Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/3
RESOLUTION OF  THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
of 23 
April 2009
with observations forming an integral part of the D ecision
 on discharge in respect of the 
implementation of the Eu ropean
 Union general bu dg
et for the financial year 2007, Section I — 
European 
Parliament
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,
—having regard to the European Union general budget for the fin ancial year 2007
(1) OJ L 77, 16.3.2007. (1), 
—having 
regard 
to the final 
annual 
accounts 
of the European 
Communities 
for the fin ancial 
year 2007 
— Volume I  
(SEC(2008) 
2359 — C6-0416/2008)
(2) OJ C 287, 10.11.2008, p. 1. (2), 
—having 
regard 
to the report on  
budgetary 
and 
financial 
management 
— finan
cial year 2007, Section  
I 
— 
European 
Parliamen t
(3) OJ C 148, 13.6.2008, p. 1. (3), 
—having 
regard 
to the Internal 
Auditor’s an nual 
report for 2007, 
—having 
regard 
to the Annual 
Report of the Court of Auditors on  
the implementation  
of the budget 
con­
cerning 
the financial 
year 2007, tog ether 
with the audited in stitutions’ 
replies
(4) OJ C 286, 10.11.2008, p. 1. (4), 
—having 
regard 
to the statemen t 
of assuran ce 
as to the reliab ility 
of the accoun ts 
and 
the legality 
and 
regularity 
of the underlying 
transactions 
provided b y 
the Court of Auditors pursuan t 
to Article 248 of 
the EC 
Treaty
(5) OJ C 287, 10.11.2008, p. 111. (5), 
—having 
regard 
to Articles 272(10) an d 
275 of the E C 
Treaty and 
Article 179a of the E uratom 
Treaty, 
—having 
regard 
to Council 
Regulation 
(EC, 
Euratom) 
No 1605/2002 of 25 June 
2002 on 
the Financial 
Regulation 
applicable 
to the general 
budget 
of the European 
Communities
(6) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. (6), and in particular 
Articles 
145, 146 an d 
147 thereof, 
—having 
regard 
to Article 13 of the I nternal 
Rules on 
the implemen tation 
of the European 
Parliamen t’s 
budget
(7) PE 349.540/Bur/an n/fin. (7), 
—having 
regard 
to Article 147(1) of the Fin ancial 
Regulation, 
which requires each Commun ity 
institu­
tion 
to take 
all appropriate steps to act on  
the observations 
accompan ying 
the European 
Parliamen t’s 
discharge 
decision,
 
—having 
regard 
to its Resolution  
of 15 March 2006 on  
the guidelines 
for the 2007 b udget 
procedure, 
Sections 
II, 
IV, 
V, VI, 
VII, 
VIII(A) 
and 
VIII(B) 
and 
on 
the European 
Parliamen t’s 
preliminary 
draft esti­
mates (Section  
I) 
for the 2007 b udget 
procedure
(8) OJ C 291 E , 30.11.2006, p. 311. (8), 
—having 
regard 
to Rules 71 an d 
74(3) of, an d 
Annex 
V to, its Rules of Procedure, 
—having 
regard 
to the report of the Committee on  
Budgetary 
Control 
(A6-0184/2009),
A. whereas the Court of Auditors’ audit states that, as reg ards administrative expenditure in 2007, all the 
institutions 
operated satisfactorily the supervisory an d 
control 
systems required b y 
the Financial 
Regu­
lation, 
and 
the transactions 
tested were free from material error
(9) OJ C 286, 10.11.2008, poin t  11.6. (9),N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
B. whereas the Secretary-Gen eral certified on  3  June 2008 his reason able assurance that Parliamen t’s bud­
get 
has been 
implemen ted 
in 
accordance 
with the prin ciples 
of sound 
financ
ial management 
and 
that 
the control 
framework  
put in 
place provides the n ecessary 
guarantees 
as to the leg ality 
and 
regularity 
of 
the underlying 
operation s,
Major 
changes in Parliament’s bu dget 
management du ring 
the 2004- 2009 
parliamentary term
1. Recalls that this discharg e 
