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Document 52006TA1219(07)
Report on the annual accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2005 together with the Agency's replies
Report on the annual accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2005 together with the Agency's replies
Report on the annual accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2005 together with the Agency's replies
SL C 312, 19.12.2006, p. 36–41
(ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, SK, SL, FI, SV)
19.12.2006 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
C 312/36 |
REPORT
on the annual accounts of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2005 together with the Agency's replies
(2006/C 312/07)
CONTENTS
1-2 |
INTRODUCTION |
3-6 |
STATEMENT OF ASSURANCE |
7-11 |
OBSERVATIONS |
Tables 1 to 4
The Agency's replies
INTRODUCTION
1. |
The European Environment Agency (hereinafter called the Agency) was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 of 7 May 1990 (1). It is responsible for setting up an observation network that provides the Commission, the Member States and, more generally, the public with reliable information on the state of the environment. This information should, in particular, enable the European Union and the Member States to take action to safeguard the environment and assess the effectiveness of such action. |
2. |
Table 1 summarises the Agency's competences and activities. Key Information from the financial statements drawn up by the Agency for the financial year 2005 is presented in Tables 2, 3 and 4. |
STATEMENT OF ASSURANCE
3. |
This Statement of Assurance is addressed to the European Parliament and the Council in accordance with Article 185(2) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (2); it was drawn up following an examination of the Agency's accounts, as required by Article 248 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. |
4. |
The Agency's accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2005 (3) were drawn up by its Executive Director, pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90, and sent to the Court, which is required to give its opinion on their reliability and on the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions. |
5. |
The Court conducted an audit in accordance with its policies and standards, which are based on international auditing standards that have been adapted to the Community context. The audit was planned and performed to obtain reasonable assurance that the accounts are reliable and the underlying transactions are legal and regular. |
6. |
The Court has thus obtained a reasonable basis for the opinion expressed below. |
Reliability of the accountsThe Agency's accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2005 are, in all material respects, reliable.Legality and regularity of underlying transactionsThe transactions underlying the Agency's annual accounts, taken as a whole, are legal and regular.The observations which follow do not call the Court's Statement into question.
OBSERVATIONS
7. |
The agency committed nearly all the appropriations in its budget for the financial year 2005. Nevertheless, it is noted that the carry-over rate (over 30 %) for commitments for its operating activities (Title III) is high. The Agency should ensure a reduction in carry-overs, whose volume hampers the management of the following year's appropriations, which subsequently creates delays in implementation or even increases them. |
8. |
There is no description of the internal control systems. The authorising officers have not provided a formal description of the systems that they use for supplying and substantiating accounts information and the accounting officer has therefore still not been able to validate them. |
9. |
There are shortcomings in the authorising officer's annual activity report. This report does not supply adequate information on the results of the year's activities in relation to the objectives established, the associated risks, the use of resources and the functioning of the internal control systems. |
10. |
During the audit of the procedures for the recruitment of temporary staff, it was observed that certain internal provisions concerning the joint nature of the selection committees and the inalterability of the selection criteria adopted beforehand did not comply with the provisions of the conditions of employment of other servants of the Communities. |
11. |
In the procurement field, the Court found shortcomings in respect of evaluation criteria. There is no specific information on how information on prices should be taken into account. This situation leads to unjustified discrepancies in the appraisal of tenders (4). |
This report was adopted by the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg at its meeting of 28 September 2006.
For the Court of Auditors
Hubert WEBER
President
(2) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(3) These accounts were drawn up on 21 June 2006 and received by the Court on 3 July 2006.
(4) This was the case for a contract worth 87 000 euro.
Table 1
European Environment Agency (Copenhagen)
Areas of Community competence deriving from the Treaty |
Competences of the Agency as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 of 7 May 1990 |
Governance |
Resources made available to the Agency (2004) |
Products and services supplied in 2005 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Environment policy Community policy on the environment shall aim at a high level of protection taking into account the diversity of situations in the various regions of the Community. It shall be based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should as a priority be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay. (…) In preparing its policy (…), the Community shall take account of available scientific and technical data (…) (Article 174 of the Treaty) |
Objectives: Setting up of a European environment information and observation network to provide the Community and the Member States with reliable information so that they are able to:
|
Tasks:
|
1. Management Board Consisting of:
Task To adopt the work programme and ensure it is implemented. 2. Executive Director Appointed by the Management Board on a proposal from the Commission. 3. Advisory Forum Consisting of one representative per Member State, it advises the Executive Director. 4. Scientific Committee Consisting of qualified figures in the field of the environment appointed by the Management Board. 5. External audit European Court of Auditors. 6. Discharge Authority Parliament on a recommendation by the Council. |
Final budget for 2005 32,1 million euro (31,1 million euro) Community subsidy: 84 % (87 %). Staff numbers at 31 December 2005 Number of posts in the establishment plan: 115 (115) posts Posts occupied: 107 (102) +34 (15) other posts (auxiliary contracts, seconded national experts, local and employment-agency staff) Total staff numbers: 115 (115) assigned to the following tasks:
|
|
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Source: Information supplied by the Agency. |
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Source: Information supplied by the Agency — These tables summarise the data provided by the Agency in its annual accounts.
