In Strasbourg on Wednesday 24 October, the European Parliament decided (186 votes in favour of the discharge, 317 against and 164 abstentions) not to grant the new interim Executive Director of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) discharge on the execution of the 2016 budget of this agency (see EUROPE 12107).
In April of this year, the European Parliament decided to postpone the discharge on the 2016 budgets of this body. It considers that the corrective measures taken by the EASO respond only partially to the reservations expressed by the EP in April. Rapporteur Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, Belgium) recommended granting the discharge, as did the budgetary control committee of the EP.
OLAF is currently investigating several former and current members of the EASO. The Parliament welcomed the decision made by the Management Board of the Office on 6 June 2018 to release the Executive Direct from his duties with immediate effect and to designate an interim Executive Director, who is not involved in the OLAF investigation.
As in previous years (since 2019), furthermore, the Parliament decided to withhold discharge on the execution of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the 2016 financial year. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)