No action taken against EUAA boss Gregori
Valletta, 24 March - The management board of the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) has decided not to open proceedings against EUAA executive director, Slovenia's Nina Gregori, or any other staff after irregularities in the management of the agency were alleged in 2022. EUAA said in a statement on Monday that this means the case is officially closed.
Three years ago, staff anonymously accused the leadership of a failure to respect the principles of legality and impartiality, saying the agency was "dysfunctional".
There were also allegations of flawed social dialogue and a failure to respect trade union freedoms.
Separately, Gregori was also accused of nepotism and of mishandling harassment reports.
Both Gregori and the leadership rejected all the accusations as personal attacks.
However, the USF, the largest union representing employees in EU institutions, sent a complaint to the European Commission's Internal Audit Service.
The case was also investigated by the European Anti-Fraud Office, which submitted its final report to the EUAA management board at the end of 2024.
The management board thoroughly examined it, acknowledging that most of the concerns expressed in the anonymous letter had already been examined by the European Court of Auditors, the Internal Audit Service of the European Commission and the European Ombudsman and addressed.
In the end, the management board decided not to take disciplinary action against Gregori or any other EUAA staff.
However, it urged strengthening the human resources department and the effectiveness of certain procedures at the agency.
The agency said in today's statement that the executive director and the EUAA will address any identified recommendations for further improvement.
The EUAA management board is composed of 27 members from all EU countries and two from the European Commission.
It has the duty to supervise the agency and ensure that fully it complies with the principle of transparency, good governance and efficiency.