is the last of the 2004-2009 parliamen tary 
term, durin g 
which a larg e 
num­
ber 
of changes 
in 
EU 
budgetary 
management, 
in 
general, 
and 
in 
Parliamen t’s 
management, 
in 
particu­
lar, have tak en 
place;
2. Recalls that durin g 
this parliamen tary 
term the n ew 
Financial 
Regulati
on 
was fully implemen ted 
and 
revised 
again 
in 
2008, which b rought 
about 
major chan ges 
in 
financial 
mana
gement, 
in 
particular b y 
tightening 
procuremen t 
rules and 
improving 
the control 
chain 
structure of fin ancial 
procedures, in creas­
ing 
the respon sibility 
of authorisin g 
officers an d 
decentralising 
finan
cial control; 
notes 
that these 
changes 
have entailed 
additional 
qualified staff an d 
administrative 
work, 
and 
are recognised 
by 
Parlia­
ment’s 
Directorates-Gen eral 
as having 
been 
effective in  
improving 
sound 
financial 
management;
3. Notes 
however that the Fin ancial 
Regulation 
may need 
a more thoroug h 
review as some of the proce­
dures have proved to b e 
too cumb ersome 
for application  
by 
Parliamen t’s 
services; reg rets 
that this has 
led to an 
increase 
in 
exception s 
(as listed in  
the annexes 
to the An nual 
Activity Reports);
4. Recalls that the n ew 
Financial 
Regulation, 
requiring 
a substantial 
inc
rease in 
specialised staff, en tered 
into 
force at the same time as the revised Staff Reg ulations 
and 
Rules applicab le 
to other servan ts
(1) Council Reg ulation (EC, Euratom) No 723/2004 of 22 March 2004 amen ding the Staff Reg ulations of officials of the
European 
Communities 
and 
the Conditions 
of Employment 
of other servan ts 
of the European 
Communities 
(OJ L 124,
27.4.2004, p. 1). (1), 
putting 
a number 
of constraints 
on 
Parliamen t’s 
administration;
5. Recalls 
that, in 
2004, 10 n ew 
Member 
States and, 
in 
2007, Bulg aria 
and 
Romania 
joined 
the EU, 
which 
was the main  
reason 
for an 
increase 
of staff from 4 662 on 1 
January 
2004 (all categ ories) 
to 6 101 on
31 Decemb er 
2008; welcomes therefore the efforts of Parliamen t’s 
adminis
tration 
to handle 
this large 
increase 
of staff expeditiously; n otes 
also that almost all the addition a
l posts are related to the impact of 
enlargement, 
and 
the net 
increase 
of non-enlargement 
related staff is on l
y 1,2 %;
6. Notes that in  
2007, 99,9 % of paymen ts 
from the parliamen tary 
assistance 
allowance 
were foun d 
to be 
regularly 
justified, an d 
that the in crease 
in 
this rate was attrib utable 
to the improved procedures adopted 
by 
the Bureau in  
relation 
to supportin g 
documentati
on,
 as well as the con si
derable 
efforts by 
the admin ­
istration 
and 
increased 
awareness 
among 
Members;
7. Highlights 
the fact that for the first time sin ce 
the creation  
of Parliamen t, 
the Memb er 
States were ab le 
to 
agree 
on 
a European 
Statute for its Memb ers; 
this Statute will allow the equal remun eration 
and 
insur­
ance 
of all Memb ers 
and 
put an 
end 
to the sub stantial 
discrepancies 
in 
their national 
salaries, an d 
will 
introduce 
a transparent 
system for all types of allowan ce 
and 
remuneratio
n;
8. Recalls 
that the adoption  
of a Statute for Assistan ts 
was one 
of the priorities hig hlighted 
in 
the resolu­
tion 
on 
budget 
guidelines 
for 2007; welcomes in  
this respect the Coun cil’s 
adoption 
on 19 
December 
2008
 of the Commission ’s 
proposal (COM(2008) 786) as amen ded 
by 
Parliamen t
(2) OJ L 55, 27.2.2009, p. 1. (2); its entry into force 
in 
July 2009 should allow a major in crease 
in 
the transparency 
of the use of these fun ds 
and 
guarantee 
full 
