Parliament approves budget implementation in 2015

On 27 April, the Parliament gave the final approval, known as ‘discharge’, to the way in which the European Commission implemented the EU budget in 2015. The discharge is an EU mechanism for transparency and accountability. It is granted by the European Parliament on a recommendation from the Member States in the Council. This annual procedure enables the Council and the European Parliament to keep the management of the taxpayers’ money under democratic control. Apart from approving the Commission’s accounts and its handling of the EU budget, the vote also signals the European Parliament’s strong support for the drive to further increase the effectiveness of EU budgetary spending, through the Commission’s ‘EU Budget focused on Results’ initiative. The Commission is responsible for implementing the EU budget in cooperation with Member States in line with the principles of sound financial management