annual activity report 2016 - communication - annex · 2017-06-20 · directorate d 2016...

ANNEXES

Ref. Ares(2017)1842517 - 06/04/2017

comm_aar_2016_annexes_final of 76

ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: Statement of the Resources Director

“I declare that in accordance with the Commission’s communication on clarification of the

responsibilities of the key actors in the domain of internal audit and internal control in the

Commission1, I have reported my advice and recommendations to the Director-General on the

overall state of internal control in the Directorate-General.

I hereby certify that the information provided in Section 2 of the present Annual Activity Report

and in its annexes is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and complete.”

Brussels, 22 March 2017

Signed

Fabrizia De Rosa

(Director COMM.D)

1 Communication to the Commission: Clarification of the responsibilities of the key actors in the domain

of internal audit and internal control in the Commission; SEC(2003)59 of 21/01/2003.


ANNEX 2: Reporting – Human Resources, Better Regulation, Information Management and External

Communication

A. Human Resource Management

Objective: The Directorate-General deploys effectively its resources in support of the

delivery of the Commission's priorities and core business, has a competent and engaged

workforce, which is driven by an effective and gender-balanced management and which

can deploy its full potential within supportive and healthy working conditions.

Indicator 1: Percentage of female representation in middle management

Source of data: Human Resources Reporting (HR Dashboard) at 01/11/2015

Baseline 01/11/2015 Target 20162 Latest known results

2016

33.3%3

>35% 44%

(14 women)

Indicator 2: Percentage of staff who feel that the Commission cares about their well-

being4

Source of data: Commission staff survey

Baseline 2015

Target 2016 Latest known results

2016

37%5

40% 37%6

Indicator 3: Staff engagement index

Source of data: Commission staff survey

Baseline 2015


2016

64%7 65% 64%8

Indicator 4: Satisfaction of Directorate-General for Communication management with the

service and advice /assistance of the local Human Resources Unit

Source of data: Directorate D 2016 Satisfaction survey results - Ares(2017)985715

Baseline 2015


2016

74.37%

75% 76.3%9

2 Targets adopted by the Commission on 15 July 2015 – SEC(2015)336 - Directorate-General for

Communication: Indicative Target in middle management 2019: 40% (12 women instead of currently 9)

and for 2020: 46% (14 women). 3 Directorate-General for Communication value on 01.11.2015.

4 This indicator may be replaced by a fit@work index on which DG HR is currently working. 5 Directorate-General for Communication result in staff survey 2014.

6 The target was not reached on this particular question, however overall DG results in the well-being

category are all up from the previous survey, mostly above 60% and the Commission average. 7 Directorate-General for Communication result from staff survey 2014.

8 Directorate-General for Communication results from staff survey 2016. 9This indicator will no longer be applicable as such anymore in the context of the pilot HR modernisation

exercise: the staff of the local HR unit was placed at the disposal of the Directorate-General for Communication Human Resources Business Correspondent (HRBC) Team or of the DG Human Resources Account Management Centre. The Human Resources Business Correspondent Team is responsible for defining Human Resources strategy and advising the management of the DG on Human Resources

decisions. The indicator adapted after the conclusions of the pilot exercise foreseen end-2017.


Main outputs in 2016:

Description Indicator Target Latest known

results

2016

Improved Gender-balanced

management: Systematic set up of pre-

selection panels for middle management

positions with mandatory gender

balance in panels and inclusion of

gender balance reports during pre-

selection procedures contributing to

increase the percentage of female

representation in middle management

Percentage of female

representation in middle

management

>35% 44%

(14 women)

Working conditions and Well-being

measures10

A series of 7 KnowledgeCOMM sessions

on a wide range of topics were

organised.

Percentage of Directorate-

General for

Communication staff who

feel that the Commission

cares about their well-

being11

40% 37%12

Staff engagement measures:

In the area of Talent management,

training was provided to all Directorate-

General for Communication managers to

improve recruitment and staff appraisal.

Most senior managers were given

access13 to one-on-one and/or group

coaching sessions with their

management teams.

Participatory leadership learning actions

were carried out in Headquarters and

Commission Representations, to

improve the quality of reflection events.

Staff engagement index

for Directorate-General for

Communication

65% 64%14

Professional advice from the Human

Resources local services

Satisfaction rate of the

services and advice

/assistance of the local

Human Resources Unit

75% Not Applicable15

10

Continued implementation of flexible arrangements throughout the DG (telework, part-time,

flexitime); information of management and staff about new teleworking; specific working conditions for services requiring atypical working time. 11 For example: further development of social rooms; lunchtime conferences / KnowledgeCOMM

breakfasts on well-being subjects; communication actions targeting all services (Commission Representations in particular) to raise awareness about the fit@work initiative and to suggest associated well-being activities. 12 The target was not reached on this particular question, however overall DG results in the well-being

category are all up from the previous survey, mostly above 60% and the Commission average. 13 3 Directors, 5 Heads of Unit accepted the invitation to have one-on-one coaching or group coaching

with their teams. 14

Which equalled the Commission's overall staff engagement index value. 15

This indicator is not applicable as such anymore in the context of the pilot HR modernisation exercise:

the staff of the local HR unit was placed at the disposal of the Directorate-General for Communication Human Resources Business Correspondent (HRBC) Team or of the DG Human Resources Account Management Centre. The Human Resources Business Correspondent Team is responsible for defining Human Resources strategy and advising the management of the DG on Human Resources decisions. The

indicator adapted after the conclusions of the pilot exercise foreseen end-2017.


Directorate-General for Communication

has further strengthened management,

equipped with the tools and skills

necessary to meet the challenges facing

Directorate-General for Communication

as a Presidential Service

Proportion of managers

attending the 'Manager as

Coach' training sessions

offered in the Central

Catalogue

Proportion of managers

attending courses on

'writing staff appraisals'

30%

75%

Not Applicable16

82%17

B. Financial Management: Internal control and Risk

management Overarching objective: The Authorising Officer by Delegation should have reasonable

assurance that resources have been used in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, and that the control procedures put in place give the necessary guarantees concerning the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions including prevention, detection, correction and follow-up of fraud and irregularities.

Objective 1: Effective and reliable internal control system giving the necessary

guarantees concerning the legality and the regularity of the underlying transactions

Indicator 1: Estimated residual error rate18

Source of data: Ex-ante and ex-post controls performed during the reporting year

Baseline Annual Activity

Report (AAR) 2014


2016

0.38%

Annual target, below the 2% materiality

threshold (Court of Auditors (CoA))

0.4%

Indicator 2: Estimated overall amount at risk for the year for the entire budget under

the Directorate-Generals responsibility.

Source of data: Ex-ante and ex-post controls performed during the reporting year (detected and

estimated amounts)

Baseline AAR 2014 Target 2016 Latest known results

2016

EUR 691 999 <2% of payments made,

EUR 2 113 80019

EUR 768 120

Indicator 3: Estimated future corrections

Source of data: DG BUDGET estimated average correction (ABAC)

Baseline AAR 2014 Target 2016 Latest known results

2016

EUR 754 968 N/A113 EUR 681 691

16

Figures not available, due to change in training catalogue registration system. The European School of

Administration (EUSA) carried out an extensive review of its management training courses, and this, together with the transition from SYSLOG to EULearn meant that the 'Manager as Coach' course was not available as frequently as had been expected. Newly-appointed middle and senior managers were all offered one-on-one coaching sessions instead. 17 16 participants from HQ, 22 from REPS out of 46 senior and middle managers 18

Definition, see the first annex to the AAR instructions 2014 "Key definitions for determining amounts

at risk" at https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/budgweb/EN/rep/aar/Documents/aar-standing-instructions.pdf. 19 Following the reorganisation of the Commission's services (11/2014 and 01/2015) and the resulting

transfer of activities to other DGs (Euronews/Euranet on the "multimedia budget line" transferred to DG CNECT and Europe for Citizens Programme transferred to DG HOME), Directorate-General for Communication's operational budget was reduced by EUR 43.8 M and amounted to EUR 74.5 M in

commitment appropriations and EUR 67.2 M in payment appropriations.




results

2016

Monitor the reliability and

effectiveness of the

internal control system

Satisfaction rate of Directorate-General

for Communication management with

the effectiveness of internal control

systems (ICAT) survey

More than

80% 81.25%

Professional advice on

procurement and grant

process

Satisfaction rate of Operational Units

and Commission Representations with

the services of the COMM.D3 local

helpdesk (support on procurement and

grant processes)

More than

75% 72.5%20

Objective 2: Effective and reliable internal control system in line with sound financial

management.

Indicator 1: Conclusion reached on cost effectiveness of controls

Source of data: Annual Activity Report (AAR) 2014

Baseline AAR 2014 Target 2016 - 2020 Latest known results

2016

Yes – cost effective Yes – cost effective Yes – cost effective

Indicator2: Overall cost of control per distinct control system

Source of data: AAR 2014

Baseline 2014 Target 2016 Latest known results

2016

- average cost of control for procurement

procedure : EUR 743

- average cost of control for grant procedure

: EUR 1 081

- average cost of control for financial

transaction : EUR 191

- average cost of control for supervisory

measures : EUR 2 022

To be defined in

context of Annual

Activity Report

201531

EUR 511

EUR 918

EUR 221

EUR 955

Indicator 3: Satisfaction of Directorate-General for Communication management with the effectiveness of internal control systems (Results of ICAT –internal control assessment tool) 21 Source of data: Directorate-General for Communication ICAT survey - December 2016


2016

81.722 .

More than 80% 81.25%

Indicator 4: Satisfaction of Directorate-General for Communication management with Operational Units and Commission Representations with the services of Unit D3 local helpdesk (support on procurement and grant processes) Source of data: Directorate D 2016 Satisfaction survey results - Ares(2017)985715


2016

72.47%

More than 75% 72.5%

20 Directorate D satisfaction survey carried out in November 2016 (Ares(2017)985715. 21

Since 2014, the ICAT survey in Directorate-General for Communication is carried out on an annual

basis. 22

Directorate-General for Communication's ICAT survey carried out in November 2015.



Description Indicator Target Latest known results

2016

Budget execution

Operational Budget

execution by

commitments with

respect to the annual

forecast23

Close to 100 % 99.98%

Budget execution

Operational Budget

execution by payments

with respect to the

annual forecast

More than 95 % 100%

Budget execution

Payments executed

within contractual

payment deadlines

("Time to pay")

More than 95 %

within

contractual delay

97.15%

Budget execution "Time to inform" Less than 6

months

83

Budget execution "Time to grant" Less than 9

months 41

Objective 3: Minimisation of the risk of fraud through application of effective anti-fraud measures, integrated in all activities of the Directorate-General, based on the Directorate-General's anti-fraud strategy (AFS) aimed at the prevention, detection and reparation of fraud.

Indicator 1: Updated anti-fraud strategy of Directorate-General for Communication, elaborated on the basis of the methodology provided by OLAF24 Source of data: Directorate-General for Communication Anti-fraud strategy

Baseline 2013

Interim Milestone 2016 Target Latest known results

2016

19/12/2013

Approval of Anti-Fraud Strategy update by Directorate-General

for Communication hierarchy by 30/11/2016

Update every 3 years25

New Anti-Fraud Strategy 2017-2019 adopted26



2016

Maintain awareness

in fraud prevention

and detection

Number of

awareness raising

sessions on fraud

prevention and

detection.

One information

session for the

Commission

Representations

and one for the

Headquarters

Following the internal survey,

the level of information on

fraud prevention and detection

is assessed as "good" or "very

good" by 55% of the staff27

23

2015 Directorate-General for Communication budget implementation for commitments: 99,83%. 24

The methodology can be found on the FPDNet website:

https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/serv/en/fraud-

prevention/ToolBox/Documents/Methodology%20and%20guidance%20for%20DGs%20anti-fraud%20strategies.pdf. In particular paragraph 3 of the methodology is relevant. 25

Directorate-General for Communication anti-fraud strategy currently specifies that an up-date takes

place "if necessary" – revision planned by November 2016. 26

Anti-Fraud Strategy 2017-2019, Ares(2017)254198, 17/01/2017. 27

Anti-Fraud awareness survey carried out in June 2016.


C. Infrastructure

Objective 1: Ensure effective management of the Directorate-General for

Communication's infrastructure for Commission Representations (buildings,

security, health and safety) and IT for Headquarters and Representations.

Indicator 1: Satisfaction of users (Headquarters and Commission

Representations) with IT applications developed by the IT Unit and with IT

Infrastructure & services (Headquarters and Commission Representations) not

managed by DG DIGIT.