respect for assistan ts’ 
social and 
employmen t 
rights;N E 4 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/5
Report on bu dgetary and financial management
(1) Report on  budgetary and financial management — Section   I of the EU Budget — Financial year 2007 (OJ C 148,
13.6.2008, p. 1). (1)
9. Notes that in  
2007 Parliamen t 
received reven ue 
amounting 
to EUR 144 
449 007 (E UR 126 
126 604 
in 
2006);
Final 
accounts 
2007 (in EUR)
10. Takes 
note 
of the figures 
on 
the basis 
of which Parliamen t’s 
accounts 
for the fin ancial 
year 2007 were 
closed, namely:
(a) Available appropriations
appropriation s 
for 2007 1 397 460 174
non-automatic 
carry-overs from the fin ancial 
year 2006 4 817 000
automatic carry-overs from the fin ancial 
year 2006 188 746 822,24
appropriation s 
correspon ding 
to assigned 
revenue 
for 2007 42 522 400,66
carry-overs correspon ding 
to assigned 
revenue 
from the fin ancial 
year 2006 34 640 774,58
Total  1 668 187 171,48
(b) Utilisation 
of appropriations in the financial year 2007
commitmen ts 1 
594 372 252,26
payments 
made 1 329 131 440,46
payments 
outstanding 
and 
appropriation s 
not 
committed arisin g 
from assig ned 
revenue263 
564 514,64
appropriation s 
carried forward in cluding 
those arisin g 
from assig ned 
revenue 263 
564 514,64
appropriation s 
cancelled 31 
691 180,38
(c) Budgetary 
receipts
received in  
2007 144 449 007,32
(d) Total balance sheet at 31 December 
2007 1 788 830 683
11. Notes that authorised appropriation s  in Parliamen t’s  initial  budget  for 2007 totalled 
EUR 1 
397 460 174, represen ting 
a 6 % increase 
over the 2006 b udget 
(EUR 1 
321 600 000), an d 
that 
no 
amending 
budget 
was introduced 
in 
2007;
12. Points 
out that rather than  
returning 
unspent 
money 
to the Memb er 
States, Parliamen t 
decided — as in  
previous 
years — to con duct 
an 
end-of-year ‘
mopping-up
’ transfer 
from various b udget 
lines 
amount­
ing 
to EUR 25 
000 000 (2006: E UR 37 
246 425) in tended 
for the purchase of a b uil
ding 
in 
Vienna 
for 
the establishment 
of a European 
Union 
House, join tly 
with the Commission ; 
notes 
however that in  
its 
Resolution  
of 24 April 2007 on  
discharge 
for the fin ancial 
year 2005
(2) OJ L 187, 15.7.2008, p. 3. (2), Parliamen t demanded that in 
the 
interests 
of budgetary 
clarity buildings 
expenditure 
be 
entered 
in 
the budget 
rather than  
being 
financed 
through 
a moppin g-up 
transfer;
13. Welcomes 
the fact that the Report on  
Budgetary 
and 
Financial 
Managemen
t has — as requested in  
pre­
vious discharg e 
resolution s 
— become 
a clear and 
transparent 
guide 
to Parliamen t’s 
financial 
manage­
ment 
during 
the financial 
year to which it relates;
Parliament’s accou nts
14. Notes 
that in 
his certification  
of the final 
accounts, 
Parliamen t’s 
accounting 
officer has stated his rea­
sonable 
assurance 
that the accoun ts 
present 
a true and 
fair view of the fin a
ncial 
position 
of Parliamen t 
in 
all material respects; n otes 
further his represen tation 
that no 
issues requirin g 
a reservation  
have been 
brought 
to his atten tion;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
15. Recalls the decision  by its Presiden t concerning the adoption  of the accoun ts for the fin ancial year 
2007;
16. Observes 
that the econ omic 
result of the fin ancial 
year 2007 was a n egat
ive result of E UR 209 
985 279, 
explained 
principally 
by 
an 
increase 
in 
liabilities 
of EUR 256 
095 000 correspon ding 
to a provision  
for 
primary pen sions 
for certain  
categories 
of Members 
funded 
directly by 
Parliamen t 
under 
Annex 
III 
