Brussels, 24/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 23 March, the committee on budgetary control of the European Parliament recommended that the granting of the discharge on the execution of the 2013 budget for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and four European/private technological partnerships, including ITER, be postponed. The plenary vote will take place between 28 and 30 April.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology, which is based in Budapest, failed the first 'discharge' test. The MEPs are dissatisfied with the verification procedures for payments before and after it contracted projects. The MEPs also questioned EIT's use of by-invitation-only public procurement procedures. EIT has until December to prove to the legislators that is has improved its management of European resources.
Four out of seven projects set up as European partnerships with private companies (known as 'joint undertakings') failed to convince the budgetary control committee of their appropriate management of EU funds. The Stockholm-based ARTEMIS project (now renamed 'Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership' -ECSEL), the London-based Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the Brussels-based nanoelectronics project ENICA (European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council) came in for criticism from the MEPs due to insufficient checks on money transfers. The ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project, which is based in Barcelona, was criticised for delayed disbursements and growing budget costs.
For the fifth year in a row, the committee on budgetary control has recommended that the granting of discharge on the 2013 budget to the Council of Ministers and the European Council be postponed, due to their failure to cooperate with Parliament by supplying the figures it needs.
The budgetary control committee voted on Monday on the management of EU funds by 32 European agencies, 7 joint undertakings and 9 institutions. The Parliament will take its final decision on the postponed discharges in October. (Lionel Changeur)