On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution:

–having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Annual report on the implementation of the EU budget for the 2022 financial year;

–having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2022;

–having regard to EU-OSHA’s Consolidated Annual Activity Report (CAAR) 2022;

1.Expresses its satisfaction that the European Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) has declared the transactions underlying the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (Agency) annual accounts for the financial year 2022 to be legal and regular and that its financial position as at 31 December 2022 is fairly represented;

2.Notes that, the budget of the Agency for the financial year 2022 was EUR 22 million (the same as in 2021); expresses its satisfaction that the Agency’s budget for 2022 was executed by 98.7%; highlights the need to keep ensuring adequate human and financial resources allowing the Agency to continue to fulfil its mandate and implementing its work programme with a very high activity completion rate;

3.Acknowledges the fact that due to high inflation rates, the year 2022 was characterised by a significant increase in the staff salary cost and various other services such as rent and facility management expenditure, gas and electricity supply, and other administrative support;

4.Appreciates the Agency’s activities to develop, gather and provide reliable and relevant information, analysis and tools on national and EU priorities in the field of occupational safety and health, which contribute to the Union policy aiming to promote healthy and safe work places across the Union; notes in particular the role the Agency can play in supporting national and EU organisations involved in making and implementing policies in the field; believes the Agency can provide useful information on the impact of telework and digitalisation of work in a post-Covid-19 Europe for both employers and workers;

5.Appreciates the Agency’s continued significant contribution, through several actions carried out alone or in collaboration with others, to safer and healthier workplaces for every worker in Europe regardless of the size of the company or the type of contract further to the global health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic; congratulates the Agency on the good results achieved and welcomes in this regard the Agency’s research paying particular attention to the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial risks and mental health; Notes the prominent role that the Agency has been given when implementing the principles enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and achievements of Porto targets;

6.Notes with satisfaction the important role assigned to the Agency in the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 and the way this has been taken forward; welcomes the Agency’s strong commitment to delivering on the Vision Zero approach to work-related deaths, on mental health at work, as well as on the impact of heatwaves and climate change on the health and safety of workers;

7.Commends the Agency for having ensured business continuity through a prompt reorganisation, reprioritisation and reallocation of resources in response to the delay in the appointment of a new Executive Director;

8.Appreciates the cooperation established with other EU agencies aimed at expertise and methodology exchange as well as joint delivery; welcomes that the Agency has fully implemented the action plan adopted in response to the evaluation of EU-OSHA, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), European Training Foundation and European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop);

9.Notes the Court’s observations with regards to budgetary management and calls on the Agency to undertake the necessary measures to address the observations;

10.Welcomes however the fact that the Agency has completed actions taken to the Court’s prior observations on public procurement procedure, which are related to the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2021;

11.Commends the Agency for having established a corporate plan to improve energy efficiency and climate neutrality of its operations;

12.Recommends, on the basis of the facts available, that discharge be granted to the Interim Executive Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2022.