2016

72.68 %

More than 75%

IS development: 78.90%

Technical support: 81.40%

Indicator 2: Commission Representations' satisfaction with the logistics services

(infrastructure, security, health and safety) provided by Unit D2



2016

80 %

80% 89.5%



results

2016

Health and safety measures in the Commission Representations monitoring

See Annual Health and Safety

report sent to DG Human

Resources

1 1

Headquarters: Development of IT applications as per annex 5 of MP

Representations: Provision of IT infrastructure and helpdesk function for Commission Representations (see annex 5 of Management Plan)

Quality services provided to

Headquarters

users satisfaction

Quality services provided to

Commission Representations

users satisfaction

80%

78.90%

81.40%


D. Information management aspects

Objective 1: Information and knowledge in your Directorate-General is shared and reusable

by other DGs. Important documents are registered, filed and retrievable

Indicator 1: Percentage of registered documents that are not filed28 (ratio)

Source of data: Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN)29 statistics

Baseline 2015

Target Latest known results

2016

0.05% 0.05%30 0.08%

Indicator 2: Percentage of Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN) files readable/accessible by all

units in the Directorate-General

Source of data: Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN) statistics

Baseline 2015


2016

91.5 % 95 % 92.27%

Indicator 3: Percentage of HAN files shared with other Directorate-Generals

Source of data: Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN) statistics

Baseline 2015


2016

0.6% 5%31 5.07%


Description Indicator Target32 Latest known results

2016

Registered documents that

are not filed33

Percentage of registered

documents that are not filed 0.05% 0.08%

Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN)

files readable/accessible by

all units in the Directorate-

General

Percentage of Hermes-Ares-

Nomcom (HAN) files

readable/accessible by all units

in the Directorate-General

95 % 92.97%

Hermes-Ares-Nomcom (HAN)

files shared with other

Directorate-Generals

Percentage of Hermes-Ares-

Nomcom (HAN) files shared

with other Directorate-Generals

5% 5.07%

28

Each registered document must be filed in at least one official file of the Chef de file, as required by

the e-Domec policy rules (and Internal Control Standard 11 requirements). The indicator is to be measured via ARES reporting tools. 29 Set of tools designed to implement the e-Domec policy rules. 30

This is a realistic target. Directorate-General for Communication has always kept the number of

registered documents that are not filed to a strict minimum (below 0,5%). To achieve this, monthly reports are produced by the Document Management Center (CAD) and send to the Document Management Officer (DMO) correspondents in the Units and in the Commission Representations in the Member States. In addition, this indicator is brought to the attention of the Senior Management twice a year. Finally, an Ares statistic reports is sent quarterly to the Head of Units and the Head of Representations for appropriate follow-up. The reports present key indicators which are directly linked to the DG’s Management Plan. In this context, the reports will help to assess the degree of implementation of Document Management rules, and highlight problem areas in the field, in need of improvement. 31

In view of the Commission average of 6,25%, the target of 5% is a realistic target to which

Directorate-General for Communication will bring up its performance step by step, gradually opening up Directorate-General for Communication's closed files to the rest of Commission. 32 Directorate-General for Communication will continue to reach the maximum filing rate and increase

transparency by re-assessing the possibility to best extend the reading rights to the rest of the Commission. 33

Each registered document must be filed in at least one official file of the Chef de file, as required by

the e-Domec policy rules (and Internal Control Standard 11 requirements). The indicator is to be

measured via ARES reporting tools.


E. External communication activities

Overarching Objective: Citizens perceive that the European Union is working to improve their

lives and engage with the European Union. They feel that their concerns are taken into

consideration in European decision making and they know about their rights in the European

Union.

Indicator 1: Percentage of European Union citizens having a positive image of the European

Union

Every Directorate-General should aim to contribute to it and, considering its area of work,

explain how it aims at enhancing the positive image of the European Union.

Definition: Eurobarometer measures the state of public opinion in the European Union Member States.

This global indicator is influenced by many factors, including the work of other European Union

institutions and national governments, as well as political and economic factors, not just the

communication actions of the Commission. It is relevant as a proxy for the overall perception of the

European Union citizens. Positive visibility for the European Union is the desirable corporate outcome of

Commission communication, even if individual DGs’ actions may only make a small contribution.

Source of data: Standard Eurobarometer (Directorate-General for Communication budget) [monitored

by Directorate-General for Communication here].

Baseline: November 2015 -

Eurobarometer 84


November 2016 –

Eurobarometer 86

Status as of November 2015 Total "Positive": 37 %

Neutral: 38 % Total "Negative": 23%

Positive image of the European Union ≥

50%

Positive image of the European Union: 35%

F. Other communication activities of Directorate-General for

Communication

Objective MEDIA MONITORING: Media Monitoring and media analysis products are used by

the College, Cabinets and Services as an element of informed decision-making

Result Indicator 1: A regular media monitoring and analysis service is ensured throughout the year Source of data: COMM.A3


2016

Service ensured during 365

days as requested

Service ensured during 365 days as

requested

Service ensured 365 days in

2016



2016

Service ensured during 365

days as requested

Satisfaction rate concerning

media monitoring products 70% 76%


Objective "MAKING THE NETWORKS WORK" (Commission Representations and Europe

Direct)

1) MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION OF THE COMMISSION REPRESENTATIONS: The

Commission’s network of Commission Representations and regional offices is managed and

supervised in a way that enables Commission Representations to provide political and

economic intelligence, media coverage and outreach activities focussing on the Colleges

Political Priorities and working in partnership with the European Parliament Information

Offices and the Member States34

2) MANAGEMENT OF THE EUROPE DIRECT SERVICES: The Commission’s Europe Direct

services (Contact Centre and Europe Direct network35) are managed and supervised in a way

that enables the Contact Centre and the Europe Direct network to provide reliable question

and answer service to citizens and the Europe Direct Information Centres provide outreach

activities focussing notably on the College's Political Priorities36

Indicator 1: Commission Representations social media presence is continuously developed

and Share Online Project37 is transformed into a more integrated approach (appointment and

training of “digital leaders38”)

Source of data: COMM B.2

Baseline 2014


2016

Share of Commission Representations having included social media in the country strategy: 100%

100%

100%

Share of staff possessing social media skills39 and/or contributing to social media communication (based on survey of Representation staff)

Baseline to be established in 2016

67 %40

Indicator 2: Satisfaction of participants with the programmes offered in the regular meetings/trainings organised for the different Commission Representation networks41.

Source of data: COMM B.2


2016

Satisfaction rate: 77% at least "very good" overall

satisfaction rate

70% at least "very

good" overall.

80 % at least "very

good" overall

(30% excellent

50% very good)

Indicator 3: Contractor’s performance as measured by indicators defined in the Europe Direct

34

Commission Work Programme, Management Plan, Mid-term and Annual Activity Report. 35

Europe Direct network is composed of Europe Direct Information Centres, European Documentation

Centres and Team Europe. 36

Commission Work Programme, Management Plan, Mid-term and Annual Activity Report. 37

Pilot project/Preparatory action developing social media capacity in Commission Representations and

European Parliament Information Offices. 38

Members of Representations' staff responsible for digital communication, including social media. 39

Independent user or above, based on Europass Digital Competences Self-assessment grid. 40

Percentage of respondents to a survey who rate themselves as independent or proficient users of

social networking sites with regard to the Europass digital literacy self-assessment grid. 41

Head of Representation, Political Reporter, Press Officer, Communication Officer and European

Semester Officer networks.


Contact Centre (EDCC)42 framework contract43

Source of data: Regular reporting from Europe Direct Contact Centre (EDCC), 2014 evaluation report

Baseline 2014


2016

First contact resolution rate for telephone enquiries: 94.6%

Months during which the maximum response time for e-mail

enquiries was respected: 11 out of 12

96%

11 out of 12

94%

10 out of 12

Indicator 4: Development of structured user feedback mechanism for Europe Direct

Source of data: Reports of Europe Direct Contact Centre (EDCC) and European Direct Information

Centre (EDIC)

Baseline 2016 Target 2016

Latest known results

2016

N/A44 10 general reports

4 ad-hoc reports

12 general reports

"MAKING THE NETWORKS WORK" (1)



2016

Head of Representation, Political Reporter, Press Officer, Communication Officer, Digital leaders and European Semester Officer meetings

Number of meetings

8

9 meetings and 5

training sessions

"MAKING THE NETWORKS WORK" (2)



2016

Europe Direct Contact

Centre (EDCC)

Percentage of Europe Direct

Contact Centre (EDCC) users

satisfied with Europe Direct

Contact Centre (EDCC) service

Cost per Europe Direct Contact Centre (EDCC) enquiry

87%45

Below EUR 40

84%

EUR 28

Europe Direct Network

Number of training days x

number of participants

Percentage of European Direct Information Centre managers

satisfied with Directorate-General for Communication support

7 days of

training/1600

participants

85%46

7days of training/ 1600

participants

90%

42

Europe Direct Contact Centre (EDCC): The information service for the general public, answering EU-

related questions (136.219 in 2014) by e-mail, telephone, and web chat in all EU official languages. The EDCC was launched during the UK Presidency in June 1998. 43

Service level (2011 to 2015 framework contract) and performance indicator (2015 to 2019 framework

contract) compliance. 44 The product is being developed in 2016. 45

This percentage is equivalent to 14 points in a 16 points scale. 46

This percentage is equivalent to 3,75 points in a 5 points scale.


ANNEX 3: Draft annual accounts and financial reports

Annex 3 Financial Reports - Directorate-General for Communication - Financial Year 2016

Table 1 : Commitments

Table 2 : Payments

Table 3 : Commitments to be settled

Table 4 : Balance Sheet

Table 5 : Statement of Financial Performance

Table 5 Bis: Off Balance Sheet

Table 6 : Average Payment Times

Table 7 : Income

Table 8 : Recovery of undue Payments

Table 9 : Ageing Balance of Recovery Orders

Table 10 : Waivers of Recovery Orders

Table 11 : Negotiated Procedures (excluding Building Contracts)

Table 12 : Summary of Procedures (excluding Building Contracts)

Table 13 : Building Contracts

Table 14 : Contracts declared Secret


TABLE 1: OUTTURN ON COMMITMENT APPROPRIATIONS IN 2016 (in Mio €)

Commitment appropriations

authorised

Commitments made

%

1 2 3=2/1

Title 02 Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs

02 02 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs' policy area

0.175 0.175 100.00 %

02 02 Competitiveness of enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME)

0.05 0.05 100.00 %

Total Title 02 0.225 0.225 100.00%

Title 04 Employment, social affairs and inclusion

04 04 02 European Social Fund 2.2 2.2 100.00 %

Total Title 04 2.2 2.2 100.00%

Title 05 Agriculture and rural development

05 05 04 Rural development 2.6 2.6 100.00 %

05 08 Policy strategy and coordination of the 'Agriculture and rural development' policy area

4 3.9999992 100.00 %

Total Title 05 6.6 6.5999992 100.00%

Title 06 Mobility and transport

06 06 02 European transport policy 0.75 0.75 100.00 %

Total Title 06 0.75 0.75 100.00%

Title 07 Environment

07 07 02 Environmental policy at Union and international level 0.05625 0.05625 100.00 %

Total Title 07 0.05625 0.05625 100.00%

Title 08 Research and innovation

08 08 02 Horizon 2020 - Research 2.2 2.2 100.00 %

Total Title 08 2.2 2.2 100.00%

Title 13 Regional and urban policy

13 13 03 European Regional Development Fund and other regional operations

4.5675 4.5675 100.00 %

13 04 Cohesion Fund (CF) 1.9575 1.9575 100.00 %

Total Title 13 6.525 6.525 100.00%

Title 15 Education and culture

15 15 02 Erasmus+ 0.4 0.4 100.00 %

Total Title 15 0.4 0.4 100.00%

Title 16 Communication

16 16 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Communication' policy area

44.81809891 41.49479701 92.58 %

16 03 Communication actions 71.43694952 71.08878541 99.51 %

Total Title 16 116.2550484 112.5835824 96.84%

Title 17 Health and food safety


17 17 04 Food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health

0.1 0.1 100.00 %

Total Title 17 0.1 0.1 100.00%

Title 18 Migration and home affairs

18 18 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Migration and home affairs' policy area

0.4 0.4 100.00 %

Total Title 18 0.4 0.4 100.00%

Title 19 Foreign policy instruments

19 19 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Foreign policy instruments' policy area

0.125 0.125 100.00 %

Total Title 19 0.125 0.125 100.00%

Title 21 International cooperation and development

21 21 08 Development and cooperation worldwide 0.12 0.12 100.00 %

Total Title 21 0.12 0.12 100.00%

Title 22 Neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations

22 22 02 Enlargement process and strategy 0.4 0.4 100.00 %

22 04 European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) 0.5 0.5 100.00 %

Total Title 22 0.9 0.9 100.00%

Title 26 Commission's administration

26 26 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Commission's administration' policy area

0.2845027 0.26416256 92.85 %

Total Title 26 0.2845027 0.26416256 92.85%

Title 32 Energy

32 32 01 Administrative expenditure in the 'Energy' policy area 0.125 0.125 100.00 %

Total Title 32 0.125 0.125 100.00%

Title 34 Climate action

34 34 02 Climate action at Union and international level 0.01875 0.01875 100.00 %

Total Title 34 0.01875 0.01875 100.00%

Total of Directorate-General for Communication 137.2845511 133.5927442 97.31 %

* Commitment appropriations authorised include, in addition to the budget voted by the legislative authority, appropriations carried over from the previous exercise, budget amendments as well as miscellaneous commitment appropriations for the period (e.g. internal and external assigned revenue).


