EU research joint undertakings: clean bill of health for all but one
The European Court of Auditors has signed off the 2017 accounts of all the EU2’s joint undertakings and issued clean opinions on the financial transactions for all except one. In the case of ECSEL dealing with electronic components and systems, the auditors found issues that - in some cases - prevented the effective functioning of internal control.
The auditors today published the annual reports on the EU’s eight joint undertakings in research, as well as a summary of the audit results. Joint undertakings are the EU’s public-private partnerships with industry, research groups and Member States. They employ some 700 staff and play an important role in carrying out specific aspects of EU research policy. The total 2017 budget of the joint undertakings amounted to €2.1 billion, or about 2% of the total EU budget. Their industry and research partners provide in-kind contributions by implementing their operational activities and cash contributions to their administrative and operational costs.
“Joint undertakings are important vehicles for cutting-edge research and innovation in the EU, as they seek to help ensure the global competitiveness of the European industry,” said Ildiko Gall-Pelcz3, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the audit. “Our audit for 2017 confirmed the positive results reported in previous years. However, we highlight some matters requiring further attention and indicate areas for improvement related to budgetary and financial management, internal controls, leverage of industry and research partners’ contributions, as well as the European Commission’s evaluations”.
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- 1.Dit orgaan controleert de wettigheid en regelmatigheid van alle inkomsten en uitgaven van de Europese Unie. In bredere zin moet zij de financiële belangen van de burger behartigen. De Europese Rekenkamer gaat na of de Europese middelen zo effectief, efficiënt en spaarzaam mogelijk worden ingezet. In die zin is deze instelling het financiële geweten van Europa dat erop toeziet dat de burgers 'waar voor hun geld krijgen'.
- 2.De Europese Unie (EU) is het belangrijkste samenwerkingsverband in Europa. De deelnemende landen hebben voor deze Unie een aantal organisaties opgericht waaraan zij een deel van hun eigen bevoegdheden hebben overgedragen. Dit zijn onder meer het Europees Parlement, de Europese Commissie, de Raad en het Europese Hof van Justitie.
- 3.Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz () was van 2 juni 2010 tot 31 augustus 2017 lid van het Europees Parlement. Gáll-Pelcz maakte deel uit van de Fractie Europese Volkspartij en komt uit Hongarije.