EN Official Journal of the European Union C 93/2

DECISION OF THE BUREAU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

of 23 March 2011

amending the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament

2011/C 93/03

THE BUREAU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 223(2) thereof,

Having regard to the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (1),

Having regard to Rules 8 and 23 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) Members and former Members in receipt of the transitional allowance or of a pension receive reimbursement in respect of the medical expenses of, inter alia, their dependent children until the latter reach the age of 21 or, at the latest, 25 if they are in full-time education or professional training. In the case of dependent children suffering from a serious illness or infirmity that prevents them from meeting their own needs, it would be appropriate for such reimbursement to be made without any age limit.

(2) Members may receive reimbursement for expenses incurred in undertaking additional travel, that is to say, in making journeys undertaken in the performance of their duties outside the Member State in which they were elected, in keeping with certain conditions. It would be appropriate for Members to be allowed to combine such additional travel with subsidiary non-official activities, provided that this does not increase the amount of travel and subsistence expenses to be reimbursed.

(3) If Members take part in an official activity outside the territory of the European Union, they receive, in duly substantiated exceptional circumstances, reimbursement of reasonable subsistence expenses incurred during the journey itself, with the exception of expenses incurred in the Member State in which they were elected. However, given that the latter expenses are an integral part of the travel costs arising from the official journey, it does not seem appropriate to deduct them from the amount to be reimbursed in respect of reasonable subsistence expenses incurred during the journey itself.

(4) By Amending Budget No 1 of the European Union for the financial year 2010 (2), the parliamentary assistance allowance was increased by EUR 1 500, to take account of the increased workload of Members generated by the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. The Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (3) (‘the Implementing Measures’) were amended accordingly by decision of the Bureau of 11 and 23 November 2009, 14 December 2009, 19 April 2010 and 5 July 2010 (4). For the same reason, a second increase of EUR 1 500 was included in the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2011. However, it was kept in the reserve by Parliament's resolution of 20 October 2010 on the Council's position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2011 — all sections (5). At its meeting of 3 March 2011, the Committee on Budgets decided that the second increase should be released from the reserve. At its meeting of 7 March 2011, the Bureau took note of that decision and endorsed the proposal that the Implementing Measures should be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The Implementing Measures are amended as follows:

1. in Article 3(1), point (a) is replaced by the following: ‘(a) Members and former Members in receipt of the transitional allowance provided for in Article 13 of the Statute or of a pension pursuant to Articles 14 and 15 of the Statute in respect of their expenses and the expenses incurred: (i) by their spouses or stable non-marital partners as defined in Article 58(2); and (ii) by their dependent children as defined in Article 58(3), until the latter reach the age of 21 or, at the latest, 25 if they are in full-time education or professional training, or with no age limit if they are suffering from a serious illness or infirmity which prevents them from meeting their own needs, in cases where those spouses, stable non-marital partners and dependent children are not eligible for benefits of the same nature and of the same level as Members or former Members by virtue of any other legal provision or regulations;’;

2. in Article 14, point (a) is replaced by the following: ‘(a) in the cases referred to in Article 10(1), point (b): an invitation to or a programme for the event attended by the Member or other supporting documents proving that the journey was undertaken in the exercise of the Member’s mandate, or in the case referred to in Article 22(2a), a declaration by the Member that the journey was undertaken in the exercise of his or her mandate;’;

3. Article 22 is amended as follows: (a) paragraph 2b is replaced by the following: ‘2b. Requests for reimbursement for journeys undertaken in order to participate in an activity at the invitation of a Member or a European Parliament political group shall also be accompanied by other supporting documents proving that the journey was undertaken in the exercise of the Member's mandate.’; (b) the following paragraphs are inserted: ‘2d. Members may combine additional travel with subsidiary non-official activities provided that this does not increase the amount of travel and subsistence expenses to be reimbursed. 2e. The activities for which additional travel is undertaken may not give rise to another form of public or private reimbursement of the expenses incurred.’;

4. in Article 24(3), point (c) is replaced by the following: ‘(c) in duly substantiated exceptional circumstances, reimbursement of reasonable subsistence expenses incurred during the journey itself.’;

5. Article 33(4) is replaced by the following: ‘4. The maximum monthly amount defrayable in respect of all the personal staff referred to in Article 34 shall be EUR 18 189. With effect from 1 May 2010, that amount shall be EUR 19 689. With effect from 1 July 2010, that amount shall be EUR 19 709. With effect from 1 January 2011, that amount shall be EUR 21 209.’.

Article 2

1. This Decision shall enter into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2. This Decision shall apply from the same day, with the exception of point 5 of Article 1, which shall apply from 14 July 2009.

(1) Decision 2005/684/EC, Euratom of the European Parliament of 28 September 2005 adopting the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (OJ L 262, 7.10.2005, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 183, 16.7.2010, p. 1.

(3) Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament of 19 May and 9 July 2008 concerning implementing measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (OJ C 159, 13.7.2009, p. 1).

(4) OJ C 180, 6.7.2010, p. 1.

(5) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0372.