TABLE 2: OUTTURN ON PAYMENT APPROPRIATIONS IN 2016 (in Mio €)

Chapter Payment

appropriations authorised *

Payments made

%

1 2 3=2/1

Title 02 Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs

02 02 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs' policy area

0.175 0 0.00 %

Total Title 02 0.175 0 0.00%

Title 05 Agriculture and rural development

05 05 08

Policy strategy and coordination of the 'Agriculture and rural development' policy area

4 0.86333476 21.58 %

Total Title 05 4 0.86333476 21.58%

Title 11 Maritime affairs and fisheries

11 11 06 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 0.194 0.18458245 95.15 %

Total Title 11 0.194 0.18458245 95.15%

Title 13 Regional and urban policy

13 13 03 European Regional Development Fund and other regional operations

0 4.13581474

13 04 Cohesion Fund (CF) 0 2.5918925

Total Title 13 0 6.72770724

Title 16 Communication

16 16 01 Administrative expenditure of the 'Communication' policy area

53.95161277 41.06584718 76.12 %


16 03 Communication actions 63.36585149 63.33993482 99.96 %

Total Title 16 117.3174643 104.405782 88.99%

Title 18 Migration and home affairs

18 18 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Migration and home affairs' policy area

0.4 0 0.00 %

Total Title 18 0.4 0 0.00%

Title 19 Foreign policy instruments

19 19 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Foreign policy instruments' policy area

0.125 0 0.00 %

Total Title 19 0.125 0 0.00%

Title 26 Commission's administration

26 26 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Commission's administration' policy area

0.42805984 0.23631677 55.21 %

Total Title 26 0.42805984 0.23631677 55.21%

Title 32 Energy

32 32 01 Administrative expenditure in the 'Energy' policy area 0.125 0 0.00 %

Total Title 32 0.125 0 0.00%

Total of Directorate-General for Communication 122.7645241 112.4177232 91.57%

* Payment appropriations authorised include, in addition to the budget voted by the legislative authority, appropriations carried over from the previous exercise, budget amendments as well as miscellaneous payment appropriations for the period (e.g. internal and external assigned revenue).


TABLE 3 : BREAKDOWN OF COMMITMENTS TO BE SETTLED AT 31/12/2016 (in Mio €)

2016 Commitments to be settled Commitments to be

settled from

Total of commitments to be

settled at end

Total of commitments to be settled at end

Chapter Commitments

2016 Payments 2016 RAL 2016 % to be settled financial years

previous to 2016

of financial year 2016(incl

corrections)

of financial year 2015 (incl.

corrections)

1 2 3=1-2 4=1-2/1 5 6=3+5 7

Title 02 : Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs

02 02 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs' policy area

0.175 0.00 0.175 100.00 % 0.00 0.18 0.00

02 02

Competitiveness of enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME)

0.05 0.00 0.05 100.00 % 0.00 0.05 0.00

Total Title 02 0.225 0.00 0.225 100.00% 0 0.225 0

Title 04 : Employment, social affairs and inclusion

04 04 02 European Social Fund

2.2 0.00 2.2 100.00 % 0.00 2.20 0.00

Total Title 04 2.2 0.00 2.2 100.00% 0 2.2 0

Title 05 : Agriculture and rural development

05 05 04 Rural development

2.6 0.00 2.6 100.00 % 0.00 2.60 0.00

05 08 Policy strategy and coordination of the

3.9999992 0.86 3.13666444 78.42 % 0.00 3.14 0.00


'Agriculture and rural development' policy area

Total Title 05 6.5999992 0.86 5.73666444 86.92% 0 5.73666444 0

Title 06 : Mobility and transport

06 06 02 European transport policy

0.75 0.00 0.75 100.00 % 0.00 0.75 0.00

Total Title 06 0.75 0.00 0.75 100.00% 0 0.75 0

Title 07 : Environment

07 07 02

Environmental policy at Union and international level

0.05625 0.00 0.05625 100.00 % 0.00 0.06 0.00

Total Title 07 0.05625 0.00 0.05625 100.00% 0 0.05625 0

Title 08 : Research and innovation

08 08 02 Horizon 2020 - Research

2.2 0.00 2.2 100.00 % 0.00 2.20 0.00

Total Title 08 2.2 0.00 2.2 100.00% 0 2.2 0

Title 11 : Maritime affairs and fisheries

11 11 06

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

0 0.00 0 0.00 % 0.01 0.01 0.19

Total Title 11 0 0.00 0 0.00% 0.006868 0.006868 0.19383304

Title 13 : Regional and urban policy

13 13 03

European Regional Development Fund and other regional

4.5675 2.12 2.44646884 53.56 % 0.09 2.53 2.10


operations

13 04 Cohesion Fund (CF)

1.9575 1.72 0.24 12.26 % 0.03 0.27 0.90

Total Title 13 6.525 3.84 2.68646884 41.17% 0.11022392 2.79669276 2.9994

Title 15 : Education and culture

15 15 02 Erasmus+ 0.4 0.00 0.4 100.00 % 0.00 0.40 0.00

Total Title 15 0.4 0.00 0.4 100.00% 0 0.4 0

Title 16 : Communication

16 16 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Communication' policy area

41.48854431 32.73 8.75510661 21.10 % 0.00 8.76 9.17

16 03 Communication actions

71.08878541 31.03 40.05603332 56.35 % 3.88 43.93 38.17

Total Title 16 112.5773297 63.77 48.81113993 43.36% 3.87744598 52.68858591 47.33929483

Title 17 : Health and food safety

17 17 04

Food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health

0.1 0.00 0.1 100.00 % 0.00 0.10 0.00

Total Title 17 0.1 0.00 0.1 100.00% 0 0.1 0

Title 18 : Migration and home affairs

18 18 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Migration and home affairs' policy area

0.4 0.00 0.4 100.00 % 0.00 0.40 0.00


Total Title 18 0.4 0.00 0.4 100.00% 0 0.4 0

Title 19 : Foreign policy instruments

19 19 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Foreign policy instruments' policy area

0.125 0.00 0.125 100.00 % 0.00 0.13 0.00

Total Title 19 0.125 0.00 0.125 100.00% 0 0.125 0

Title 21 : International cooperation and development

21 21 08 Development and cooperation worldwide

0.12 0.00 0.12 100.00 % 0.51 0.63 0.00

Total Title 21 0.12 0.00 0.12 100.00% 0.505 0.625 0

Title 22 : Neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations

22 22 02 Enlargement process and strategy

0.4 0.00 0.4 100.00 % 0.00 0.40 0.00

22 04 European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)

0.5 0.00 0.5 100.00 % 0.00 0.50 0.00

Total Title 22 0.9 0.00 0.9 100.00% 0 0.9 0

Title 26 : Commission's administration

26 26 01

Administrative expenditure of the 'Commission's administration' policy area

0.26416256 0.12 0.14575569 55.18 % 0.00 0.15 0.14

Total Title 26 0.26416256 0.12 0.14575569 55.18% 0 0.14575569 0.14355714

Title 32 : Energy


32 32 01

Administrative expenditure in the 'Energy' policy area

0.125 0.00 0.125 100.00 % 0.00 0.13 0.00

Total Title 32 0.125 0.00 0.125 100.00% 0 0.125 0

Title 34 : Climate action

34 34 02

Climate action at Union and international level

0.01875 0.00 0.01875 100.00 % 0.00 0.02 0.00

Total Title 34 0.01875 0.00 0.01875 100.00% 0 0.01875 0

Total of Directorate-

General for Communication

133.5864915 68.59 65.0000289 48.66 % 4.4995379 69.4995668 50.67608501


TABLE 4 : BALANCE SHEET COMM

BALANCE SHEET 2016 2015

A.I. NON CURRENT ASSETS 32337957.58 34116088.96

A.I.1. Intangible Assets 5602.32 8,982.41

A.I.2. Property, Plant and Equipment 32332355.26 34,107,106.55

A.I.6. Non-Cur Exch Receiv & Non-Ex Recoverab 0.00 0.00

A.II. CURRENT ASSETS 17793094.18 6971557.09

A.II.2. Current Pre-Financing 12682024.2 439,619.70

A.II.3. Curr Exch Receiv &Non-Ex Recoverables 5044657.99 6,475,649.67

A.II.6. Cash and Cash Equivalents 66411.99 56,287.72

ASSETS 50131051.76 41087646.05

P.I. NON CURRENT LIABILITIES -14608288.83 -15864500.11

P.I.3. Non-Current Financial Liabilities -14608288.83 -15,864,500.11

P.II. CURRENT LIABILITIES -2895971.99 -14306678.52

P.II.3. Current Financial Liabilities -1256211.28 -1,256,211.28

P.II.4. Current Payables -1639760.71 -1,826,562.86

P.II.5. Current Accrued Charges &Defrd Income 0.00 -11,223,904.38

LIABILITIES -17504260.82 -30171178.63

NET ASSETS (ASSETS less LIABILITIES) 32626790.94 10,916,467.42

P.III.2. Accumulated Surplus / Deficit 437436359.2 331175675.6

Non-allocated central (surplus)/deficit* -470063150.15 -342092143.1

TOTAL 0.00 0.00

It should be noted that the balance sheet and statement of financial performance presented in Annex 3 to this Annual Activity Report, represent only the assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues that are under the control of this Directorate General. Significant amounts such as own resource revenues and cash held in Commission bank accounts are not included in this Directorate General's accounts since they are managed centrally by DG Budget, on whose balance sheet and statement of financial performance they appear. Furthermore, since the accumulated result of the Commission is not split amongst the various Directorates General, it can be seen that the balance sheet presented here is not in equilibrium. Additionally, the figures included in tables 4 and 5 are provisional since they are, at this date, still subject to audit by the Court of Auditors. It is thus possible that amounts included in these tables may have to be adjusted following this audit.


TABLE 5 : STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE COMM

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 2016 2015

II.1 REVENUES -1258153.37 802929.02

II.1.1. NON-EXCHANGE REVENUES -172.75 -41882.17

II.1.1.5. RECOVERY OF EXPENSES -172.75 -41,882.17

II.1.2. EXCHANGE REVENUES -1257980.62 844811.19

II.1.2.1. FINANCIAL INCOME -8.65 -1,388.22

II.1.2.2. OTHER EXCHANGE REVENUE -1,257,971.97 846,199.41

II.2. EXPENSES 83131956.83 105457754.6

II.2. EXPENSES 83131956.83 105457754.6

II.2.10.OTHER EXPENSES 34,947,807.57 36,601,876.71

II.2.2. EXP IMPLEM BY COMMISS&EX.AGENC. (DM) 45,653,770.71 66,118,144.79

II.2.5. EXP IMPLEM BY OTHER ENTITIES (IM) 114,088.65

II.2.6. STAFF AND PENSION COSTS 2,524,988.68 2,601,054.22

II.2.8. FINANCE COSTS 5,389.87 22,590.18

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 81,873,803.46 106,260,683.57

Explanatory Notes (facultative): Please enter the text directly (no copy/paste of formatted text which would then disappear when saving the document in pdf), use \\\"ctrl+enter\\\" to go to the next line and \\\"enter\\\" to validate your typing.



TABLE 5bis : OFF BALANCE SHEET COMM

OFF BALANCE 2016 2015

OB.1. Contingent Assets 3662037.75 514379.41

GR for pre-financing 3,662,037.75 514,379.41

OB.3. Other Significant Disclosures -66065235.37 -109393469.6

OB.3.2. Comm against app. not yet consumed 0.00 -37,084,738.38

OB.3.5. Operating lease commitments -66,065,235.37 -72,308,731.26

OB.4. Balancing Accounts 62403197.62 108879090.2

OB.4. Balancing Accounts 62,403,197.62 108,879,090.23

OFF BALANCE 0.00 0.00

Explanatory Notes (facultative): Please enter the text directly (no copy/paste of formatted text which would then disappear when saving the document in pdf), use \\\"ctrl+enter\\\" to go to the next line and \\\"enter\\\" to validate your typing.


