Brussels, 30 September 2024
The Budgetary Control Committee (CONT) on Monday proposed to refuse discharge for the management of the EU budget by the European Council and the Council for the financial year 2022.
This recommendation comes as the Council has once again failed to provide necessary information to Parliament, say MEPs on the committee.
The decision, adopted by 22 votes to 1 with 1 abstention, is supported by a draft resolution (17 votes in favour, 6 against, 1 abstention) expressing regret that “the Council, for more than a decade, has shown that it does not have any political willingness to collaborate with Parliament in the context of the annual discharge procedure.” MEPs argue that this stance has undermined the management and democratic oversight of the EU budget, eroding citizens’ trust in the European Union’s transparency. They urge the Council to “to resume negotiations with Parliament at the highest level as soon as possible”.
Each year, Parliament reviews how the EU budget has been implemented to ensure compliance with relevant rules. Parliament holds exclusive authority to approve, delay, or ultimately reject discharge for the EU budget across all sections. For nearly 20 years, CONT Committee has prepared annual discharge reports for each EU institution, body, office, and agency.
In April, Parliament postponed its decision on the Council’s discharge due to its lack of cooperation. Since the Council has not provided the requested information, Parliament has refused to grant discharge to the Council for every financial year since 2009.
Next steps
The Plenary is set to vote on the final decision during its 21-24 October plenary session in Strasbourg.