Parltrack

Activites

• 2008/07/15 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Budget 2008/525
  • OJ L 187 15.07.2008, p. 0142
• 2007/04/24 Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
  • T6-0122/2007 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Edit HERCZOG (PSE, HU), and granted the director of the European Training Foundation discharge for the implementation of the Foundation's budget for the financial year 2005. It then approved the closing of the accounts of the Foundation for the financial year 2005. The Parliamentary resolution is divided into two parts. The first contained general points, and concerned the majority of EU Agencies requiring individual discharge. The second part contained specific points relating to the Agency. General points: Parliament considers that the ever-growing number of Community Agencies and the activities of certain of them do not seem to form part of an overall policy framework, and that the remits of some Agencies do not always reflect the real needs of the Union.  Accordingly, it invites the Commission to define an overall policy framework for the setting up of new Community Agencies and to present a cost-benefit study before the setting up of any new agency, while being careful to avoid any overlap of activities between Agencies or with the remits of other European organisations. Parliament calls on the Court of Auditors to give its opinion on this cost-benefit study before Parliament takes its decision, and it asks the Commission to present every five years a study on the added value of every existing Agency. ; invites all relevant institutions In the case of a negative evaluation of the added value of an Agency, all relevant institutions are asked to take the necessary steps by reformulating the mandate of that Agency or by closing it. In view of the constantly increasing number of Agencies, Parliament feels that the Directorates-General of the Commission charged with the setting up and monitoring of Agencies must develop a common approach to the Agencies. It also asks the Commission to improve administrative and technical support to the Agencies. Parliament regretted that the negotiations on the draft interinstitutional agreement on the operating framework for the European regulatory agencies have not yet been concluded, and calls on the Commission, in consultation with the Court of Auditors, to do their utmost to ensure that the agreement is brought to a rapid conclusion. Noting that the Commission's budgetary responsibility calls for closer linking of the Agencies to the Commission, Parliament calls on the Commission and the Council to take all necessary steps to give the Commission a blocking minority in the supervisory bodies of the regulatory Agencies by 31 December 2007 and to provide for such a minority from the outset when new Agencies are set up. It invites the Court of Auditors to create an additional chapter in its Annual Report, devoted to all Agencies to be discharged under the Commission's accounts in order to have a much clearer picture of the use of EU funds by Agencies. Parliament goes on to ask the Commission to come up with a proposal to harmonise the format of the annual reporting by the Agencies and to develop performance indicators which would allow a comparison of their efficiency. The Commission is urged to monitor and direct the management of the Agencies, especially in relation to the proper application of tender procedures, transparency of recruitment procedures, sound financial management and, most importantly, the proper application of the rules concerning the internal control framework. Specific points concerning the European Training Foundation: Parliament asked the Foundation to ensure its programming better, given that there was a high rate (over 40 %) of carry-overs of commitments for operating activities (Title III), and was particularly concerned as a similar situation prevailed for the implementation of MEDA and Tempus activities. At the same time, Parliament considered the Foundation to be a source of important information and of exchange of experience for the partner countries of the EU and for all EU institutions. However, it criticised the fact that, as in previous years and in infringement of its financial regulation, the Foundation only published a summary of its budget in the Official Journal. It invited the Foundation to present a new budget nomenclature which corresponded better to the Foundation's reality and which could avoid constant transfers, as well as to improve compliance with existing rules for final accounts. It deplored the fact that the Foundation had still not finished introducing its system of internal control and the fact that at the end of 2005 there was no analysis of operational risks and ex post checks.  Lastly, the Foundation insisted that the Foundation has to overcome shortcomings in the field of the documentation of staff selection procedures.

  • Results of vote in Parliament
• 2007/04/24 Commission response to text adopted in plenary
  • SP(2007)2625/2
  • DG Budget, KALLAS Siim
• 2007/04/02 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A6-0113/2007
• 2007/04/02 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A6-0113/2007
• 2007/03/26 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • CONT CONT/6/42417 HERCZOG Edit PSE
  • EMPL OOMEN-RUIJTEN Ria PPE-DE
• #2787
• 2007/02/27 Council Meeting
• 2007/02/09 Committee draft report
  • PE384.442
• 2006/11/29 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • CONT CONT/6/42417 HERCZOG Edit PSE
  • EMPL OOMEN-RUIJTEN Ria PPE-DE
• 2006/10/31 Non-legislative basic document published
  • N6-0031/2006 summary

    PURPOSE: presentation of the final accounts of the European Training Foundation for the financial year 2005. CONTENT: this document published in the Official Journal of the EU sets out a detailed account of the implementation of the 2005 budget, including the revenue and expenditure and the balance sheet for the year concerned. According to this document, the final budget amounted to EUR 26.3 million (against 18.5 million in 2004) divided up into EUR 18.5 million funded by a Commission subsidy and EUR 7.45 million funded by other bodies as assigned revenue. As regards the staffing policy, the Foundation, whose headquarters are based in Turin (Italy) officially set out 104 in the establishment plans. 97 posts are currently occupied with + 22 other posts (auxiliaries, local staff and contract staff) totalling 119 posts assigned to operational, administrative and mixed tasks. In 2005, staff expenditure amounted to EUR 11.9 million. The assistance supplied by the Foundation covers a large range of technical fields including: initial vocational training, lifelong learning, continuing (adult) education, human resource development in companies, employment policies, training of unemployed people, poverty alleviation and social inclusion and training to encourage local development. Support for the Commission: in 2005, 127 new requests for support were received from the Commission. The majority came from the delegations (35 %), followed by AIDCO (21 %), DG EAC (16 %), DG ELARG (9 %) and DG RELEX (7 %). This included 18 analyses of the situation in the ENPI countries. The Commission's rate of satisfaction with the ETF's response was 97 %. The most frequent applications were those in the field of programming, followed by policies and contributions in the preparation of European Neighbourhood Instruments, the identification of projects and follow-up. Information and analysis: country sector studies, statistics on education, policy advice to countries. Innovation and development support projects: as a centre of expertise, the ETF contributes towards the setting up of development projects in order to test innovatory approaches allowing partner countries to carry out reforms of their education and vocational training systems. Technical assistance to DG EAC for the implementation of the Tempus programme: assistance Conventions with CARDS, MEDA and Tacis for the Tempus programme: this assistance covers the whole cycle of the project. It includes the selection, management and follow-up of contracts and information and communication, including general administrative support. IT tools such as online applications and report forms have greatly facilitated the administrative management of the various project cycles. The complete version of the final accounts may be found at the following address: http://www.etf.europa.eu

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: N6-0031/2006
• Committee draft report: PE384.442
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A6-0113/2007
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A6-0113/2007
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T6-0122/2007
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2007)2625/2
• : Budget 2008/525
• : OJ L 187 15.07.2008, p. 0142

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)