TABLE 6: AVERAGE PAYMENT TIMES FOR 2016 - DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION

Legal Times

Maximum Payment Time

(Days)

Total Number of Payments

Nbr of Paymen

ts within Time Limit

Percentage Average Payment

Times (Days)

Nbr of Late Payments

Percentage

Average Payment Times

(Days)

20 4 4 100.00 % 14.5

30 18479 17978 97.29 % 11.34086105 501 2.71 % 49.1437126

37 141 134 95.04 % 23.3358209 7 4.96 % 40.8571429

40 2 2 100.00 % 22.5

45 1 1 100.00 % 21

50 66 66 100.00 % 21.28787879

60 1688 1616 95.73 % 27.67326733 72 4.27 % 75.0277778

90 2 2 100.00 % 10

91 1 1 100.00 % 8


20384 19804 97.15 % 580 2.85 %


Average Net Payment Time

13.91282378 12.78984044 52.2568966

Average Gross Payment Time

14.54689953 13.40284791 53.6103448

Target Times

Target Payment Time

(Days)


Nbr of Paymen

ts within Target Time

Percentage

Average Payment

Times (Days)

Nbr of Late Payments

Percentage

Average Payment Times

(Days)

20 454 347 76.43 % 11.32276657 107 23.57 % 33.6168224

30 459 429 93.46 % 13.01165501 30 6.54 % 37.9333333


913 776 84.99 % 137 15.01 %

Average Net Payment Time

15.60350493 12.2564433 34.5620438

Average Gross Payment Time

15.89266156 12.51417526 35.0291971

Suspensions

Average Report

Approval Suspension

Days

Average Payment

Suspension Days

Number of

Suspended

Payments

% of Total Number


Amount of Suspended Payments

% of Total

Amount

Total Paid Amount

0 22 586 2.87 % 20384 7,710,776.13 6.85 % 112,561,184.33

Late Interest paid in 2016

DG GL Account Description Amount (Eur)

COMM 65010100 Interest on late payment of charges New FR 1 049.46

1 049.46


TABLE 7 : SITUATION ON REVENUE AND INCOME IN 2016

Revenue and income recognized Revenue and income cashed from Outstanding

Chapter Current year RO Carried over RO Total Current Year RO Carried over RO Total balance

1 2 3=1+2 4 5 6=4+5 7=3-6

50 PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE PROPERTY

55706.24 0 55706.24 55706.24 0 55706.24 0

52 REVENUE FROM INVESTMENTS OR LOANS GRANTED, BANK AND OTHER INTEREST

8.65 0 8.65 8.65 0 8.65 0

57 OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS AND REFUNDS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATION OF THE INSTITUTION

4661800.31 114235.61 4776035.92 4577264.32 113668.73 4690933.05 85102.87

58 MISCELLANEOUS COMPENSATION 937.88 0 937.88 937.88 0 937.88 0

66 OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS AND REFUNDS 615509.25 272156.12 887665.37 588904.13 26439.65 615343.78 272321.59

Total for Directorate-General for Communication 5333962.33 386391.73 5720354.06 5222821.22 140108.38 5362929.6 357424.46


TABLE 8 : RECOVERY OF PAYMENTS (Number of Recovery Contexts and corresponding Transaction Amount)

INCOME BUDGET RECOVERY ORDERS

ISSUED IN 2016 Error

Total undue payments recovered

Total transactions in recovery context (incl. non-qualified)

% Qualified/Total RC

Year of Origin (commitment) Nbr RO Amount Nbr RO Amount Nbr RO Amount Nbr RO Amount

2011 1 21000

2012 3 81687.39

2013 3 19249.33

2014 17 30042.53

2015 467 1123618.44

2016 1 2646 1 2646 605 2302304.6 0.17% 0.11%

No Link 14 1780219.82

Sub-Total 1 2646 1 2646 1110 5358122.11 0.09% 0.05%

EXPENSES BUDGET Error Irregularity OLAF Notified Total undue payments recovered

Total transactions in recovery context

(incl. non-qualified) % Qualified/Total

RC

Nbr Amount Nbr Amount Nbr Amount Nbr Amount Nbr Amount Nbr Amount

INCOME LINES IN INVOICES 1 28.95

NON ELIGIBLE IN COST CLAIMS 112 201,044.28

CREDIT NOTES 63 2254635.29 4 48844.85 67 2303480.14 310 2,931,860.61 21.61% 78.57%

Sub-Total 63 2254635.29 4 48844.85 68 2303480.14 423 3132933.84 15.84% 73.52%

GRAND TOTAL 64 2257281.29 4 48844.85 14 2306126.14 1533 8491055.95 4.44% 27.11%


TABLE 9: AGEING BALANCE OF RECOVERY ORDERS AT 31/12/2016 FOR DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION

Number at 1/01/2016

Number at 31/12/2016

Evolution Open Amount

(Eur) at 1/01/2016 Open Amount

(Eur) at 31/12/2016 Evolution

2011 4 2 -50.00 % 213,362.08 187,602.08 -12.07 %

2012 1 1 0.00 % 17,500.00 17,500.00 0.00 %

2013 2 2 0.00 % 23,114.39 23,114.39 0.00 %

2014 2 1 -50.00 % 847.58 566.88 -33.12 %

2015 24 1 -95.83 % 131,567.68 17,500.00 -86.70 %

2016 18 111,141.11

33 25 -24.24 % 386,391.73 357,424.46 -7.50 %

TABLE 10 : RECOVERY ORDER WAIVERS IN 2016 >= EUR 100.000

Waiver Central Key Linked RO Central

Key

RO Accepted Amount

(Eur)

LE Account Group

Commission Decision

Comments

Total DG N/A

Number of RO waivers N/A

N/A


TABLE 11 : CENSUS OF NEGOTIATED PROCEDURES -DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION - 2016

Procurement > EUR 60,000

Negotiated Procedure Legal base

Number of Procedures Amount (€)

Art. 134.1(b) 12 1,908,775

Total 12 1,908,775.00

Additional comments

The use of the negotiated procedures in DG COMM is limited to the necessity of our core activities and strictly managed by Authorising officers. 12 cases are reported in DG COMM AAR 2016: - 8 of them are linked to the use of the negotiated procedure to conclude copyright licences and subscriptions to on-line information sources that are complementing DG COMM's media monitoring activity. The monopoly situations derive from the exclusivity of the copyright holders and the uniqueness of the information sources. - 2 of them are linked to publicity actions carried out in 2 airports (Roma and Milan) concluded with the exclusive operators having the monopoly position on this specific market, - 1 of them was done to bridge over a transition period needed for drafting of a new Open Call for Tender and taking into account potentially new information and findings. For this reason the contract was prolonged with the same operator providing specific audio-visual servicers and at the same time ensuring the continuity of the operations. - 1 of them to provide technical and financial assistance for interpretation costs previously covered by the United

Nations in the context of the negotiations on the peace talks in Cyprus.

TABLE 12 : SUMMARY OF PROCEDURES OF DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION EXCLUDING BUILDING CONTRACTS

Internal Procedures > € 60,000

Procedure Type Count Amount (€)

Exceptional Negotiated Procedure after publication of a contract notice (Art. 135 RAP)

1 134,877

Internal Procedures > € 60,000

Exceptional Negotiated Procedure without publication of a contract notice (Art. 134 RAP)

12 1,908,775

Negotiated Procedure with at least five candidates below Directive thresholds (Art. 136a RAP)

10 1,003,848.12

Open Procedure (Art. 104(1) (a) FR) 13 45,679,505.73 Open Procedure (Art. 127.2 RAP) 2 3,471,232.72 Restricted Procedure (Art. 104(1) (b) FR) 2 261,890.24 Restricted Procedure (Art. 127.2 RAP) 1 10,000,000.00

TOTAL 41 62,460,128.81

Additional comments

N/A


TABLE 13 : BUILDING CONTRACTS

Total number of contracts : 4

Total amount : 578,687.90

Legal base Contract Number

Contractor Name Description Amount (€)

Art. 134.1(g) 0843111 GENERALI REAL ESTATE SPA*G.R.E. PAR: LOYERS BUREAUX (GENERALI)

200000.00

Art. 134.1(g) 0852498 NIREYS NAYTIKAI - TOURISTIKAI & KTI MATIKAI ARGASIAI ANONYMOS ETAIREIA* DEINOKRATIS

ATH-NIREAS-LEASE CONTRACT 1.1.2017-31.12.2020

296531.16

Art. 134.1(g) 0853656 AVIVA LIFE & PENSIONS UK LIMITED LON/CDF - 4 YEARS LEASE FOR 2 CASPIAN POINT

24323.70

Art. 134.1(g) 0856128 UTI HEADQUARTERS SRL* BUC - RENT EXPENSES FOR THE 9TH FLOOR

57833.04

TABLE 14 : CONTRACTS DECLARED SECRET

Total Number of Contracts :

N/A

Total amount :

Legal base Contract

Number Contractor Name Type of contract Description Amount (€)

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


ANNEX 4: Materiality criteria

This annex provides detailed explanation on how the Authorising Officer by Delegation

(AOD) defined the materiality threshold as a basis for determining whether significant

weaknesses should be subject to a formal reservation to his/her declaration.

Materiality of the amount at risk is obtained by dividing the total of the net amounts at

risk, by the total value of payments made for a given Activity-based budget AAB activity

and the administrative budget. The Commission threshold for materiality is set at below

2% for the relevant ABB-activity.

For Directorate-General for Communication, the materiality of residual weaknesses

identified (i.e. 'net' after mitigating and corrective measures taken) is assessed on the

basis of qualitative and/or quantitative criteria, in line with the Standing Instructions for

the preparation of the Annual Activity Report47.

The qualitative assessment includes an analysis of the causes and the types of errors

(including whether they are repetitive and/or systemic) to conclude on the nature,

context and/or scope of the weaknesses identified. This may refer to significant control

system weaknesses or critical issues reported by the Authorising Officers by Sub-

Delegation (AOSD), the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the Internal Audit Service

(IAS), DG BUDG or OLAF.

The quantitative assessment aims at estimating any financial impact ("amount at

risk") resulting from the errors detected. In line with the standard materiality threshold

proposed by the Standing Instructions for the preparation of Annual Activity Reports,

Directorate-General for Communication has set the materiality level for the

amount at risk resulting from the residual errors at 2% of payments made for

the relevant ABB activity.

This analysis is one of the building blocks of the assurance, logically supporting the five

statements included in the Declaration of Assurance in the Annual Activity Report:

True and fair view

Resources used for the intended purpose

Sound financial management

Legality and regularity

Non-omission of significant information

Methodology used

The main objective of the controls performed by Directorate-General for Communication

each year is to ensure the legality and regularity of transactions implemented as well as

sound financial management. For this purpose, Directorate-General for Communication

has put in place a control system based on ex-ante and ex-post controls. The results

derived from the sample basis controls are used to assess the residual risk of error linked

to quantifiable errors (financial impact) and non-quantifiable errors (administrative and

47

Ares(2015)6007497 - 22/12/2015.


procedural errors).

Also, Directorate-General for Communication takes into account the result of other

controls, if available, performed by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the Internal

Audit Service (IAS), DG BUDG or OLAF.

Directorate-General for Communication manages a register of exceptions and non-

compliance events (Internal Control Standard 8) where weaknesses spotted are

recorded. Mitigating actions are then taken by the responsible Authorising Officers by

Sub-Delegation (AOSD) in order to correct the weaknesses in the control system and to

avoid the future recurrence of those errors.

Control layers

Controls are performed at different stages of the financial transaction files, from the

drafting stage of procedures to the final implementation of actions.

Procedural controls

All grant and procurement procedures, including those below EUR 60,000 and EUR

135,000, respectively, are initially processed by the Operational Units and Commission

Representations concerned, which contact the COMM.D3 Helpdesk for ad-hoc advice as

needed throughout the preparatory phase.

A first in-depth ex-ante review by the Directorate-General's specialised central team is

performed, prior to the launch of procedures, on all grants above EUR 60,000 and all

procurement procedures above EUR 135,000, as well as reopening of competition under

framework contracts. In addition, revision of procedures under this threshold, at this

stage, is performed on request of the responsible Authorising Officers by Sub-Delegation

(AOSD). These revisions are applied for Headquarters (HQ) and Commission

Representations (REPs).

A second in-depth ex-ante check is performed by the Directorate-General's specialised

central team before the award decision is taken, on all grants above EUR 60,000 and on

all procurement procedures above EUR 135,000, as well as on reopening of competition

under framework contracts. These checks are applied for Headquarters and Commission

Representations.

Ex-post on-the-spot control of procedures is performed for grants lower than EUR 60,000

and for procurements lower than EUR 135,000.

Financial transactions controls

All financial transactions are checked ex-ante by the financial verifying agent and then

subsequently checked by the responsible Authorising Officers by Sub-Delegation (AOSD).

These financial verifying agent checks are performed for Headquarters by COMM.D3 and

within each Commission Representation by trained staff in the Commission

Representations itself.

An ex-ante second-level verification is performed on a sample of financial transactions

(commitments, payments and recovery orders), using the MUS-DICE corporate system.


These sample controls are performed by Headquarters, Unit COMM.D3 and Commission

Representation’ transactions.48

An ex-post on-the-spot review of Units at Headquarters and of Commission

Representation was performed on a sample of financial transactions (on the basis of a 3-

year planning to cover all Commission Representations).

Verification of internal control standards

Ex-post on-the-spot control performed to check Processes and Procedures (Internal

Control Standard 8) in selected units and Representations each year. In addition,

prioritised internal control standards, annually defined by senior management, are

checked and controlled in the Commission Representations and Units.

I. Qualitative criteria for defining significant weaknesses

The different parameters relevant in Directorate-General for Communication for

determining significant weaknesses are the following ones:

Significant control system weaknesses: significant control system weakness

detected during the period, in reports made by Authorizing Officers by Sub-

delegation (AOSD).

Significant shortcomings in internal control standards appearing in the

yearly survey on Internal control standards implementation by management.

Critical issues outlined by the European Court of Auditors, DG BUDG,

OLAF and overall opinion of the Internal Audit Service.

When assessing the significance of any weaknesses, the following factors are taken into

account:

nature and scope of the weakness;

duration of the weakness;

existence of compensatory measures (mitigating controls which reduce the impact

of the weakness)

existence of effective corrective actions to correct the weaknesses (action plans

and financial corrections) which have had a measurable impact.

Should a significant weakness be identified, the amount at risk is quantified as far as

possible.

In addition, weaknesses which have a significant reputational impact on Directorate-

General for Communication, or on the Commission, will be reported in the Internal

Control Standard 8 Register. External and internal audit reports and ex-post control

reports irrespective of the amount of damage to Directorate-General for Communication's

48 In May 2012, revised centralised financial circuits were set up for Directorate-General for

Communication's Headquarters providing more opportunities for harmonisation and simplification while reducing the number of staff directly involved in the financial management process (Efficiency gains). Ex-post control on financial transactions of Headquarters started in 2013 in order to offset the supressed ex-ante control level 2 (MUS) on financial transactions carried out in Headquarters. Ares(2012)338185 –

22/03/2012.


administrative and operational budget will also be taken into consideration when deciding

whether to issue a reservation on a reputational basis.

