On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU agencies for the financial year 2024

The Committee on Transport and Tourism calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

1.Welcomes the ‘clean’ opinions for the 2024 financial year provided by the European Court of Auditors (‘the Court’) in relation to the reliability of the annual accounts as well as the legality and regularity of the revenue and payments underlying the accounts of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA);

2.Highlights the Agencies’ expanding mandates across their areas of activity, underscoring their consistent performance despite staff and funding constraints;

3.Takes notice of the high 2024 budget implementation rates in all three Agencies, observing that the overall value of automatic carryovers of voted non-differentiated appropriations in all three Agencies was far below the 15 % benchmark established by the Court;

4.Notes that following the assessment by DG MOVE, which ensures supervision of the three Agencies, their 2024 performance was in full alignment with the agreed objectives of the Commission: the regular monitoring and oversight activities did not identify any particular issues that could have a material impact on the assurance, furthermore, the reports from the external and internal auditors did not highlight any major issues that could raise additional concerns for DG MOVE;

5.In view of the above, encourages the Agencies to enhance the visibility and effectiveness of communicating their results and successful projects to the public;

Part I – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the financial year 2024

6.Overall, is pleased to note that the revenue and payments underlying EASA’s accounts for the year that ended on 31 December 2024 are legal and regular in all material respects; yet draws attention to the Court’s observation on one irregular payment for the service not covered by the price list in the existing framework contract; notes that while it does not call the Court’s opinion into question, the Agency is encouraged to strengthen its ex ante verification and contract management procedures to ensure full compliance with the applicable procurement rules; calls upon the Agency to exercise greater caution to ensure legality and regularity of its transactions;

7.Recalls that 2024 was a year of substantial transition for EASA: under the leadership of its new Executive Director, appointed in April 2024, the Agency underwent a major reorganisation to reinforce its technical and corporate competences, including internal audit, IT and digital transformation, as well as quality and planning functions; commends that, in a move to create greater synergy, mature domains like drones and air traffic management were integrated into the Agency’s operational directorates, with the Management Board endorsing this new, more effective structure in December 2024; points out that under its reinforced resilience strategy, EASA successfully managed a significant number of recruitments, enrolling 49 new staff members, filling 39 internal positions and reaching a 97.5 % occupancy rate on its establishment plan by the end of the year;

8.Notes with satisfaction that EASA’s 2024 Annual Work Programme outlined 60 key performance indicators to measure its accomplishments in core areas, such as overseeing market safety, approving safe market access, setting international standards, analysing safety data and enabling core business, as well as 162 business development objectives for process improvement, pointing out that the Agency successfully addressed 92 % of these targets, with 68 % completed in full;

9.Remarks that in 2024, EASA handled a similar number of procedures as in previous years, noting that the reduction in framework contracts results from the Agency’s streamlining efforts; recalls that it manages a large portfolio of projects on behalf of the Commission and occasionally other bodies, for which it receives specific funding, predominantly in the field of international technical cooperation, but also safety intelligence, research, environmental protection, as well as collaboration with other joint undertakings such as SESAR; points out that during 2024 it managed 47 such projects, with a total (maximum agreement) value of approximately EUR 109 million over 3–5 years, resulting in financial commitments of around EUR 26 million (compared to EUR 15 million in 2023);

10.Encourages EASA to strengthen its capacity for identifying emerging technical and operational risks in line with the Court’s recommendations, by enhancing oversight, improving airworthiness reporting, updating technical specifications and addressing software vulnerabilities;

11.Stresses the critical role of EASA in ensuring aviation safety, commends its dedication to this priority and welcomes its measures taken in response to the growing number of GNSS jamming and spoofing occurrences in the Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Baltic Sea; underlines that these hostile activities, in the broader regional security context, directly jeopardise aviation safety and demand continued EU level coordination, enhanced conflict-zone information exchange and close collaboration with national authorities to preserve the integrity and resilience of air navigation services; welcomes the update of its Safety Information Bulletin to inform stakeholders and suggest ways to mitigate the issue, and its continuous efforts to tackle these challenges through cybersecurity and conflict zone activities, as well as collaboration with state, institutional and military partners; welcomes the Agency’s first-ever proposal to regulate ground handling at EU airports, which was published in January 2024, aiming to boost safety, cybersecurity and consistency for all ground-based actions before and after a flight;

12.Welcomes the Agency’s enhanced cooperation with the European Defence Agency (EDA) and NATO to align regulatory approaches across civil and military aviation; notes that, with EASA’s active support, both EDA and NATO have urged their Member States to adopt a military Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) regulatory framework conforming to EASA standards, facilitating dual-use safety demonstrations as outlined in the Drone Strategy 2.0; commends the Agency’s contribution to promoting mutual recognition between National Military Aviation Authorities (NMAA) and its work on flexibility provisions related to airworthiness in wartime conditions; acknowledges the Agency’s valuable technical input to the development of the Military Air Traffic Controller training and licensing syllabus, which represents a further step towards interoperability and shared safety culture across Europe’s defence aviation community;

