Where the law stands, Dossier 2024/2024(DEC)
2023 discharge: General budget of the EU - European External Action Service
Discharge procedure · First reading
Parliament checks how an EU institution or agency spent a past year’s budget and signs it off — or refuses to.
Where it stands
Parliament’s position
Completed: published in the Official Journal on 8 October 2025 and now EU law.
- Referred to committee(done) 17 September 2024
- Committee work(done) Report adopted 8 April 2025
- Tabled for plenary(done) 23 April 2025
- Plenary vote(done) Adopted 7 May 2025
- Parliament’s position(done) Final
Decided in plenary
7 May 2025 · decision 12
EU budget & funds, Budget decision
Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European External Action Service
Discharge decision adopted On the proposal for a discharge decision: 519 for · 126 against · 16 abstained by a large majority
AI summary:The decision covers the Service's administrative budget, including its headquarters and delegations, and follows the Court of Auditors' annual report.
What changed
Latest Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament
AI summary:Adds a new paragraph on reduced trainee numbers and requests information on their conditions. The other changes are formal: updated terminology, punctuation, and renumbering.
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary
AI summary:The decision on granting discharge is postponed, and the report adds numerous calls for action on disinformation, human rights, and transparency. Budgetary concerns are emphasised with calls for increased resources and better financial management, including for missions and procurement. Gender balance and diversity are addressed with updated statistics and calls for more progress. Cybersecurity and countering foreign interference are strengthened with new calls for training and support. The other changes are formal or wording updates, such as changing "notes" to "welcomes" and rephrasing sentences.
Who works on it
- Lead committee
- Budgetary Control
- The MEP who drafts the report and negotiates it on behalf of the committee.
- Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (ECR)
- An MEP who follows a report on behalf of their own group when another group holds the rapporteur.
- Andrey Kovatchev (EPP), Csaba Molnár (S&D), Virginie Joron (Patriots), Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (Renew), Damian Boeselager (Greens), Pasquale Tridico (The Left)
- Committees giving an opinion
- Development
- Security and Defence
- Constitutional Affairs
- Foreign Affairs· rapporteurMichael Gahler (EPP)
The text, version by version
Newest first.
Adopted by Parliament· 7 May 2025
AI summary:Parliament grants discharge to the EEAS for the 2023 budget and adopts a resolution with observations. It notes the budget, errors found by the Court of Auditors, and calls for improvements in various areas.
Tabled for plenary· 23 Apr 2025
AI summary:Parliament grants discharge to the High Representative for the EEAS budget for 2023, approving its implementation.
Committee draft· 17 Dec 2024
AI summary:This draft report concerns granting discharge to the High Representative for the implementation of the EEAS budget for 2023. It notes the Court of Auditors' findings and makes observations on budget, management, staff, ethics, security, and other areas.
Committee opinions: Opinion (AFET), Draft opinion (AFET)
Timeline
Newest first.
Outcome 1 step
8 October 2025
Published in the Official Journal
The act is now EU law.
Plenary stage 4 steps
7 May 2025
Plenary vote
Sitting of 7 May 2025 Adopted text TA10-0086/2025Report A10-0069/2025
6 May 2025
Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
Sitting of 6 May 2025 Council / Commission text C10-0067/2024Council / Commission text C10-0068/2024Council / Commission text C10-0069/2024Council / Commission text C10-0070/2024Council / Commission text C10-0071/2024Council / Commission text C10-0072/2024Council / Commission text C10-0073/2024Council / Commission text C10-0074/2024Council / Commission text C10-0075/2024Council / Commission text C10-0076/2024Council / Commission text C10-0077/2024Council / Commission text C10-0078/2024Council / Commission text C10-0079/2024Report A10-0046/2025Report A10-0047/2025Report A10-0050/2025Report A10-0051/2025Report A10-0052/2025Report A10-0053/2025Report A10-0054/2025Report A10-0055/2025Report A10-0056/2025Report A10-0062/2025Report A10-0065/2025Report A10-0069/2025Report A10-0074/2025
30 April 2025
10 amendments tabled for the plenary vote
Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.
Amendments 1–2Amendments 3–4Amendments 5–6Amendments 7–8Amendments 9–10
23 April 2025
Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
Committee stage 6 steps
8 April 2025
Committee vote: report adopted
CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
11 February 2025
Amendments tabled in committee
Members of CONT (Budgetary Control) proposed changes to the draft.
30 January 2025
AFET (Foreign Affairs) adopted its opinion
The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.
17 December 2024
Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
22 November 2024
Draft opinion from AFET (Foreign Affairs)
An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.
17 September 2024
Referred to the CONT (Budgetary Control) committee
The lead committee prepares the report; DEVE (Development), SEDE (Security and Defence), AFCO (Constitutional Affairs), AFET (Foreign Affairs) give an opinion.
Official record: Legislative Observatory, 2024/2024(DEC)