Table 2
Implementation of the budget for the financial year 2005
(1000 euro) |
||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
Expenditure |
|||||||||||||||
Origin of Revenue |
Revenue entered in the final budget for the financial year |
Revenue collected |
Allocation of expenditure |
Appropriations under the final budget |
Appropriations carried over from the previous financial year |
Appropriations for the financial year and the previous financial year |
||||||||||
entered |
committed |
paid |
carried over |
cancelled |
available |
paid |
cancelled |
available |
committed |
paid |
carried over |
cancelled |
||||
Community subsidies |
26 900 |
26 900 |
Title I Staff |
14 468 |
14 468 |
13 958 |
508 |
2 |
436 |
319 |
117 |
14 904 |
14 904 |
14 277 |
508 |
119 |
Other subsidies |
4 444 |
7 438 |
Title II Administration |
3 857 |
3 856 |
2 960 |
895 |
2 |
396 |
346 |
50 |
4 253 |
4 252 |
3 306 |
895 |
52 |
Other revenue |
p.m |
218 |
Title III Operating activities |
13 019 |
13 018 |
8 942 |
4 069 |
8 |
4 853 |
4 647 |
206 |
17 872 |
17 871 |
13 589 |
4 069 |
214 |
Earmarked revenue |
800 |
745 |
Earmarked revenue |
800 |
720 |
277 |
523 |
0 |
2 208 |
536 |
28 |
3 008 |
2 928 |
813 |
2 167 |
28 |
Total |
32 144 |
35 301 |
Total |
32 144 |
32 062 |
26 137 |
5 995 |
12 |
7 893 |
5 848 |
401 |
40 037 |
39 955 |
31 985 |
7 639 |
413 |
Table 3
Economic outturn account for the financial year 2005 (1)
(1000 euro) |
|
|
2005 |
Operating revenue |
|
Community subsidies |
26 900 |
Other subsidies/revenue |
5 633 |
Total (a) |
32 533 |
Operating expenditure |
|
Staff |
13 423 |
Administration |
5 321 |
Operations |
15 618 |
Total (b) |
34 362 |
Operating result (c = a — b) |
–1 829 |
Other income (d) |
29 |
Other charges (e) |
–7 |
Economic result (f = c + d + e) |
–1 807 |
Table 4
Balance sheet at 31 December 2005 and 2004 (2)
(1000 euro) |
||
|
2005 |
2004 |
Assets |
||
Fixed assets |
2 105 |
1 710 |
Receivables |
2 661 |
5 839 |
Cash |
4 491 |
1 181 |
Total |
9 257 |
8 730 |
Liabilities |
||
Accumulated surplus/deficit |
6 050 |
6 050 |
Economic result for the year |
–1 808 |
0 |
Current liabilities |
5 015 |
2 680 |
Total |
9 257 |
8 730 |
(1) The data for the financial year 2004 are not shown because they are not comparable with those for 2005 due to a change in accounting methods.
(2) The data for 2004 have been adapted to make them comparable to those for the financial year 2005
THE AGENCY'S REPLIES
7. |
The percentage carry-over has been reduced progressively in recent years and dropped to 31 % for Title III in 2005. Given that most of our Title III contracts for example with topic centres allow work until the end of the calendar year with final deliveries and payments of up to 30 % in the following year, it is difficult to reduce Title III carryover much further than currently achieved. |
8. |
The internal control systems are under continuous development. It is recognised that the authorising officers have not provided a formal description of the systems they use and this will be done as soon as possible within the development and documentation of our system. |
9. |
EEA has tried for 2003 and 2004 to accommodate the requirements of the annual activity report within the Annual Report required under EEA's founding regulation. EEA has not been able to do so and hence from 2005 onwards it produces separate reports. The two 2005 reports were sent to the Court and others on 15 June 2006. |
10. |
As from 2006, the Staff Committee has been requested to appoint an equal number of representatives in accordance with article 3 of annex III of the Staff Regulations. The selection criteria laid down in the notice of competition are explicitly now the sole criteria for selection of candidates. |
11. |
From the start of 2006 for all procurement procedures, the Agency explains and documents in more detail the way price is taken into account (for example the formula used for scoring price and the evaluation criteria). |