II. Quantitative criteria for defining reservations

To quantify the potential financial impact of errors detected, it is necessary:

STEP 1: To determine the residual error rate by

- Determining the percentage of error in the audited sample of the population;

- Determining the level of exposure across the entire population (by applying

the detected error rates to the whole value of the population and to deduct the

amounts corresponding to any corrective actions taken that have already

effectively reduced the exposure);

STEP 2: To determine the "amount at risk" in the current financial year's

budget; taking into account the payments made

STEP 3: To determine the (financial) materiality, compared to the payments

made for a given ABB activity. This step is considered at ABB activity level.

1. GRANTS

For the management of grants, the assessment of the residual error rate and amount at

risk not detected by the supervision and ex-ante elements of the internal control system

is carried out through an analysis of the accumulated results of the ex-post audits.

1.1 STEP 1: Residual Error Rate

1.1.1. Adequacy of the audit scope

Auditable population (scope of the analysis) = value of all grants (i.e. final cost

claim) for which the cost claim was processed before 31st December of the reporting year

(= "closed" grants).

Audited population = value of "closed" grants audited and for which the audit report

was finalised before 31st December of the reporting year.

The controls operated on these operations may result in the detection of compliance

errors or irregularities. These are to be classified in two categories for the purpose of

assessing their impact on the assurance:

Payment (amount) errors: i.e. cases where, eligible amount would have

been different. In this case, as long as it remains uncorrected, the difference

in amount is to be treated as an error with its consequences on the error rate;

Procedural (grant selection and award) errors are those which seriously

impair the application of the principles of “equal treatment and transparency"

and “award proposal with the best quality in the light of the objectives and

priorities set”, i.e. cases where the grant beneficiary selected might have been

different if the procedure would have been correctly applied. In these cases,

the size of the error is, by default, set at 100% of the transaction amount and

included into the calculation of Directorate-General for Communication's error

rate. This is in line with approach of European Court Of Auditors and is


necessary to comply with the principle of transparency and allow stakeholders

to compare the Commission's error rate with the one published by the

European Court Of Auditors.

1.1.2. Raw results of the audits finalised

Detected error (amount) = For audited grants, total grant value as initially paid after

the ex-ante controls minus grant value as calculated after the ex-post control

Detected error rate (%) = Detected error divided by the grant value as initially paid

after the ex-ante controls

1.1.3. Determination of the residual error rate

Uncorrected detected errors (amount) = All detected errors pending recovery

Residual error rate in the audited population (%) = Uncorrected amount divided by

audited population

Residual error rate in the entire population = (uncorrected errors detected in the

audited population plus detected error rate multiplied by the non-audited population)

divided by entire population

1.2. STEP 2: Financial exposure from errors in terms of "amount at risk"

Amount at risk =

(gross) 'amount at risk' = applying the (representative) detected error rate to the

(full) "value" of the payments made (see above)

(net) 'amount at risk' = (gross) 'amount at risk' minus any errors that have been

corrected

Errors are reported:

For ex-ante control: after conclusion is reached with the service involved in the

affected operation or the exception event is registered in ARES

For ex-post control: after the final report of control or non-compliance event are

registered in ARES

Payment (amount) errors are considered as corrected when the corresponding

recovery order or compensation payment is introduced in the ABAC accounting system.

2. PROCUREMENTS

2.1. STEP 1: Residual Error

Procurement-related errors can occur both in contracts awarded by the Commission and

in contracts awarded by grant beneficiaries who subsequently submit the expenditure for

reimbursement.


However, errors incurred by grant beneficiaries are covered under the sections related to

grants, whereas this section only covers the errors potentially occurring in contracts

awarded by Directorate-General for Communication.

The controls performed on these operations may result in the detection of compliance

errors or irregularities. These are to be classified in two categories for the purpose of

assessing their impact on the assurance:

Payment (amount) errors: i.e. cases where, the amount paid would have been

different. In this case, as long as it remains uncorrected, the difference in the

amount is to be treated as an error with its consequences on the error rate;

Procedural (contract selection and award) errors are those which seriously

impair the application of the principles of “open, fair, transparent competition” and

“award to the best qualified bidder”, i.e. cases where the contractor selected

might have been different if the procedure would have been correct. In these

cases, the size of the error is, by default, set at 100% of the transaction amount

and included into the calculation of Directorate-General for Communication's error

rate. This is in line with the approach of the European Court Of Auditors and is

necessary to comply with the principle of transparency and allow stakeholders to

compare the Commission's error rate with the one published by the European

Court Of Auditors.

2.2 STEP 2: Financial exposure from errors in terms of cumulative "amount at

risk"

The financial exposure combines the value of the 2 types of errors:

Quantitative errors for payment (amount) errors: the amount at risk is

the real actual 'net'49 financial impact of the errors and its 'quantitative'

materiality is considered for a potential financial reservation.

Non-quantitative substantial errors for procedural matters (contract

selection and award criteria). Directorate-General for Communication applies

the approach of the European Court Of Auditors of determining 100% value of

contracts with serious infringements in the case(s) of:

- No tendering or restricted tendering for the main or supplementary

contracts (except where explicitly allowed by the legal framework);

- Inappropriate assessment of bids affecting the outcome of the

tender;

- Substantial change of the contract scope;

- Splitting of contracts in order to bring projects below the thresholds

although they are related to the same economic objective(s).

Although the "error rate' from such procedural errors may be considered as

up to 100% (i.e. in full transparency and in line with the approach of the

European Court Of Auditors), Directorate-General for Communication

applied the DG BUDG guidance on the assessment of such errors when

determining the actual budgetary and/or reputational impact. Therefore,

the Authoring Officer by Delegation (AOD) considers such errors being

49

Any correction actually made by the Commission should be deducted from the detected error.


"systematic" (e.g. repetitive for a certain Commission Representations;

leading to a potential reputational reservation) or having "no actual

financial impact" on the EU-budget (e.g. maintaining the 100% error rate).

Errors are reported:

For ex-ante control: after conclusion reached with the service involved in the affected

operation or exception event is registered in ARES.

For ex-post control: after final report of control or non-compliance event are registered

in ARES.

Payment (amount) errors are considered as corrected when the corresponding

recovery order or compensation payment is introduced in the ABAC accounting system.

III. ABB-Materiality of the amount at risk

Materiality is assessed at the level of an Activity-based Budget (ABB) activity.

The materiality of the amount at risk is obtained by dividing the total of the ('net')

amounts at risk as defined following the methodology explained under this annex, by the

total value of payments made, for a given Activity-based Budget (ABB) Activity.

An average error rate higher than 2% should lead to a reservation in the Annual Activity

Report, but this would need, in any case, to be further analysed.

Therefore, in the event that the average error rate is higher than the 2% materiality

threshold at Activity-based Budget (ABB) level, the Directorate-General would assess the

details of each Activity-based Budget (ABB) activity separately in order to identify the

appropriate level within the Activity-based Budget (ABB) activity (e.g. programme etc.)

at which a reservation needs to be issued and corrective measures applied to remedy the

control weaknesses identified.


ANNEX 5: Internal Control Template(s) for budget implementation (ICTs)

Name the type of expenditure to which the Internal Control Template applies50 (grants direct management / procurement direct

management / shared management / indirect entrusted management / Financial Instruments / Non-Expenditure Items51). The generic

Internal Control Template for the above expenditure types are published on BUDGweb.

1. Procurement (direct management)

Main control objectives: Ensuring legality, regularity, effectiveness and efficiency of procedures launched by Directorate-General for Communication.

MAIN RISKS

IT MAY HAPPEN (AGAIN)

THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH

HOW TO ESTIMATE THE COSTS

AND BENEFITS OF CONTROLS CONTROL INDICATORS

PER YEAR

The needs/purpose of the procurement are not well defined consequently the resulting contract is inappropriate to meet the operational objectives. (Potentially) limited number of offers due to poor definition of tender specifications.

Authoring Officer by Sub-Delegation (AOSD) supervision and approval of specifications. Operational units initiate and verify all files.

HQ centralised helpdesk function is provided to the operational units (on a voluntary request basis) in order to give advice on the implementation of rules and procedures in accordance with financial regulation and its rules of implementation. Ex ante second/in-depth review of public

100% of specifications are scrutinised by Authoring Officer by Sub-Delegation (AOSD) and their Services. All procurement files and partial additional advice for some files depending on the needs of operational services.

Estimate of costs of staff involved in the activity and the cost of the external services (if applicable)

Number of questions replied

50 One Internal Control Template is required per type of expenditure managed by the Directorate-General. As regards cost benefit indicators for the external aid policy area, the aid delivery methods (procurement and grants, contribution agreements, budget support etc.), the management modes or distinct internal control systems or alternatively the different cooperation instruments could be used, as long as the relevant indicators are reported accordingly in the AAR. 51 For specific types of expenditure that do not fit in the categories mentioned (e.g. Budget support) use the same template and name it accordingly.


The most economically advantageous offer not being selected due to an inaccurate evaluation process.

procurement procedures is provided by specialised centralised team. The revision comprises the verification of files prior to the launch of procedures, whether open, restricted or low value procedures applying relevant rules and regulations. Ex-ante second/in-depth checks are

provided to ensure the quality control of the tender from publication, evaluation and award before signature of the contract. Missing documents and clarifications are requested. When necessary, recommendations to modify Evaluation Reports to ensure coherence between the points and the comments, as well as requests to correct calculation errors in the financial offers are transmitted to the AOSD. Opening and Evaluation Committees declaration of absence of conflicts of interests. Exclusion and selection criteria documented. Standstill period, opportunity for unsuccessful tenderers to put forward their concerns on the decision and/or Ombudsman complaint Ex-post on-the-spot control performed by centralised unit with own staff on a sample basis for low value procurement procedures.

All procurement files superior to EUR 135,000. All procurement files superior to EUR 135,000. 100% when conditions are fulfilled. 100% when conditions are fulfilled. 100% when conditions are fulfilled. Control covers approximately 30% of Commission Representations and Units. Selection is based on risk assessment and on ad-hoc requests by senior management of Directorate-General for Communication.


Number and amount of files revised Number and amount of files checked (by ex-ante controllers) Number of procurement files controlled on the spot Detected error rate, financial Impact, residual error rate


1a) Financial transactions – Procurement

Main control objectives: Ensuring legality, regularity, effectiveness and fraud protection of financial transactions.

MAIN RISKS


THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH



PER YEAR

The products/services/works foreseen are not, totally or partially, provided and/or the amounts paid exceed the due amount.

Verification of the implementation of the Internal Control Standards for effective management – in Headquarters and Representations; Verification of financial transactions in HQ and Representations. For HQ:

Centralised financial cell performs all

checks on all financial transactions, with

strict segregation of duties between

financial agents, following the dedicated

checklist and providing guidance and

reports to operational units in order to

streamline the processes.

For Representations:

Decentralised financial circuits:

Operational and financial checks

performed in each Representation.

Central 2nd level financial control

(performed by HQ/COMM.D3).

Representative sample of financial transactions Verification of prioritised in the DG management plan internal control standards. All financial transactions. All financial transactions. A representative sample of financial transactions is checked.


Number and amount of operations verified, for reporting year. Number and amount of operations verified, for reporting year. Number and amount of operations verified, for reporting year. Amount at risk and its materiality by budget line


1 b) Ex-post control - Procurement

Main control objectives: to ensure legality, regularity, effectiveness and fraud protection of financial transactions.

MAIN RISKS


THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH



PER YEAR

The actions foreseen are not totally or partially, provided in accordance with procurement requirements foreseen in the contracts and/or non-eligible costs are paid to the contractors.

On the spot ex-post controls by centralised unit with own staff; detailed checks; risk-based selection of beneficiaries; final report finalised after contradictory procedure, decentralised decision by AOSD on the financial effect of the controls.

Control performed on a risk-based sample and on ad hoc request by Representations and Units.


Number of procurement files controlled on the spot Detected error rate, financial Impact, residual error rate


2. Grants (direct management): programming, selecting and awarding

Main control objectives: Ensuring legality, regularity, effectiveness and efficiency of procedures launched by Directorate-General for Communication.

MAIN RISKS


THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH



PER YEAR

The needs/purpose of the calls for proposals do not adequately reflect the policy objectives, - possibly the eligibility, selection and award criteria are not adequate to ensure the successful evaluation of the proposals. Selecting and awarding: The evaluation, ranking and selection of proposals is not carried out in accordance with the established procedures, the policy objectives, priorities and/or the essential eligibility, or with the selection and award criteria defined in the annual work programme and subsequent calls for proposals.

