Date: 2025-10-08Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Decision (EU) 2025/1596 of the European Parliament of 7 May 2025 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section II – European Council and Council
**Executive Summary**
This document is a Decision (EU) 2025/1596 of the European Parliament, issued on May 7, 2025, concerning the discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section II – European Council and Council. It postpones the decision on granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council. The President of the European Parliament is instructed to forward this decision to several EU bodies for publication.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Decision on Discharge:**
* The European Parliament postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2023.
* **Observations:**
* The European Parliament sets out its observations in the resolution below the decision.
* **Instructions:**
* The President of the European Parliament is instructed to forward this decision and the resolution to the European Council, the Council, the Commission, the European Ombudsman, the European Data Protection Supervisor, and the Court of Auditors.
* The President of the European Parliament is to arrange for publication of the decision and resolution in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).
**Impact Analysis**
**European Council and Council**
* *Impact:* The Secretary-General of the Council does not receive a discharge for the implementation of the 2023 budget. Their actions will be under scrutiny due to the postponement.
* *Action Required:* Review the concerns leading to the postponement and address them to facilitate future discharge.
**Secretary-General of the Council**
* *Impact:* The discharge for the financial year 2023 has been postponed. The Secretary-General is impacted, since they are required to take responsibility for the budget execution.
* *Action Required:* Review the reasons for the postponed discharge and address those concerns.
**European Parliament**
* *Impact:* The European Parliament maintains oversight of the budget implementation and may need to address related issues in future procedures.
* *Action Required:* Follow up on the concerns that led to the postponement and take them into consideration in future decisions about budget implementation.
**Other EU Bodies (Commission, Ombudsman, Data Protection Supervisor, Court of Auditors)**
* *Impact:* These bodies are informed of the decision and the accompanying resolution.
* *Action Required:* Review the decision and resolution, taking into account any relevant observations in their respective areas of competence.
Key Entities Referenced
European Parliament: The issuing body of the decision.
European Council: One of the entities whose budget implementation is subject to the decision (Section II).
Council: One of the entities whose budget implementation is subject to the decision (Section II).
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046: Financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509: Financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union.
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2025/1596 8.10.2025
DECISION(EU) 2025/1596 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
of 7 May 2025
on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the
financial year 2023, Section II – European Council and Council
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,
— having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023(1),
— having regard to the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2023 (COM(2024)
0272 – C10-0069/2024)(2),
— having regard to the Council’s 2023 annual reports,
— having regard to the Court of Auditors’ annual report on the implementation of the budget concerning the financial
year 2023, together with the institutions’ replies(3),
— having regard to the statement of assurance(4)as to the reliability of the accounts and the legality and regularity of the
underlying transactions provided by the Court of Auditors for the financial year 2023, pursuant to Article 287 of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
— having regard to Article 314(10) and Articles 317, 318 and 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union,
— having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July
2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU)
No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU)
No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation
(EU, Euratom) No 966/2012(5), and in particular Articles 59, 118, 260, 261 and 262 thereof,
— having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union(6), and in particular
Articles 59, 118, 266, 267 and 268 thereof,
— having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0052/2025),
1. Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of
the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2023;
2. Sets out its observations in the resolution below;
3. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the resolution forming an integral part of it to the European
Council, the Council, the Commission, the European Ombudsman, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the
Court of Auditors, and to arrange for their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union(L series).
The President The Secretary-General
Roberta METSOLA Alessandro CHIOCCHETTI
(1) OJ L 58, 23.2.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/budget/2023/1/oj.
(2) OJ C, C/2024/5462, 10.10.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/5462/oj.
(3) OJ C, C/2024/5882, 9.10.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/5882/oj.
(4) OJ C, C/2024/6041, 10.10.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6041/oj.
(5) OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1046/oj.
(6) OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/oj.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1596/oj 1/1