13.Moreover, welcomes EASA’s support to the group of Member States in developing guidelines for the deployment of military equipment on civil aerodromes, including arresting systems and tactical radars, thereby facilitating rapid military deployment close to conflict zones while ensuring the same high level of safety for civil air transport; notes that these actions demonstrate the Agency’s growing role in supporting Europe’s defence readiness, resilience and strategic autonomy within a coherent safety framework;

14.Acknowledges the Agency’s 2024 achievements under its Sustainable Aviation Programme, including the publication of the first State of the EU SAF Market Report, paving the way to the implementation of the RefuelEU Aviation legislation, the establishment of the Sustainability Portal as its key reporting vehicle and adoption of the Flight Emission Label;

15.Recalls that, in 2023, the European Parliament responded to the publication of the Roadmap on Higher Airspace Operations by proposing a preparatory action valued at EUR 2 million to support the development of the EU regulatory framework in the field; welcomes the 2024 contribution agreement signed between EASA and DG MOVE to address the action over the next 3 years;

Part II – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the financial year 2024

16.Acknowledges that the revenue and payments underlying EMSA’s accounts for the year that ended on 31 December 2024 are legal and regular in all material respects;

17.Takes notice of the Court’s finding related to the acceptance of more than one tender from the same bidder in a procurement procedure for aircraft systems; welcomes that EMSA has clarified the corresponding tender specifications and welcomes its efforts to ensure that all procurement procedures remain transparent, fair and compliant with EU financial rules; encourages the Agency to continue improving its internal controls;

18.Highlights the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to maritime transport as one of EMSA’s key achievements in 2024 – a move that positioned the EU as the world’s first jurisdiction to set a carbon price on greenhouse gas emissions from ships; notes with satisfaction that, to support the inclusion of maritime transport in the EU ETS, EMSA upgraded the THETIS-MRV system to introduce new functionalities for the approval of monitoring plans, submitting ETS data and reporting partial emissions following ship ownership changes;

19.Appreciates the Agency’s support for the implementation of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation – the first legislative effort that aims to incentivise the maritime industry’s transition away from fossil fuels and increase the use of low and zero-carbon alternatives; recalls that while the Regulation took full effect on 1 January 2025, part of its provisions entered into force in August 2024;

20.Notes that EMSA’s safety activities throughout 2024 encompassed fire safety, marine equipment, maritime safety requirements and accident investigation (EPP 19); acknowledges the Agency’s support to the Commission, Member States and industry in the emerging areas, such as alternative fuels, power systems, and autonomous vessels, through the provision of technical expertise, state of the art tools, databases and research;

21.Highlights that in 2024, EMSA’s Earth Observation services – CleanSeaNet and Copernicus Maritime Surveillance – continued to develop and deliver advanced surveillance capabilities; welcomes the Agency’s work in supporting joint multipurpose maritime operations and reinforcing regional Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) strategy across different countries as well as promoting more efficient use of resources in the execution of coast guard functions; furthermore, underlines that these activities significantly strengthen resilience against hybrid threats and risks to critical subsea infrastructure;

22.Welcomes the Agency’s accomplishments in strengthening maritime security and improving situational awareness across multiple sea basins, notably through its monitoring and analytical efforts in the Black Sea, Adriatic Sea, and Baltic Sea, and its contribution to assessing developments in the Red Sea affecting EU Member States’ merchant fleets; commends the Agency’s assistance to the Commission and Member States in overseeing sanctions against the Russian Federation, identifying ship-to-ship transfer hotspots, and maintaining the efficient exchange of maritime information; highlights the successful coordination of the Adriatic Sea Search and Rescue exercise, carried out jointly with Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, which reinforced cross-border operational cooperation; acknowledges the fruitful inter-agency collaboration between EMSA, Frontex, and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) within the framework of the multipurpose maritime operations, particularly in the Western Black Sea, which significantly contribute to the Union’s maritime security architecture, border protection, and environmental safety;

23.Draws attention to the publication of the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe) Message Implementation Guide that will enable consistent reporting obligations for ship operators across all EU ports; further to this, welcomes the finalisation of the basic modules for the EU Seafarers’ eCertification platform, underscoring that EMSA’s centralised development, hosting and operation of this platform will deliver economies of scale, reduce costs and streamline processes for participating Member States;

Part III – Discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) for the financial year 2024

24.Recalls that in 2024, ERA celebrated its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of improving European railway safety and interoperability as detailed in its “20 Years of ERA” report; further recalls that in December 2024, the Agency’s second Executive Director concluded his 10-year tenure, stressing that his leadership was instrumental to numerous achievements, particularly the successful implementation of the 4th Railway Package and stable management during this transformative period for ERA; welcomes the appointment of the new Executive Director and the beginning of the new mandate for ERA; believes that this transition represents an opportunity to strengthen the Agency’s strategic direction, reinforce its role in supporting railway safety and interoperability, and ensure the effective implementation of the Single European Railway Area objectives;

