Where the law stands, Dossier 2025/2147(DEC)
Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - European Council and Council
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 10 September 2026 and now EU law.
- Referred to committee(done) 9 September 2025
- Committee work(done) Report adopted 2 March 2026
- Tabled for plenary(done) 27 March 2026
- Plenary vote(done) Adopted 29 April 2026
- Parliament’s position(done) Final
Decided in plenary
29 April 2026 · decision 11
EU budget & funds, Budget decision
Discharge 2024: EU general budget – European Council and Council
Discharge decision adopted Decided by show of hands: no count recorded.
AI summary:Parliament decided to postpone its decision on granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council, meaning the spending was not approved at this stage.
What changed
Latest Tabled for plenary → Adopted by Parliament
AI summary:The versions differ only in formal points and wording: the title is updated and a percentage is reformatted.
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary
AI summary:The discharge decision changes from refusal to postponement, altering the core outcome. Adds extensive new content on budgetary figures, political priorities, and management areas, while removing previous paragraphs on Council non-cooperation. Strengthens language on democratic legitimacy and transparency, citing Treaty articles and adding criticism of Council practices. Other changes are formal or wording: updated Treaty references, terminology alignment, and minor rephrasing.
Committee draft → Committee draft
AI summary:The main change is that Parliament now refuses discharge to the Council instead of granting it, due to continued non-cooperation. The resolution is restructured: detailed sections on budget, HR, and other topics are removed, replaced by a focus on Council's refusal to cooperate and calls for reform. Recitals are updated to reflect the Ombudsman's specific recommendation and to adjust wording on transparency and cooperation. Other changes are formal or wording: terminology updates, punctuation fixes, and capitalization corrections.
Who works on it
- Lead committee
- Budgetary Control
- The MEP who drafts the report and negotiates it on behalf of the committee.
- Pasquale Tridico (The Left)
- 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), Ondřej Knotek (Patriots), Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza (ECR), Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew)
- Committees giving an opinion
- Industry, Research and Energy
- Regional Development
- Internal Market and Consumer Protection
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Constitutional Affairs
- Employment and Social Affairs
- Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
- Transport and Tourism
- Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
- Development
- Economic and Monetary Affairs
- Legal Affairs
- Budgets
- Security and Defence
- International Trade
- Culture and Education
- Environment, Climate and Food Safety
- Foreign Affairs
- Fisheries
- Public Health
The text, version by version
Newest first.
Adopted by Parliament· 29 Apr 2026
AI summary:Parliament postpones its decision on granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council for the 2024 budget and sets out observations in a resolution.
Tabled for plenary· 27 Mar 2026
AI summary:Parliament postpones its decision on granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council for the 2024 budget and sets out observations in a resolution.
Committee draft· 2 Jul 2026
AI summary:This draft report refuses to grant discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council for the 2024 budget, citing the Council's continued non-cooperation with Parliament's scrutiny.
Committee draft· 17 Dec 2025
AI summary:This draft report concerns the discharge procedure for the European Council and Council budget for 2024. It proposes granting discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council, but also includes a resolution with observations and demands.
Timeline
Newest first.
Outcome 1 step
10 September 2026
Published in the Official Journal
The act is now EU law.
Committee stage 2 steps
10 September 2026
Amendments tabled in committee
Members of CONT (Budgetary Control) proposed changes to the draft.
2 July 2026
Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
Plenary stage 3 steps
29 April 2026
Plenary vote
Sitting of 29 Apr 2026 Report A10-0051/2026Adopted text TA10-0127/2026
28 April 2026
Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
Sitting of 28 Apr 2026 Council / Commission text C10-0145/2025Council / Commission text C10-0146/2025Council / Commission text C10-0147/2025Council / Commission text C10-0148/2025Council / Commission text C10-0149/2025Council / Commission text C10-0150/2025Council / Commission text C10-0151/2025Council / Commission text C10-0152/2025Council / Commission text C10-0153/2025Council / Commission text C10-0154/2025Council / Commission text C10-0155/2025Council / Commission text C10-0156/2025Council / Commission text C10-0157/2025Report A10-0046/2026Report A10-0050/2026Report A10-0051/2026Report A10-0052/2026Report A10-0053/2026Report A10-0054/2026Report A10-0055/2026Report A10-0056/2026Report A10-0057/2026Report A10-0059/2026Report A10-0081/2026Report A10-0085/2026Report A10-0087/2026
27 March 2026
Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
Committee stage 4 steps
2 March 2026
Committee vote: report adopted
CONT (Budgetary Control) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
27 January 2026
Amendments tabled in committee
Members of CONT (Budgetary Control) proposed changes to the draft.
17 December 2025
Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in CONT (Budgetary Control). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
9 September 2025
Referred to the CONT (Budgetary Control) committee
The lead committee prepares the report; ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy), REGI (Regional Development), IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection), AGRI (Agriculture and Rural Development), AFCO (Constitutional Affairs), EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs), LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs), TRAN (Transport and Tourism), FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality), DEVE (Development), ECON (Economic and Monetary Affairs), JURI (Legal Affairs), BUDG (Budgets), SEDE (Security and Defence), INTA (International Trade), CULT (Culture and Education), ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety), AFET (Foreign Affairs), PECH (Fisheries), SANT (Public Health) give an opinion.
Official record: Legislative Observatory, 2025/2147(DEC)