Article 157
Functions of the Executive Director
- The Office shall be managed by the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall be
accountable to the Management Board.
- Without prejudice to the powers of the Commission, the Management Board, and the
Budget Committee, the Executive Director shall be independent in the performance of his
duties and shall neither seek nor take instructions from a government or from any other
body.
- The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the Office.
- The Executive Director shall have in particular the following functions, which may be
delegated:
- (a) taking all necessary steps, including the adoption of internal administrative
instructions and the publication of notices, to ensure the functioning of the Office;
- (b) implementing the decisions adopted by the Management Board;
- (c) preparing a draft annual work programme indicating estimated human and financial
resources for each activity, and submitting it to the Management Board after
consultation of the Commission;
- (d) submitting to the Management Board proposals pursuant to Article 152(2);
- (e) preparing a draft multiannual strategic programme, including the Office's strategy for
international cooperation, and submitting it to the Management Board after
consultation of the Commission and following an exchange of views with the
relevant committee in the European Parliament;
- (f) implementing the annual work programme and the multiannual strategic programme
and reporting to the Management Board on their implementation;
- (g) preparing the annual report on the Office's activities and presenting it to the
Management Board for approval;
- (h) preparing a draft multiannual staff policy plan and submitting it to the Management
Board after consultation of the Commission;
- (i) preparing an action plan following-up on the conclusions of the internal or external
audit reports and evaluations, as well as following up on the investigations of
the OLAF, and reporting on progress twice a year to the Commission and to the
Management Board;
- (j) protecting the financial interests of the Union by the application of preventive
measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective
checks and, if irregularities are detected, by recovering amounts wrongly paid and,
where appropriate, by imposing effective, proportionate and dissuasive
administrative and financial penalties;
- (k) preparing an anti-fraud strategy for the Office and presenting it to the Budget
Committee for approval;
- (l) in order to ensure uniform application of the Regulation, referring, where
appropriate, to the enlarged Board of Appeal ('the Grand Board') questions on a point
of law, in particular if the Boards of Appeal have issued diverging decisions on the
point;
- (m) drawing up estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Office and implementing
the budget;
- (n) exercising the powers entrusted to him in respect of staff by the Management Board
under Article 153(1)(h);
- (o) exercising the powers conferred on him under Articles 31(3), 34(5), 35(3), 94(2),
97(5), Articles 98, 100, 101, Articles 111(4), 112(3), 114(5), Articles 115, 116,
Articles 120(4), 146(10), Article 178, Articles 179(1) and 180(2), and Articles 181 in
accordance with the criteria set out in this Regulation and in the acts adopted
pursuant to this Regulation.
- The Executive Director shall be assisted by one or more Deputy Executive Directors. If the
Executive Director is absent or indisposed, the Deputy Executive Director or one of the
Deputy Executive Directors shall replace him in accordance with the procedure laid down
by the Management Board.