25.Points out that the revenue and payments underlying the Agency’s accounts for the year that ended on 31 December 2024 are legal and regular in all material respects;

26.Highlights that in 2024, ERA achieved an all-time high budget implementation rate, with 99.99 % of commitment appropriations and 96.68 % of payment appropriations executed; welcomes the Agency’s financial discipline, which includes regular monitoring of budget execution to meet expenditure targets and proactive fund redeployments to cover the identified gaps;

27.This notwithstanding, takes notice of the Court’s observations with regard to the management and control systems, notably related to failure to collect a full revenue due to poor documentation in relation to the organised event and contravention of the rules applicable under the Agency’s founding regulation; expresses regret over shortcomings detected in procurement and contract management; yet welcomes the Agency’s efforts to address these issues by improving documentation and strengthening contract monitoring; stresses the importance of setting clear selection criteria in future procurement procedures and establishing a formal process for assessing abnormally low bids, in order to prevent any recurrence of irregularities; welcomes the improvement achieved by ERA in reducing the average invoice-issuing time from 47 days in 2023 to 22 days in 2024, and encourages it to ensure consistent compliance with the 30-day deadline;

28.Draws attention to the Internal Audit Service recommendations on strengthening IT governance and invites the Agency to implement the proposed improvements to ensure timely revenue collection and a more structured approach to IT planning and management;

29.Reaffirms the paramount importance of an interconnected, efficient and safe EU railway network that delivers accessible and high quality services for all; in this context, takes notice of DG MOVE’s assessment that the resources allocated to ERA have not kept pace with the expansion of its responsibilities under the 4th Railway Package; furthermore, points out that ERA’s competences have significantly expanded due to military mobility needs and the forthcoming Infrastructure Capacity Regulation; expresses concern regarding the exacerbated pressure on both the Agency’s staffing and budget driven by inflation and the constant increase of tasks without corresponding support; specifically expresses concern that the Agency’s EU subsidy is the lowest among the three EU Transport Agencies, inherently limiting its ability to address rising operational demands;

30.Commends ERA for the continuous implementation of its Strengthening Action Plan 2023-2027 to ensure sufficient resources for priority policies and efficiency gains throughout all Agency’s processes;

31.Welcomes the achievement rates of ERA’s work programme in 2024, which improved by 5.87% compared with 2023, showcasing improved working methods and better planning;

32.Points out that ERA successfully completed its three-year audit cycle for National Safety Authorities and will start a new monitoring approach in 2025, noting that the Agency continued to monitor Notified Bodies, providing consistent support to Notifying Authorities and National Accreditation Bodies;

33.Welcomes ERA’s work on rail cybersecurity, including its cooperation with the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and its efforts to develop common safety methods, such as the Common Safety Methods on Assessment of Safety Level & Safety Performance (CSM ASLP) for data-driven safety performance assessment; stresses that a harmonised and cyber-resilient safety framework is particularly important for the Baltic rail networks, given their role as a strategic east-west corridor linking the EU to its Eastern neighbours and candidate countries;

34.Acknowledges the key importance of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) for safety and capacity, and appreciates the work delivered by the Agency in this area; observes that, despite a surge in applications, the authority tasks in vehicle authorisation, single safety certification and European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) trackside approval were delivered on time; commends ERA for the strong 2024 results: 1 888 decisions on vehicle authorisations (a 2.7 % increase compared to 2023), 81 Single Safety Certificates (a 6.5 % increase compared to 2023), and 14 ERTMS trackside approvals (a record 40 % increase compared to 2023); hopes for further harmonisation, including through coordinated deployment aimed at improving cross-border interoperability, removing persistent cross-border blockages and reducing complex testing across Europe; reiterates the particular importance of cross-border interoperability for the Military Mobility package;

35.Underlines ERA’s essential contribution to EU level capacity building, evidenced by its successful 2024 activities on safety and interoperability dissemination; stresses that this crucial function should be strategically directed to areas with the greatest needs and backed by sufficient resources to ensure that basic training remains accessible and free of charge across the Union;

36.Notes the entry into force of the Interoperable Europe Act in April 2024 and welcomes the Agency’s decision to appoint a dedicated rapporteur on this matter beginning in 2025; considers that this proactive step reflects the Agency’s commitment to strengthening interoperability, safety, reduction of barriers, data governance, and digital transformation within the European railway system; including through the System Pillar of Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking; expects ERA to contribute effectively to the Commission’s High-speed rail plan, enabling the removal of redundant national rules and the streamlining of authorisation and certification processes to facilitate innovation; endorses the Agency’s strategic focus on advancing cross-border data exchange, harmonising digital standards, and integrating automation and artificial intelligence, which are key enablers for realising a fully digital and interconnected Single European Railway Area; stresses that this work is essential for the successful deployment and long term operation of flagship cross border projects as well as for building an efficient, reliable and competitive European rail network that supports dual use needs and strengthens Europe’s economic resilience and green transition.