
On 10 May the European Parliament had decided to postpone granting discharge on the execution of the 2010 EFSA and EMA budgets because of lacks in the management of conflicts of interest (see EUROPE 10612). The Parliament had also postponed discharge on the budget of the European Environment Agency. (LC/transl.fl)