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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) should be granted a discharge for the way in which it manages its funding in financial 2009, said the Budgetary Control Committee at the European Parliament yesterday.
The Medicines Agency has taken action to remedy shortcomings in its management of the Agency’s 2009 budget and, although the committee recommends granting the Agency’s Executive Director a discharge, some concerns remain.
Parliament wants EMA staff members’ impartiality and independence to be assessed thoroughly when they are appointed project team leaders for evaluating medicinal products.
Furthermore, it calls on the EMA to improve procurement procedures and to keep the Parliament better informed of the results of actions requested.
The closure of accounts – the last formal step in the discharge procedure – for 2009 was also approved for both the Police College and the EMA.
The European Parliament is the EU’s budget discharge authority. Once annual accounts are audited and finalised, Parliament decides – on a recommendation by the Council of Ministers – whether or not to grant a discharge to the Commission and other EU bodies for their spending in each financial year.
The discharges will have to be approved by Parliament as a whole, in plenary session. The plenary votes are currently scheduled for 25 October.