to 
the Rules on  
Members’ 
expenses 
and 
allowances;
17. Asks 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to indicate 
what the lik ely 
provision 
for Memb ers’ 
pensions 
will be 
once 
the 
Members’ 
statute comes in to 
force, and 
how that provision  
will be 
dealt with for accoun ting 
pur­
poses in 
Parliamen t’s 
balance 
sheet;
18. Notes that the an nexes
 to the b alance
 sheet value the b uildings
 owned
 by
 Parliamen t
 at 
EUR 1 
015 159 978 after depreciation  
against 
a total acquisition  
cost of EUR 1 
650 945 693; requests 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to provide an  
overview of the curren t 
market 
value of every b uilding 
owned 
by 
Parliamen t 
compared to its purchase price;
Statement of assu rance 
by the Secretary- General
19. Welcomes 
the Secretary-Gen eral’s 
statement 
dated 3 June 
2008 in 
his capacity as Prin cipal 
Authoris­
ing 
Officer by 
Delegation 
concerning 
the authorisin g 
officers’ an nual 
activity reports for 2007, in  
which 
he certifies that he has a reason able 
assurance 
that Parliamen t’s 
budget 
has been 
implemen ted 
in 
accor­
dance 
with the prin ciples 
of sound 
financial 
management 
and 
that the con tr
ol framework  
put in 
place 
provides the n ecessary 
guarantees 
as to the leg ality 
and 
regularity 
of the underlying 
operation s;
20. Notes, 
however, his ob servation 
included 
in 
the statemen t 
of assuran c
e that the reg ulatory 
framework  
governing 
parliamen tary 
allowances, 
including 
expenditure 
on 
parliamen tary 
assistance, 
has become 
so 
complex that it presen ts 
serious weak nesses 
for correct execution  
in 
practice, an d 
that for this rea­
son 
he has tak en 
the initiative 
to establish 
a new 
system intended 
to come into force b y 
July 2009;
Activity reports by the D irectors-General
21. Observes 
with satisfaction  
that all Directors-Gen er
al were ab le 
to gi
ve an 
unreserved 
statement 
of assur­
ance 
in 
respect of the implemen tation 
of the budget 
by 
their services in  
2007;
22. Is 
aware that the activity reports are an  
internal 
management 
tool whose primary purpose is to g ive 
the 
Secretary-Gen eral 
a clear overview of the work ings 
of the admin istrat
ion, 
and 
in 
particular of an y 
weaknesses;
23. Points 
out that each Directorate-Gen eral’s 
activity report in cludes 
as an 
annex 
a list of exception s, 
ite­
mising
 derogations
 from the Fin ancial
 Regulat
ion and sub ordinate
 rules; expresses con cern
 that the 
total number 
of such exception s 
considerably 
exceeds the averag e 
annual 
number 
of withholdin gs 
of 
visas obtaining 
before 
2003 under 
the pre-reform Fin ancial 
Regulation, 
when 
all transactions 
had to 
be 
approved b y 
the Financial 
Controller;
ECA 
annual 
report for 2007
24. Notes the Court of Auditors’ fin ding 
that, as reg ards 
administrative 
expenditure 
in 
2007, all the in sti­
tutions 
operated satisfactorily the supervisory an d 
control 
systems required b y 
the Financial 
Regula­
tion, 
and 
the transactions 
tested were free from material error;N E 6 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/7
25. Takes note of the specific fin dings concerning Parliamen t contained in the annual report of the Court 
of Auditors for 2007, as well as Parliamen t’s 
replies, con cerning 
the multiplication  
factor applicab le 
to 
staff salaries followin g 
the adoption  
of the revised Staff Reg ulations 
on 1 
May 2004 an d 
payments 
in 
2007
 on appropriation s
 carried over from 2006 in respect of hig h-speed
 broadcast
 cameras to b e
 
installed 
in 
the D5 building 
in 
2008;
26. Takes 
