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Structure of the accounts
The annual accounts of the Union body shall be prepared for each financial year that shall run from 1 January to 31 December. Those accounts shall comprise the following: (a) the financial statements of the Union body; (b) the budget implementation reports of the Union body.
Financial statements
1. The financial statements shall be presented in euro and in accordance with the accounting rules referred to in Article 51 of this Regulation and shall comprise the following: (a) the balance sheet which presents all assets and liabilities and the financial situation prevailing on 31 December of the preceding financial year; (b) the statement of financial performance that presents the economic result for the preceding financial year; (c) the cash-flow statement showing amounts collected and disbursed during the financial year and the final treasury position; (d) the statement of changes in net assets presenting an overview of the movements during the year in reserves and accumulated results. 2. The financial statements shall present information, including information on accounting policies, in a manner that ensures it is relevant, reliable, comparable and understandable. 3. The notes to the financial statements shall supplement and comment on the information presented in the statements referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and shall supply all the additional information prescribed by the accounting rules referred to in Article 51 of this Regulation and the internationally accepted accounting practice where such information is relevant to the Union body's activities. The notes shall contain at least the following information: (a) accounting principles, rules and methods; (b) explanatory notes, supplying additional information not contained in the body of the financial statements, which is necessary for a fair presentation of the accounts. 4. The accounting officer shall, after the close of the financial year and up to the date of transmission of the general accounts, make any adjustments that, without involving disbursement or collection in respect of that year, are necessary for a true and fair view of those accounts.
Budget implementation reports
1. The budget implementation reports shall be presented in euro and shall be comparable year by year. They shall consist of: (a) reports which aggregate all budgetary operations for the year in terms of revenue and expenditure; (b) explanatory notes, which shall supplement and comment on the information given in the reports. 2. The structure of the budget implementation reports shall be the same as that of the budget of the Union body itself. 3. The budget implementation reports shall contain: (a) information on revenue, in particular changes in the revenue estimates, the revenue outturn and entitlements established; (b) information showing changes in the total commitment and payment appropriations available; (c) information showing the use made of the total commitment and payment appropriations; (d) information showing commitments outstanding, those carried over from the preceding financial year and those made during the financial year. 4. The budget result shall consist of the difference between: (a) all the revenue collected in respect of that financial year; (b) the amount of payments made against appropriations for that financial year increased by the amount of the appropriations for the same financial year carried over. The difference referred to in the first subparagraph shall be increased or decreased on the one hand, by the net amount of appropriations carried over from previous financial years that have been cancelled and, on the other hand, by: (a) payments made in excess of non-differentiated appropriations carried over from the previous financial year, as a result of change in euro rates; (b) the balance resulting from exchange gains and losses during the financial year, both realised and non-realised.
Supporting documents
Each entry into the accounts shall be based on appropriate supporting documents in accordance with Article 47 of this Regulation.
Provisional accounts
1. The accounting officer of the Union body shall send the provisional accounts to the accounting officer of the Commission and to the Court of Auditors by 1 March of the following year. 2. The accounting officer of the Union body shall also provide by 1 March of the following year the required accounting information for consolidation purposes to the accounting officer of the Commission, in the manner and format laid down by the latter.
Approval of the final accounts
1. In accordance with Article 246 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046, the Court of Auditors shall, by 1 June, make its observations on the provisional accounts of the Union body. 2. The accounting officer of the Union body shall provide, by 15 June, the required accounting information to the accounting officer of the Commission, in the manner and format laid down by the Commission, with a view to drawing up the final consolidated accounts. 3. On receiving the Court of Auditors' observations on the provisional accounts of the Union body, the accounting officer shall draw up the final accounts of the Union body in accordance with Article 49 of this Regulation. The director shall send them to the management board, which shall give an opinion on these accounts. 4. The director shall send the final accounts, together with the opinion of the management board, to the accounting officer of the Commission, the Court of Auditors, the European Parliament and the Council, by 1 July of the following financial year. 5. The accounting officer of the Union body shall also send to the Court of Auditors, with a copy to the accounting officer of the Commission, a representation letter covering those final accounts. The representation letter shall be established at the same date at which the final accounts of the Union body are drawn up. The final accounts shall be accompanied by a note drawn up by the accounting officer, in which the latter declares that the final accounts were prepared in accordance with this Title and with the applicable accounting principles, rules and methods. A link to the pages of the website where the final accounts of the Union body are disclosed shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union by 15 November of the following year. 6. The director shall send the Court of Auditors a reply to the observations made in its annual report by 30 September of the following financial year at the latest. The replies of the director shall be sent to the Commission at the same time.
Annual report on budgetary and financial management
1. Each Union body shall prepare a report on budgetary and financial management for the financial year. 2. The director shall send the report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, by 31 March of the following financial year. 3. The report referred to in paragraph 2 shall give an account, both in absolute terms and expressed as a percentage, at least, of the rate of implementation of appropriations together with summary information on the transfers of appropriations among the various budget items.
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Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.