Hierarchical validation within the authorising department. Assessment by assigned staff. Operational units initiate and verify all files. The

HQ's centralised helpdesk function is provided to the operational units (on a voluntary request basis) in order to give advice on the implementation of rules and procedures in accordance with financial regulation and its rules of implementation. Ex-ante second/in-depth review of public

procurement procedures is provided by specialised centralised team. The revision comprises the verification of files prior to the launch of procedures applying relevant rules and regulations. Ex-ante second/in-depth checks are provided to

ensure the quality control of the tender from publication, evaluation and award before signature of the contract. Missing documents and clarifications are requested. When necessary, recommendations to modify Evaluation Reports to ensure coherence between the points and the comments, as well as requests to correct calculation errors in the financial offers are transmitted to the AOSD. Opening and Evaluation Committees declaration of absence of conflicts of interests. Exclusion and selection criteria documented.

100% of proposals are evaluated. All grants files > EUR 60,000. All grants files. 100% when conditions are fulfilled. 100% when conditions are fulfilled.


Number of questions treated during the preparation of a particular procedure in framework of the work programme Number of questions replied during the year. Number and amount of files revised Number and amount of files checked (by ex-ante controllers) Time to grant


2 a) Financial transactions - grants

Main control objectives: Ensuring legality, regularity, effectiveness and fraud protection of financial transactions.

MAIN RISKS


THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH



PER YEAR

The actions foreseen are not, provided in accordance with the grant agreement requirements and/or the amounts paid exceed that due. Financial transactions are not correctly registered in the accounting system (ABAC).

Verification of the implementation of the Internal Control Standards for effective management – in the HQ and Representations; Verification of financial transactions in HQ and Representations. For HQ:

Centralised financial cell performs all

checks on all financial transactions, with

strict segregation of duties between

financial agents, following the dedicated

checklist and providing guidance and

reports to operational units in order to

streamline the processes.

For Representations:

Decentralised financial circuits:

Operational and financial checks

performed in each Representation.

Central 2nd level financial control

(performed by HQ, COMM.D3).

All financial transactions. All financial transactions. A representative sample of financial transactions is checked.


Number and amount of files revised Number and amount of operations verified for reporting year Amount at risk and its materiality by budget line

2 b) Ex-post control – grants


Main control objectives: to ensure legality, regularity, effectiveness and fraud protection of financial transactions.

MAIN RISKS


THAT…

MITIGATING CONTROLS

HOW TO DETERMINE

COVERAGE, FREQUENCY

AND DEPTH



PER YEAR

The actions foreseen are not, totally or partially, provided in accordance with grant's requirements foreseen in the grant agreement and/or non-eligible costs are paid to the beneficiary.

On the spot ex post controls by centralised unit

with own staff; detailed checks; risk-based

selection of beneficiaries; final report finalised

after contradictory procedure, decentralised

decision by AOSD on the financial effect of the

controls (Recovery orders, additional payments).

Control performed on a risk-based sample and on ad hoc request by Representations and Units.


Number of grant beneficiaries controlled on the spot, in the year

Number and amount of recovery orders issued in the year

Detected error rate, Residual error rate


ANNEX 6: Implementation through national or international public-sector bodies and bodies governed by private law with a public sector mission

Not applicable for Directorate-General for Communication


ANNEX 7: External Assistance management report (EAMR) of the Union Delegations



ANNEX 8: Decentralised agencies



ANNEX 9: Evaluations and other studies finalised or cancelled during the year

annex9evaluations.xlsx


ANNEX 10: Specific annexes related to "Financial Management"

Table 1: Ex ante second level control of financial transactions in the Representations

value of errors value of checked

transactions

total value of transactions

% of value checked

payment (amount)

errors

procedural (exclusion, selection,

award) errors

detected error rate

corrections made (of payment

and procedural

errors)

residual error rate

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 21,117,308 62,338,942 34% 2,108 0.0% 2,108 0.0%

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 9,892,074 147,164,385 7% 720 70,232 0.7% 70,952 0.7%

Others BL, RO, VAT and liaison accounts 999,843 5,728,062 17% 0.0% 0 0.0%

total 32,009,225 215,231,389 15% 2,828 70,232 0.2% 73,060 0.2%

frequency of errors number of checked

transactions

total number of

transactions

% of number checked

payment (amount)

errors

procedural (exclusion, selection,

award) errors

frequency of error

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 381 13,097 2.9% 0 0 0.0%

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 539 13,040 4.1% 2 4 1.1%

Others BL, RO, VAT and liaison accounts 36 1,293 2.8% 0 0 0.0%

total 956 27,430 3.5% 2 4 0.6%


Table 2: Ex post control of financial transactions in the Representations and Units

value of errors value of checked

transactions

payment (amount)

errors

procedural

(exclusion,

selection,

award) errors

detected error rate

corrections made (of payment

and procedural

errors)

residual error rate

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 18,700,873 0 28,556 0.2% 0 0.2%

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 14,041,848 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Others BL, RO, VAT and liaison accounts 85,575 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

total 32,828,296 0 28,556 0.1% 0 0.1%

Table 3: Best conservative error rate estimate for spending areas with no error detected

for procurement on other BL the best estimation is detected error rate in 2016 in procurement on budget line 16.03 0.7%

for all grants with eligible costs or based on lump sums the best estimation is detected error rate in this kind of grants found in 2014 (Mazar's audit) 1.2%


Table 4: Calculation of amount at risk following residual error rate

residual error rate x value of

authorised payment

= amount at risk

ABB- total value of payments

made procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 41,065,847 41,065,847

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 51,234,441 12,105,494 63,339,935

other BL 7,835,448 176,493 8,011,941

total 100,135,736 12,281,987 112,417,723

Amount at risk procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 196,294 196,294

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 296,533 296,533

other BL

total 492,827 0 492,827

ABB-Materiality of the amount

at risk procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 0.5% 0.5%

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 0.6% 0.5%

other BL

total 0.5% 0.0% 0.4%


Table 5: Calculation of amount at risk following weighted average error rate

detected or estimated error rate x value of

authorised payment

= amount at

risk

ABB- total value of payments made procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 41,065,847 0 41,065,847

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 51,234,441 12,105,494 63,339,935

other BL 7,835,448 176,493 8,011,941

total 100,135,736 12,281,987 112,417,723

ABB-Materiality of the amount at

risk procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 0.5% 0.5%

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 0.7% 1.2% 0.8%

other BL 0.7% 1.2% 0.7%

total 0.6% 1.2% 0.7%

Recoveries 2016 (%) Source: Directorate-General for Communication (Abac recovery context) 0.61%

Amount at risk procurement grant total

16.01 Administrative expenditure of the Communication - policy area 198,403 198,403

16.03 Fostering European Citizenship 367,485 145,266 512,751

other BL 54,848 2,118 56,966

total 620,736 147,384 768,119

Expected recoveries and corrections related to the payments made 681,691

comm_aar_2016_draft of 76

Table 6 - Estimated overall amount at risk at closure

DG

COMM

Payments

made Minus new prefinancing

Plus

cleared prefinancing

Relevant

expenditure

Average

Error

Rate

(weighte

d AER;

%)

Estimated

overall

amount at risk

at relevant

expenditure

(€)

Average

Recoveries and

Corrections

(adjusted ARC;

%)

Estimated

future

corrections

(€)

Estimated

overall amount

at risk at

closure (€)

1 2 3 4 5 = 2-3+4 6 7 = 5*6 8 9 = 5*8 10 = 7-9

Total 112,417,723 13,073,179 9,887,195

109,231,740

0.7%

746,350

0.6%

662,371

83,979


ANNEX 11: Specific annexes related to "Assessment of the effectiveness of the internal control systems"



ANNEX 12: Performance tables

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

Citizens perceive that the European Union is working to improve their

lives and engage with the European Union. They feel that their concerns

are taken into consideration in European decision making process and

they know about their rights in the European Union.

Listen: As an executive service, Directorate-General for Communication ensures

that high quality country specific information and analysis are fed into the College’s

decision making process.

Advise: As a corporate service, Directorate-General for Communication ensures

that all relevant Commission's services contribute to a coherent and effective

corporate communication on the Commission's priorities.

Engage: As a communication service, Directorate-General for Communication

ensures that a simple, clear and understandable message focussed on

Commission's priorities is communicated to the media and other multipliers and to

EU citizens and engages with them.


Directorate-General for Communication's overarching objective (shared with all Directorate-

General's Communication Units) is "Citizens perceive that the EU is working to improve

their lives and engage with the European Union. They feel that their concerns are taken

into consideration in European decision making process and they know about their

rights in the European Union".

The impact indicator Directorate-General for Communication uses to measure this

objective is "Percentage of European Union citizens having a positive image of the

European Union ".

Definition: Eurobarometer measures the state of public opinion in the European Union Member

States. This global indicator is influenced by many factors and externalities, including the work of

other EU institutions and national governments, as well as political and economic factors, it does

not only reflect the communication actions of the Commission. However, it is relevant as a proxy

for the overall perception European Union citizens have of the European Union.

Baseline 2015

Interim

Milestone

2017

Target

2020

Latest

known

results

November

2016 - EB

86

Status as of November 2016 Total "Positive": 35 %

Neutral: 38 %

Total "Negative": 25%

Source of the data: Eurobarometer – EB86

To contribute52 to improving

and maintaining a positive

image of the

European Union in the media and

among citizens.

32%

Positive image of

the European Union ≥

50%

Positive image of

the

European Union: 35%

52

See Chapter B / Operating Context.


DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION AS EXECUTIVE SERVICE

Specific objective 1- Executive Service: College, Cabinets and services use political reports

and analysis, Eurobarometer results, media analysis products and stakeholders and citizens’

feedback for decision making on communication purposes

Result indicator 1: Satisfaction rate regarding Commissioners missions in Member States

Source of data: Face-to face interviews - Survey to be conducted with 2-3 Vice-Presidents in 2016,

2018 and 2020

Baseline 2016 Interim Milestone 2018 Target 2020 Latest known results

31/12/2016

N/A 70% at least "good" 80% at least "good" 60%

Result indicator 2: Users satisfaction concerning Commission Representations political

reporting and country profiles

Source of data: Face-to-face interviews or on-line survey - Survey to be conducted in 2016, 2018 and

2020


31/12/2016

70% at least "good" 70% at least "good" 80% at least "good" 70% at least "good"

Result indicator 3: Satisfaction rate concerning Eurobarometer products

In the Eurobarometer programming for 2015 (Ares(2014) 3269492 of 3/10/14), an executive summary

for the Cabinet concerned is an obligation. The survey among Cabinets aims to assess whether the

instrument is being well used and further improve the programming for 2016 and beyond.

• Overall rate of satisfaction

Source of data: COMM.A1 survey - Survey conducted annually in the programming exercise each

Autumn


31/12/2016

N/A 70% 75% N/A53

Result indicator 4: Satisfaction rate concerning media monitoring products

Source of data: Internal COMM.A3 - Survey conducted in January 2016, at the end of 2017 and in

2020


31/12/2016

77% 70% 75% overall satisfaction 76%

Main expenditure outputs in 2016:

Description Indicator Target:

31/12/2016

Latest known

results

31/12/2016)

Activities and media

coverage related to

Commissioners' visits

and roadshows in

Member States

Number of Commissioners' activities

in Members States on Commission's

priorities (Actions&Events database)

Outreach of these activities

(Actions&Events database)

1 500

250 000

participants

1 600

128 00054

53 The evaluation initially foreseen has been postponed to 2017 for reason of additional priorities and workload

and is budgeted for 2017. 54 Apart from encoding problems using this relatively new tool, discrepancies could also be due to a re-definition

of target groups (example from citizens to stakeholders).


Number of media features on these

activities (SPP)

To be defined

(Tbd)

N/A55

Management of audio-visual technical

facilities

Number of audio-visual products provided to the College (messages, interviews, statements, clips, Google hangouts)

Number of hours provided in Electronic News gathering (TV Crews) Number of hours of shooting in Comm studios/VIP corner/press

room

Number of hours in video editing

750

6 500

5 000

8 750

64756

3 95856

4 33256

8 72256

REPs political

reporters and ESOs57

produce a variety of

political reports and

analysis

Country profiles: number of

hits/downloads58 Not yet

available Not yet available59

A full programme of 35 opinion poll surveys (Eurobarometer) is implemented (based

on a list agreed by Heads of Cabinet).60

Percentage of programmed opinion polls (Eurobarometer) implemented

80%61

57%62

Production of media monitoring and other

media analysis products (365 days/year)

Number of days when the media monitoring and analysis service was ensured

365 365

55

It was not possible to develop a feasible approach for collecting the data and therefore indicator was not used

in 2017 and it has been dropped from the 2017 Management Plan. 56 Decrease is due to the refocus of the AV Corporate production on the 10 priorities of President Juncker. 57 ESO –European Semester Officer. 58

2016 should serve as the reference year for determining realistic figures for the use of Country profiles in the

Commission as the whole system of Political reporting is being upgraded. 59

Due to other priorities in rolling out IT applications this technical feature making the count possible can also be

introduced in 2017. 60

Each opinion pull should produce an output in the form of a political memo to the Cabinet(s). 61 Part of the programme is implemented in the first quarter of the following year. 62 Part of the programme is implemented in the first quarter of the following year.


DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION AS CORPORATE SERVICE

Specific objective 2.1 - Corporate Service 1: Building a coherent web presence on the

European Commission, by implementing the Digital Transformation project by 2017

Result indicator 1: Transition rate of the thematic structure (15 themes)

Digital Transformation project builds on the Political Priorities of the Commission and aims at creating a

coherent, relevant and cost-effective online presence of the entire Commission. The content on the new

web presence will be organised thematically (15 themes). The content currently grouped DG by DG will

be gradually transitioned into the thematic structure. 63

Source of data: COMM.A5

Baseline 2015

Interim Milestone 2016 Target 2017 Latest known results

(situation on

31/12/2016)

Commission's new

thematic web

presence

4 themes ready 100%

3 themes ready 50% 100%

2 themes at 60% 1 theme at 58% 1 theme at 46%

1 theme at 37% 1 theme at 32% 1 theme at 25% 1 theme at 20% 1 theme at 16% 1 theme at 1%

Overall completion

(30%)64



31/12/2016


(situation on 31/12/2016)

Digital Transformation

Degree of completion of the Commission's new web presence: the content on the new web

presence will be organised thematically (15 themes). The content currently grouped Directorate-General (DG) by DG will be gradually transitioned into the thematic structure

4 themes ready 100%

3 themes ready 50%

2 themes at 60%

1 theme at 58%

1 theme at 46%

1 theme at 37%

1 theme at 32%

1 theme at 25%

1 theme at 20%

1 theme at 16%

1 theme at 1%

Overall completion

(30%)65

63 The themes/classes have been identified in a series of workshops with the participations of all DGs, for

example: "Strategy", "About the EU", "News, publications, events", “Funding, tenders”, “Research and Innovation”, etc. 64 In 2016, due to implementation of additional, unplanned high visibility projects such as Better Regulation

Platform and European Sustainable Cities Platform as well as the decommissioning of the old web publishing

platform (Documentum), 10 themes were worked on instead of 7 with varying degrees of intensity. 65 In 2016, due to implementation of additional, unplanned high visibility projects such as Better Regulation

Platform and European Sustainable Cities Platform as well as the decommissioning of the old web publishing platform (Documentum), 10 themes were worked on instead of 7 with varying degrees of intensity.


Specific objective 2.2 - Corporate Service 2: Citizens are aware of Commission’s 10 Political

Priorities, in particular delivery on “jobs, growth and investment” as the overarching priority

This means measuring the performance of the communication actions funded from co-delegated budgets

against their respective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Phase 1 - Stakeholders: EUR 3.2M66 - KPI = ‘reach’ Phase 2 – Broader Communication EUR 21.25M 67- KPIs = ‘reach’ and ‘recall’.

Result indicator 1: Cumulative number of people having been able to recall the messages of

corporate actions 2016 - 2020

“Recall” (i.e. public awareness of success stories/projects promoted through the actions) is the

additional key performance indicator for the broader communication phase under Decision C(2015)7346

of 27.10.2015.

Source of data: Monitored on an ongoing basis both via external independent monitoring/evaluation.



N/A To be defined To be defined N/A68


Description Indicator



Implementation of corporate communication actions

Phase 1 - Stakeholders: EUR 3.2M69 Phase 2 -

Citizens: EUR 21.25M70

Execution of budget delegated to Directorate-General for Communication (latter depending on timing of the campaign and

evaluation)71

Phase 1 – Stakeholders: KPI = reach (see graph overleaf) Phase 2 – Citizens:

KPI = reach and recall Number of people reached in 2016 with corporate communication actions

Phase 1 – Stakeholders: Action for completion by 22/7/16. EUR 3.2 million

committed and contracted in 2015

Phase 2 – Citizens: EUR 21.25 million committed and

contracted in 2016

Phase 1 – Stakeholders: - Action completed on time - Budget committed and contracted 100% in 2015

Phase 2 – Citizens:

- Budget committed and contracted 100% in 2016

- Reach of the stakeholder phase in 2016: 113 million online impressions; 10.2 million people reached with print ads; 512 893 unique visitors on the

Investment Plan website. Reach and recall data for the citizens phase will be available in the 2nd quarter 201772

66

EUR 3.2 mio were co-delegated by DGs in 2015 (based on Decision SEC(2013)486). The Project Team is

responsible for pulling together the overall effort on the Investment Plan. Unit A1 is responsible for the

EUR 2 981 167 stakeholder action. 67 EUR 21.25 mio should be co-delegated in 2016, based on Decision C(2015)7346. The Project Team is

responsible for pulling together the overall effort on the Investment Plan. Unit A1 may be responsible for a centrally procured action. 68

Actions based on the 2016 budget will mainly be implemented through 2017, with monitoring during the year. Monitoring to be ensured both by the company implementing the campaign (WPP) and by the company in charge of monitoring/evaluation (Techonopolis) 69 EUR 3.2mio were co-delegated by DGs in 2015 (based on Decision SEC(2013)486). The Project Team is

responsible for pulling together the overall effort on the Investment Plan. Unit A1 is responsible for the EUR 2 981 167 stakeholder action. 70 EUR 21.25mio should be co-delegated in 2016, based on Decision C(2015)7346. The Project Team is

responsible for pulling together the overall effort on the Investment Plan. Unit A1 may be responsible for a centrally procured action. 71 Subject to budget being made available on time by the contributing DGs. 72 Monitoring to be ensured both by the company implementing the campaign (WPP) and by the company in

charge of monitoring/evaluation (Techonopolis).


Media reports on Investment Plan, EU-28

Specific objective 2.3 - Corporate Service 3: Via Steering Committee and the Communication

Network (CN) DGs exchange best practices, receive assistance on technical issues of

communication tools and services and they align their sectorial communication

strategies/plans to the corporate messaging

Result indicator: Percentage of satisfaction of the Steering Committee and CN members

Source of data: COMM.A1 Survey - Survey to be conducted annually as part of the CN overview each

Spring.



N/A 70% 80% N/A73



31/12/2016



Coordination of

Commission's communication networks

Number of Corporate Communication Steering Committee Meetings organised.

5 (roughly one

every 6 weeks)

274

Number of External Communication Network (ECN) Meetings organised (CN since June 2016)

11 (one per month except August)

875

Number of Audiovisual (AV)

Correspondent Network meetings organised

4 4

Number of CN Masterclasses organised

5 176

Number of consultations provided to other DGs

110

70 consultations on specific projects and initiatives 481 interservices consultations

400 questions on visual identity

73 Survey to be implemented in spring 2017. 74

Result is below target as CCSC was only created in summer 2016. 75

Result is below target as CN was only created in summer 2016. 76

Result is below target as CN was only created in summer 2016.


Specific objective 2.4 - Corporate Service 4: More consistency, efficiency gains and savings

across the Commission's communication activities

Result indicator: Percentage of Communication budget used for the 10 Political Priorities

Source of data: COMM.A1 based on share Point and Management Plans of line-DGs

Baseline

(2015 AARs) Interim Milestone 2017 Target 2020



N/A

50% 75% N/A77



31/12/2016



Centralisation of communication related

Framework-Contract (FWC)

Less duplication of

communication-related FWC in the Commission's services Number of Framework contracts

focusing on the communication of the 10 Commission Political Priorities centralised by Directorate-General for Communication

Level of assistance and project management for individual actions undertaken by Commission services through

communication's framework contracts in order to increase alignment with the 10 Political Priorities

Number of monitoring and evaluation projects supported by Directorate-General for Communication through the evaluation Framework-Contract

Three to five

dedicated

communicatio

n framework

contracts

Project

management

for 20

collaborative

actions

5

Four dedicated communication

framework contracts:

Three framework contracts

subscribed to the corporate

logic (Campaigns, Events,

Web) and one framework

contracts on impact

assessment and evaluation of

communication activities

10 Events and 3 Campaigns

rollouts collaboratively with

various commission services78

7

77 DGs claim that most of their communication budget is used for the Political Priorities. Directorate-General for

Communication ensures that this is largely the case by filtering the use of its framework contracts and by its

increased role in communication activities conducted by other Directorates-Generals. DGs are aligned for the first time to declare their communication spending in the AAR 2016 Annex 2, consequently the first total figures will only be available in the 2nd quarter 2017. 78

Result is below target as action started only in summer 2016.


DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATION AS COMMUNICATION SERVICE

Specific objective 3.1.- Communication Service 1: Commission receives targeted media

coverage through relevant publications and continuous engagement with media

Result indicator 1: Tonality of media coverage towards the European Commission in media for

main EU media sources

Source of data: COMM. A3 data



N/A79 N/A80 N/A80 N/A80


Description Indicator Target: 31/12/2016 Latest known results

31/12/2016

Increased relevance

of press material

produced by SPP

Percentage of the top 100

press releases consulted in

English (EN) with more

than 10 000 online views

65% of top 100 press

releases attain more than

10 000 views

100%

Media interest in

the Commission

“midday” press

conference is

ensured by SPP

Frequency of appearance

of the President, Vice-

Presidents and

Commissioners in the

press-room

Like in 2015: Minimum

appearance of two

members of the College

per week

Target reached

with over 3 College

members in the press

room per week on

average

Press activities of the Commission Representations

Number of press events organised by REPs

Number of journalists

participating in press events organised by REPs

300 press conferences

120 journalist training

and visits

Press conferences: 5000

Journalist training and

visits 2500

430 press conferences

190 Journalist trainings

and visits

3740 journalists

2000 journalists

Audio-visual productions and multimedia projects81

Number of Corporate Video productions Number of items downloaded

(Audio/Video/Photos)

100

165 000

59

119 700

Europe by Satellite (EbS) News coverage

Number of EbS video items, photo reports and audio files produced

Number of TV Uptakes from EbS ( in minutes) Number of hours transmitted by EbS

35 000

87 000

2 200

38 374

64 11382

4 313

79 To be defined by end 2016. 80 Comparable data not available because of the switch to a new framework contract in 2016. 81 The AV Corporate production team has refocused on the 10 priorities of President Juncker and by doing so, the

number of productions has gone down. The aim is to go for fewer, but higher quality productions – each of them

therefore requiring more production time 82

The number of users of Audiovisual Services was very high in 2015 due to the migration crisis and the Greek

Eurozone debt crisis. As these crises were managed in 2016, the media interest in the Commission's audiovisual offer subsided.


Number of unique visits to

AV Portal

16 000 000 9 210 82783

Media library : conservation and availability to the public of audio-visual material

(audio, video and photo), web development

Number of archived audio, video and photo Number of archived video versions other DGs

(Central deposit)

40 000

1 100

47 960

3 438

Specific objective 3.2. - Communication Service 2: Citizens are better informed about the EU,

in particular about the Commission's Political Priorities and their rights

Result indicator 1: Visitors confirm their increase of knowledge of the Commission and its 10

Political Priorities

Source of data: COMM.C4 Survey of the visitors one year after the visit


31/12/2016

80% 85% 90% 93%

Result indicator 2: Percentage of users satisfied with the answers received from the Europe

Direct Contact Centres (EDCC)

Source of data: Based on the results of an on-going satisfaction survey among EDCC users


31/12/2016

87% 90% 95% 84%84

Result indicator 3: Percentage of users satisfied with the Europe Direct Information Centres

(EDIC) service

Source of data: Based on the results of an on-going satisfaction survey among EDICs users


31/12/2016

87% 90% 95% 88%

Result indicator 4: Participants in Europe Direct Information Centres (EDICs) events agree

that they are better informed on the EU

Source of data: Based on the results of an on-going satisfaction survey among EDICs users


31/12/2016

92.3 % 75% 80% 90%

Result indicator 5: Percentage of participants at REPs events who declare that the event

improved their understanding of the EU or one of its 10 Political Priorities

Source of data: Participants survey - Survey to be conducted after each conference, seminar, workshop,

citizens dialogue as well as after events organised with educational establishments. Reported in the

Events and Actions database (DIR COMM.B)


31/12/2016

77% 70% 75% 77%

83

The number of unique visits of the AV Portal in 2015 was 16 000 000, explained by the migration crisis, Greece

and other high-profile media events. 2016 has not seen this kind of high interest media events. 84

A new EDCC contractor started in 2016 and the annual user satisfaction rates fell below the level of the

baseline. Directorate-General for Communication is working closely with the contractor to improve the situation.


Result indicator 6: Number of unique visitors to the EUROPA websites (interinstitutional and

Commission domains including the Commission Representations' and RAPID websites)

Definition: This indicator shows how many uniquely identified clients view pages within the defined time

period. (The same person visiting from two different computers or browsers will be therefore counted as

two Unique Visitors)

Source of data: SAS Analytics (corporate data collection tool managed by COMM.A5)


31/12/2016

258 298 695 300 000 000+ 350 000 000+ 220 420 31585

Result indicator 7: Engagement rate on social media

In the context of this Strategic Plan engagement is the social media activity sparked by the European

Commission. It indicates how much the content and messages spread by the Commission resonate with

the audience. Engaging content reaches a wider audience beyond the usual followers. It is promoted with

a higher visibility on social media channels and makes a longer lasting impact on the audience. The

Engagement Rate is calculated by the number of engagements86 received from the audience on a specific

channel divided by the number of that profile's posting activities within 365 days preceding the

benchmark date.