furthermore n ote 
of the section  
of the annual 
report on 
the follow-up to ob servations 
from past 
reports with reg ard 
to flat-rate reimb ursement 
of accommodation  
costs incurred b y 
officials on  
mis­
sion, 
supportin g 
documents 
relating 
to the use of the parliamen tary 
assistance 
allowance, 
and, 
in 
con­
nection
 with the addition al
 voluntary
 pension
 scheme, the n eed
 to establish
 clear rules defin ing
 the 
liabilities 
and 
responsibilities 
of Parliamen t 
and 
the memb ers 
of the scheme in  
the event 
of a deficit;
27. Takes
 note
 of the respon ses
 given
 by
 Parliamen t
 in the con tradictory
 procedure with the Court of 
Auditors;
Follow-up 
by the Secretary- General 
to the last discharge resolu tion
28. Welcomes 
the Bureau decision s 
of 10 March 2008, 19 May 2008 an d 7 
July 2008 con cerning 
imple­
menting 
measures for the Statute of Memb ers 
and 
parliamen tary 
assistance 
allowance, 
which represen t 
the 
direct follow-up to recommen dations 
of the 2006 discharg e; 
welcomes furthermore the commit­
ment 
of its Presiden t 
to the implemen tation 
of those decision s;
29. Recalls 
that under 
Article 147(1) of the Fin ancial 
Regulation, 
the Commission  
and 
the other in stitu­
tions 
are obliged 
to take 
all appropriate steps to act on  
the observations 
accompan ying 
Parliamen t’s 
discharge 
decision;
30.
 Congratulates
 therefore the Secretary-Gen eral
 on havin g
 submitted
 the reports requested from the 
administration 
in 
the last discharg e 
resolution  
well in 
time for the b egin
ning 
of the discharg e 
proce­
dure for the fin ancial 
year 2007;
31. Notes the con clusion 
of the Leg al 
Service of 29 April 2008 (SJ 775/06), as reg ards 
the paragraphs 
of 
Parliamen t’s 
Resolution  
of 22 April 2008 on  
discharge 
for the fin ancial 
year 2006 con cerning 
the vol­
untary 
pension 
fund, 
as follows: ‘The Bureau has its own  
powers an d 
respons
ibilities, 
which are laid 
down 
in 
Parliamen t’s 
Rules of Procedure. I t 
is for the Bureau to decide, therefore, whether it wishes to 
depart from or g o 
along 
with the wish expressed b y 
the plenary 
assembly 
in 
its Resolution  
of
22 April 2008’; con siders 
however that this con clusion, 
based 
on 
Parliamen t’s 
Rules of Procedure, is 
not 
wholly compatib le 
with the clear mean ing 
of Article 147(1) of the Fin an
cial Regulation, 
which is 
based 
on 
Article 276 of the E C 
Treaty;
Hearing of the Internal Au ditor
32. Notes 
that at the competen t 
committee’s meetin g 
with the I nternal 
Auditor held on  20 
January 
2009, 
which was an  
open 
meeting 
transmitted 
via web-stream 
and 
at which the I nter
nal 
Auditor presen ted 
his 
annual 
report, the I nternal 
Auditor explain ed 
that in 
2007 he had adopted or issued in  
draft form 
18 reports on  
subjects 
including:
—staff 
mission 
expenses,
 
—IT 
governance,
 
—imprest fun ds, 
inventory 
and 
budgetary 
management 
in 
certain 
informati
on 
offices, 
—political parties at E uropean 
level, 
—individual 
entitlements 
of staff memb ers,N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
 —follow-up to the review of the I nternal 
Control 
Framework ,
 
—parliamen tary 
assistance 
allowance;
33. Points 
out that amon g 
the more sig nificant 
conclusions 
set out in 
the In
ternal 
Auditor’s an nual 
report 
were the followin g:
—that 
the IT 
governance 
structure in  
Parliamen t, 
as audited, did n ot 
provide assuran ce 
that the cor­
rect IT 
choices are b eing 
made in 
the medium term, or that a suitab le 
strategic IT 
planning 
process 
was in 
place, 
—that the con trol 
activities in  
