Budget discharge approved as unfunded regulatory mandates mount
European Parliament lawmakers granted discharge to the European Banking Authority for the 2024 financial year on August 17, 2026. The authority confirmed zero outstanding audit observations while highlighting ongoing resource deficits across expanded banking supervisory mandates.
Clean audit record and legal clearance
The European Banking Authority reported total 2024 revenue of €56.91 million, up 8.04 percent from €52.67 million in 2023, with national supervisory authorities funding 60 percent (€34.06 million) and the EU budget providing 37 percent (€20.86 million).
The European Court of Auditors issued unqualified opinions on the reliability of the accounts and the legality of underlying transactions, leaving zero open audit observations.
In addition, the Court of Justice of the European Union fully dismissed a legal challenge concerning a €40.2 million procurement framework in October 2025, removing previous emphasis-of-matter disclosures.
Internal payment controls remained tight, with only eight out of 877 supplier invoices delayed in 2024 and six out of 979 in 2025, incurring zero interest penalties.
Mandate freezes and staffing requests
Unfunded responsibilities under the CRR/CRD banking package, the CMDI crisis management framework, and revised payment rules (PSD3/PSR) forced the authority to put 15 percent of its assigned regulatory mandates on hold.
To narrow the ongoing resource gap, the agency requested four permanent and three temporary posts for 2027–2029.
Meanwhile, workforce metrics show gender parity at 49.76 percent female staff, with women holding 60 percent of director roles.
The current Paris lease includes a break-out clause ahead of its May 2028 expiry.
The limits of legislative ambition
Piling new supervisory duties onto agencies without dedicated funding inevitably degrades policy delivery.
Freezing 15 percent of required mandates proves internal redeployments have reached their absolute limits.
European lawmakers must align regulatory demands with realistic budgets to maintain effective oversight.