Source of data: Engagor (corporate tool managed by COMM.A5)


31/12/2016

Twitter: 159

Facebook: 306

Google+: 138

LinkedIn: 96

EUTube: N/A

Instagram: 26

200

250

110

95

1.5

67

250

300

160

145

2

200

185,4

365

38.7988

136.84

1.6

311

Result indicator 8: Average satisfaction level for the publications

Source of data: Opinion expressed by new COMM.C1 ongoing survey or readers, expressed on a scale of

1 to 10


31/12/2016

New survey activity 7 out of 10 8 out of 10 N.A89

85

This figure is lower than the baseline due to the deletion of content following migration and transformation of

sites in 2016. This quantitative indicator has been changed in the Management Plan 2017. In addition, the coherent, corporate web presence will be measured by the qualitative performance of the Commission websites. 86

The number of engagements means engagements on social media posts created by the European Commission:

retweets, tweets, replies to tweets, likes and comments on Facebook as well as other channels like Instagram, Google+ or YouTube. 87

Maintaining good engagement level (Based on expert judgement it is not realistic to go beyond these figures). 88 G+ has lost worldwide a huge amount of activity due to the latest changes in the network by the company. Lots

of users are abandoning the platform due to lack of interest. From a SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) point of view is still interesting for us to be there, so our posts on Google + are indexed on Google search engine and will

appear higher on Google searches related to the European Union. 89 No significant data was collected to enable the assessment of this indicator for 2016. The mechanism to be put

in place in 2017 will comprise (i) for printed publications – a reader satisfaction survey to be carried out in cooperation with REPs and EDICs, (ii) for electronic content – a mini pop-up online survey


Main expenditure outputs in 2016/


31/12/2016

Latest known

results

31/12/2016

Visits to the Commission

Percentage of visitors to the

Commission very satisfied with

the visits (8+/10)

Percentage of visitors declaring to

have increased their knowledge of

the Commission and its ten

priorities (8+/10)

Number of visits

Average number of participants in each visit

70%

80%

1 700

30

94%

93%

1 42490

29

Europe Direct Contact

Centre (EDCC) Number of inquiries replied 120 000 99 658

Europe Direct Information Centres (EDICs)

Number of events Percentage of users who would recommend the EDIC service91

5 000

80%

8 000

90%

Organisation of Commission Representations (REPs)

events under the Commission's 10 Political

Priorities by the Commission Representations (Events&Actions database)

Number of REPs events on the

Commission's 10 Political Priorities

Number of participant in REPs events on the Commission's 10 Political Priorities

7 000

600 000

8 100

1 170 000

European Public Spaces92 (EPS) organise events (Events&Actions database)

Number of events on the Commission's 10 Political Priorities Number of participant in these events on the Commission's 10 Political Priorities

550

100 000

970

154 000

Back to School

Number of Back to School visits

organised

Number of participants students

in total Back to School events

Percentage of students ' confirm

their knowledge on the EU issues

has increased after Back to School

event

80

10 000

80%

500

58 000

80%

90 Decrease due to terrorism attacks March 2016. 91 Based on the results of the on-going satisfaction survey among EDIC users. 92 Athens, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Nicosia, Prague,

Riga, Rome, Stockholm, Tallinn, The Hague, Vienna.


EUROPA website task

performance indicator

Performance of the EUROPA

websites (interinstitutional and

Commission domains including

the Commission Representations'

and RAPID websites)

Theme funding and tenders

40%

27%93

Number of

followers/fans/subscribers

of the EU Commission

social media corporate

accounts including the

Commission

Representations

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

LinkedIn

EUTube

Instagram

Twitter (Representations)

Facebook (Representations)

650 000

650 000

1 800 000

300 000

38 500

-

230 000

340 000

675 000

633 700

1 700 000

309 000

38 500

39 000

420 000

500 000

Engagement rate on social

media94

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

Linkedin

EUTube

Instagram

160

250

110

95

1.5

-

185,4

365

38.7995

136.84

1.6

311

Audiovisual productions

and multimedia projects

linked with the 10 Political

Priorities

Number of AV productions linked

with the 10 priorities

Number of AV products provided to the College (messages, interviews, statements, clips,

Google hangouts)

35

750

48

647

Eurobarometer website Total number of unique visitors to

Eurobarometer website 775 000 631 97796

Publications, including Commission’s General

Report

Number of on-line consultations of

e-publications and distributed

paper publications

Number of online consultations on

Kids’ Corner and Teachers’ Corner

5 000 000

15 000 000

3 644 38597

10 519 86398

93 In 2016, less work was carried on the funding and tenders theme due to implementation of high visibility

projects such as Better Regulation and Cities as well as the decommissioning of the old web publishing platform (Documentum). 94

The Engagement Rate is calculated by the number of engagements (retweets, tweets, replies to tweets, likes

and comments on Facebook as well as other channels like Instagram, Google+ or YouTube) received from the audience on a specific channel divided by the number of that profile's posting activities within 365 days preceding

the benchmark date. 95 G+ has lost worldwide a huge amount of activity due to the latest changes in the network by the company. Lots

of users are abandoning the platform due to lack of interest. From a SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) point of view is still interesting for us to be there, so our posts on Google + are indexed on Google search engine and will appear higher on Google searches related to the EU. 96 The number of unique visitors has dropped by 16% between 2015 and 2016. The main reason to explain this

trend is that the number of EB surveys published in 2016 has been reduced compared to 2015. 97

The result below target is partially explained by the conscious decision to reduce paper publications.

98 Revamp of content of Kid's Corner started in the 4th quarter 2016, hence result below target.


Specific objective 3.3 - Communication Service 3: Citizens express themselves towards and

engage with EU Commissioners through Citizens' Dialogues and other forms of direct

communication (like Social Media) which stimulate citizens' interest in EU affairs and

contribute to restoring trust in EU institutions

Result indicator 1: Leverage of Citizens' Dialogues outreach through media coverage

Source of data: Media monitoring through Directorate-General for Communication's services at

Headquarters and in the Commission's Representations


31/12/2016

10 000 000 15 000 000 18 000 000 83 000 000



31/12/2016

Latest known

results

31/12/2016

Organisation of Dialogues99 Number of events 80 events 73 events

Attendance of Dialogues Number of participants, total and average per event

20 000 / 250 18 300 / 250

Multiplying the effect of

Dialogues via TV coverage

Number of events that are covered

by TV for a min. of 90 sec/event 25 39

Multiplying the effect of Dialogues via print/online

media coverage

Number of articles/features 2 000 600100

Multiplying effect of

Dialogues via Social media

Mentions of Twitter hashtag

#EUdialogues and of Citizens' Dialogues by citizens on Facebook

25 000 24 700

Participants feedback on Citizens' Dialogues

Number of participants who declare that they feel that their voice is heard at EU level

40% 41%

Number of participants who declare that the event has improved their knowledge about the EU

80% 77%

99

In addition to the Dialogues centrally organised in cooperation with the REPS, a multitude of events are

organised for Commissioners by REPs following the successful “town hall format”. 100 As there is no more central exhaustive media monitoring of the Citizens' Dialogues, Directorate-General for

Communication is not aware of all news items that are published on single Dialogues, in particular not of items that were broadcast, posted or printed in other Member States than those that hosted the event.


ANNEX 13: Specific annexes related to "Time–based effectiveness indicators for grants

Representations

Average Time to inform (days)

Average Time to grant (days)

Average of Total time

Total value of grants (€)

Number of grants

Number of grants missing

the benchmark

time to inform

Number of grants missing

the benchmark

time to grant

% of grants missing the benchmark

time to inform

% of grants missing the benchmark

time to grant

Austria 96 28 124 299,500 12 0 0 0% 0%

Belgium 23 60 83 299,500 12 0 0 0% 0%

Bulgaria 139 9 148 380,281 23 0 0 0% 0%

Croatia 62 19 82 250,800 13 0 0 0% 0%

Cyprus 59 10 69 114,307 5 0 0 0% 0%

Czech Rep 61 86 146 244,400 13 0 7 0% 54%

Denmark 97 7 104 112,500 5 0 0 0% 0%

Estonia 84 15 99 142,800 9 0 0 0% 0%

Finland 38 72 110 194,500 9 0 1 0% 11%

France 80 40 120 1,495,990 70 0 2 0% 3%

Germany 173 35 208 1,327,500 55 22 0 40% 0%

Greece 93 18 111 423,000 17 0 0 0% 0%

Holland 44 59 103 347,000 15 0 0 0% 0%

Hungary 28 53 81 391,600 20 0 0 0% 0%

Ireland 92 18 110 208,000 2 0 0 0% 0%

Italy 41 68 109 871,850 50 0 0 0% 0%

Latvia 64 30 94 190,951 12 0 0 0% 0%

Lithuania 88 12 100 212,000 11 0 0 0% 0%

Luxembourg 86 71 157 50,000 2 0 0 0% 0%

Malta 83 10 93 58,000 3 0 0 0% 0%

Poland 110 21 131 616,800 31 0 0 0% 0%

Portugal 55 22 77 473,000 19 0 0 0% 0%

Romania 61 51 112 657,600 36 0 0 0% 0%

Slovakia 91 15 106 246,916 15 0 0 0% 0%

Slovenia 84 8 92 222,500 9 0 0 0% 0%

Spain 86 62 148 1,535,537 69 20 4 29% 6%

Sweden 38 62 100 379,500 16 0 0 0% 0%

UK 83 36 119 722,094 27 0 0 0% 0%

Grand Total 83 41 124 12,468,426 580 42 14 7% 2%

EC benchmark 180 90 270


ANNEX 14: Specific annexes related to "Cost benefit analysis"

procurement Staff costs Other costs

Total costs

Payments made or value of

procurement & grants contracted

or value of controlled

transactions

% total costs / payments

made or grants

contracted or controlled

transactions

Benefit of controls

net cost or benefit (Total costs - Benefit

of controls)

% net costs or benefit /

payments made or grants contracted or

controlled transactions

procurement total costs 8,284,169 0 8,284,169 100,135,736 8.3%

542,040 7,742,129 7.7%

ex ante pre-contractual checks 2,416,037 0 2,416,037 88,509,338 2.7%

0 2,416,037 2.7%

ex ante financial and operational

management 5,523,515 0 5,523,515 100,135,736 5.5%

542,040 4,981,476 5.0%

ex post control of financial

transactions 344,617 0 344,617 31,821,111 1.1%

0 344,617 1.1%

grants

grant total costs 919,438 0 919,438 12,281,987 7.5%

139,651 779,787 6.3%

ex ante pre-contractual checks 557,444 0 557,444 14,395,359 3.9%

0 557,444 3.9%


management 293,279 0 293,279 12,281,987 2.4%

139,651 153,628 1.3%


transactions 68,715 0 68,715 1,007,185 6.8%

0 68,715 6.8%

all

all total costs 9,203,607 0 9,203,607 112,417,723 8.2%

681,691 8,521,917 7.6%

ex ante pre-contractual checks 2,973,481 0 2,973,481 102,904,697 2.9%

0 2,973,481 2.9%


management 5,816,794 0 5,816,794 112,417,723 5.2%

681,691 5,135,103 4.6%


transactions 413,332 0 413,332 32,828,296 1.3%

0 413,332 1.3%


Benefit from controls

procurement grants total

* Recovery orders: 542,040 139,651 681,691

* Credit notes with beneficiary, documentation and procedural related errors and financial errors in claim 0 N/A 0

* Non eligible amount for grants N/A 0 0

total 542,040 139,651 681,691

* Source: DG BUDG (ABAC recovery context)

Number of transactions processed 26,341

payments 20,384

commitments 5,630

recovery orders 327

average cost per transaction in terms of authorised payments 221

Corrective capacity DG COMM in 2015 0.61%

corrections 681,691

payments made 112,417,723


ANNEX 15: Specific annexes related to "Budget implementation tasks entrusted to others DGs and entities"

DG subdelegated Budget Line and Activities PurposeCommitment

Appropriations Commitments Payments RAL 2016

Conclusion for the

Declaration of assurance

DIGIT 16.010211.00.05

Other Management

expenditures

Migration of DG COMM sites to the

"Next EUROPA" platform;

Memorandum of Understanding

COMM–586-00

519,867.33 519,867.33 519,867.33 0.00

The AOD states that the resourses have been used to

their intended purpose and in accordance with the

principles of sound financial management. No

reservations to express.

OIL 16.010303

Buildings and related

expenditure: Commission

Representations

Annual charges for the EU HOUSE

security guards' services in

Luxembourg492,000.00 492,000.00 0.00 492,000.00





AGRI 16.016000

Purchase of Information

To provide information on

agriculture and rural development 0.00 0.00 0.00

N/A

Legal Service 16.016000

Purchase of Information

The cost of subscriptions, access

to electronic information services

and external databases, as well as

training and support required for

accessing this information.

62,000.00 61,104.50 40,068.52 31,153.10





OIB 16.010303

Buildings and related

expenditure: Commission

Representations

Office space and services for the

Representation in Brussels364,300.00 364,300.00 392,478.14 70,015.67





16.030203

Online and written

communication and

communication tools

Translation services under

Addendum No1 to the SLA

between COMM and DGT, Annex 8B 5,900.01 4,324.27 3,064.62 1,259.65

16.030204

General Report and other

publications

Translation services under

Addendum No1 to the SLA

between COMM and DGT, Annex 8B 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CNECT

16.010402

Support expenditure for

communication actions

Support the multimedia actions of

DG CNECT0.00 0.00 125,000.00 0.00





COMP

16 03 02 04

General report and other

publications

Publication of reports, brochure

and folders of DG COMP12,018.49 8,975.24 11,400.07 3,043.25





DGT