the area of in dividual 
entitlements 
of staff memb ers 
should be 
signifi­
cantly 
strengthened, 
the data quality in  
the relevan t
 IT 
management 
systems improved an d 
the pro­
cedures an d
 guidance
 required to support its man agement
 and
 control
 activities properly 
documented,
 
—that the in formation 
and 
documentation 
submitted 
by 
European 
political parties were n ot 
always 
sufficient
 to support their application s
 for financial
 contribution s
 or to allow the authorisin g
 
departmen t 
to verify the elig ibility 
of the paymen t 
request;
34. Notes and 
supports the views expressed b y 
the Internal 
Auditor as to:
—the importan ce 
of establishing 
at a central 
level an 
institutional 
code of con duct 
governing 
rela­
tions 
with extern al 
consultants 
(guidelines 
for which were adopted b y 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
in 
July 
2008), 
—the importan ce
 of ensuring
 that an effective risk man agement
 system is in operation at cen tral
 
level, with ag reed 
procedures to iden tify 
and 
assess risk s, 
to formulate an d 
report on 
the respon ses 
to 
those risks, 
and 
to provide assuran ce 
to the oversig ht 
and 
decision-mak
ing 
bodies 
that risk 
man­
agement 
is effective an d 
that all respon ses 
to risk, 
including 
internal 
controls, 
are appropriate;
Contracts and procu rement
35. Recalls 
that Parliamen t 
publishes 
general 
information 
about 
contrac
ts awarded on  
its website 
via ‘quick 
links
’
(1) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliamen t/expert/staticDisplay. do?id=62&lan guage=EN (1), and that, in accordance with the Fin ancial Regulation, it publishes (i) specific in formation on 
contracts 
of a value of over E UR 60 
000 in 
the Official Journ al; 
and 
(ii) a list of con tracts 
of a value of 
between 
EUR 25 
000 and 
EUR 60 
000 on 
its website; 
welcomes the hig h 
level of tran sparency 
achieved 
thereby, 
but 
recommen ds 
that for the sak e 
of easier accessib ility, 
Parliamen t’s 
website 
should con tain 
a 
single 
full and 
comprehen sive 
list of all con tracts;
36. Notes 
that the admin istration’s 
annual 
report to the b udgetary 
authority on  
contracts 
contains 
the fol­
lowing 
information 
on 
contracts 
awarded durin g 
2007:
Contracts awarded
2007 2006
Contracts with a value equal to or g reater than EUR 25  000 EUR 331,5 m
(249 contracts)EUR 327,5 m
(238 contracts)
Contracts 
with a value equal to or g reater 
than 
EUR 50 
000 EUR 
326,5 m
(133 contracts)EUR 
322,3 m
(112 contracts)
Contracts 
with a value of b etween 
EUR 25 
000 and 
EUR 60 
000 EUR 
5,2 m
(116 contracts)EUR 
5,2 m
(126 contracts)N E 8 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/9
37. Welcomes the in formation that the proportion of con tracts concluded by the open  procedure in creased 
from 
2006 to 2007 in  
terms of the total amoun t 
and 
also of the percen tage 
of the overall n umber 
of 
contracts, 
as follows:
Type of procedure2007 2006
Value (EUR) Percentage Value 
(EUR) Percentage
Open 162 124 519 49 % 123 936 713 38 %
Restricted 59 593 905 18 % 12 438 031 4 %
Negotiated 109 
763 269 33 % 191 162 868 58 %
Total  331 481 693 100 % 327 537 612 100 %
38. Notes that the admin istration has now set up the exclusion  database required b y Article 95 of the Fin an­
cial 
Regulation, 
and 
that it curren tly 
awaits instructions 
from the Commission  
on 
how to coordin ate 
it 
with the arran gements 
operated b y 
the Commission  
in 
the light 
of the Reg ula
tion
(1) Commission  Regulation (EC/Euratom) No  1302/2008 of 17  Decemb er 2008 on the control exclusion database
(
