Article 261The discharge procedure
1.The discharge decision shall cover the accounts of all the Union’s revenue and expenditure, the resulting balance and the assets and liabilities of the Union shown in the balance sheet.
2.With a view to giving the discharge, the European Parliament shall, after the Council has done so, examine the accounts, financial statements and the evaluation report referred to in Article 318 TFEU. It shall also examine the annual report made by the Court of Auditors together with the replies of the Union institutions under audit, and any relevant special reports by the Court of Auditors in respect of the financial year concerned and the Court of Auditors’ statement of assurance as to the reliability of the accounts and the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions.
3.The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, at the latter’s request, any information required for the smooth application of the discharge procedure for the financial year concerned, in accordance with Article 319 TFEU.