OJ L 344, 20.12.2008, p. 12). (1) and Decision 
adopted 
by 
the latter on  17 
December 
2008;
39. Notes that, despite amen dments 
to the Fin ancial 
Regulation, 
its rules on  
procuremen t 
are still exces­
sively cumb ersome 
for smaller in stitutions, 
especially in  
relation 
to tenders 
for contracts 
for relatively 
small amoun ts; 
invites 
the Commission  
— when 
carrying 
out its prelimin ary 
work 
prior to drawin g 
up 
any
 future proposals for amen dment
 to the Fin ancial
 Regulation
 — to con sul
t extensively with the 
Secretaries-Gen eral 
and 
administrations 
of the other in stitutions 
in 
order to en sure 
that their con cerns 
are 
also fully tak en 
into 
account 
in 
the final 
draft;
Management in Parliament’s administration
DG Presidency
40. Welcomes DG Presiden cy’s
 commitmen t
 to continuing
 improvemen ts
 in financial
 management
 
through 
the in-depth 
examination 
of the various aspects of b udget 
implemen tation 
and 
associated pro­
cedures; n otices 
in 
particular the efforts un dertaken 
in 
the field of cultivatin g 
staff awaren ess 
of bud­
getary 
operation s;
41. Recalls 
its request, first formulated in  
the discharg e 
in 
respect of the fin ancial 
year 2004, to create the 
post of risk  
manager, 
who should have extensive profession al 
experience 
in 
the field, in dependence 
and 
autonomy 
of decision -making, 
thorough 
knowledge 
of the structure an d 
gov
ernance 
of the org anisa­
tion, 
and 
authority, as that person ’s 
opinion 
could challen ge 
political or admin istrative 
decisions;
42. Considers 
it essential 
to place this risk  
manager 
within 
an 
administra
tive structure that can  
guarantee 
full 
compliance 
with these criteria;
43. Underlines 
that the area of security is a very sen sitive 
sector in 
any 
parliamen t, 
but 
even 
more so in  
a 
multinational 
parliamen t 
with high 
visibility 
and 
constant 
visits from Heads of State or Govern ment 
from 
all corners 
of the world; in vites 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to present 
to the competen t 
committee the 
state of play in  
this area; recalls in  
this respect the importan ce 
of clear commun ication 
procedures in  
the 
event 
of major b reaches 
of security within  
Parliamen t;
44. Recalls 
the Bureau decision  
of 29 Novemb er 
2006 approvin g 
the business 
continuity 
and 
crisis man ­
agement 
strategy 
as proposed b y 
the Secretary-Gen eral; 
underlines 
the absolute n ecessity 
to finally 
put 
into 
practice clear rules defin ing 
the chain 
of comman d 
and 
crisis man agem
ent 
structure within  
Par­
liament’s 
administration, 
and 
expects DG Presiden cy 
to make 
every effort in  
this direction ;
45. Expresses 
its concern 
at the increasing 
number 
of cases of petty crime in  
the premises of Parliamen t, 
concerning 
mostly theft of person al 
items such as b riefcases, 
portable 
computers, mob ile 
phones, 
etc.; 
supports every effort made b y 
the admin istration 
to achieve b etter 
security within  
Parliamen t’s 
premises;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
46. Notes that in  2005 Parliamen t bought six body scanners following a security-risk  analysis and on the 
advice of an outside con sultant;
 notes
 that after these b ody
 scanners
 were bought,
 Parliamen t
 voted 
against 
the use of such scan ners 
in 
airports; ask s 
therefore the Secretary-Gen eral 
to look 
into 
the pos­
sibility 
of selling 
the scanners; 
calls on 
its administration, 
before 
making 
similar purchases in  
future, to 
inform 
Members 
and 
involve 
them in 
the decision -making 
process;
DG Internal Policies and DG External Policies
47. Notes that in  
2007 the Policy Departmen ts 
in 
DGs IPOL 
and 
EXPO 
were fully operation al 
with an 
over­
all budget 
of EUR 6 
519 600; n otes 
with satisfaction  
that their primary task  
of giving 
assistance 
to the 
work 
of parliamen tary 
bodies 
has been 
increasingly 
well met; welcomes the policy departmen ts’ 
approach 
that quality is the main  
goal 
in 
securing 
external 
expertise, an d 
invites 
these departmen ts 
to 
consider
 carefully which con tract
 model can deliver the hig hest
 quality of advice to the requestin g
 
committee;
DG Communication
48. Notes the ever-in creasing 
demands 
on 
DG Commun ication 
in 
the field of audiovisual projects as well 
as the implemen tation 
of the visitors’ cen tre, 
which is en tering 
into 
its final 
phase; notes 
in 
this regard 
the 
long 
and 
heavy procedures lin ked 
to the preparation s 
for the new 
visitors’ cen tre, 
resulting 
in 
13 
tender 
procedures an d 
20 separate con tracts;
49. Calls 
on 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to fill the n ew 
posts foreseen  
for 2009 for the visitors cen ter 
project team 
as soon 
as possible 
to make 
sure that the visitors’ cen tre 
can 
open 
its doors to the pub lic 
in 
the begin­
ning 
of 2010;
50. Welcomes the work  
undertaken 
by 
DG Commun ication 
in 
preparation  
for the laun ch 
of the Web  
TV 
project, which after some difficulties in  
the initial 
tender 
phase is n ow 
running 
its test version ; 
takes 
note 
of the fact that the test phase took  
place over the period Septemb er 
2008 to March 2009, an d 
that 
a public 
awareness 
campaign 
was launched 
in 
March 2009 in  
order to in fo
rm and 
attract citizen s; 
notes 
the difficulties lin ked 
to the first ever Web  
TV in 
the world laun ched 
in 
more than  
20 languages;
51. Welcomes 
the transparency 
which is added b y 
Web 
TV to Parliamen t’s 
work, as committee meetin gs, 
hearings 
and 
other activities are b eing 
web-streamed 
and 
interested 
citizens 
can 
follow live topics of 
major interest;
52. Takes 
note 
of the unanimous 
adoption 
by 
the Bureau of the ‘Strategy 
and 
Action 
Plan 
for the 2009 
European 
Elections
’ on 22 
October 
2007, which en tered 
its first phase of implemen tation 
in 
2008 and 
will 
reach its peak  
just before 
the European 
elections;
53. Welcomes 
the ever-g rowing 
involvement 
of Parliamen t 
in 
European 
social and 
cultural life, as exem­
plified by 
events 
such as the Lux Prize, the E uropean 
Parliamen t 
prize for journalism, the citizens’ prize, 
the European 
Charlemag ne 
youth prize, the E nergy 
Globe 
Awards, AGORA an d 
the Youth Media Days, 
all launched 
in 
2007, in 
addition 
to the tradition al 
events;
54.
 Notes the satisfaction of users of the n ew
 audiovisual in frastructure
 in the JAN b u
ilding
 in Brussels, 
which was created b etween
 2006 and
 2008 to provide modern equipmen t
 for media an d
 in-house
 
services;
55. Welcomes the improvemen ts 
in 
the management 
of the information 
offices, where in  
particular fin an­
cial 
management 
seems to have improved accordin g 
to information 
given 
by 
the Internal 
Auditor dur­
ing 
the hearin g 
of the competen t 
committee held on  20 
January 
2009; underli
nes 
the importan ce 
of 
the new 
mission 
statement 
of Parliamen t’s 
information 
offices, improving  
their visib ility 
and 
accessi­
bility 
for citizen s;
56. Regrets 
that decision s 
on 
key 
posts in 
DG Commun ication 
took 
a very lon g 
time, leavin g 
management 
positions 
unfilled 
and 
resulting 
in 
an 
additional 
work 
load for the man age
rs in 
place;N E 0 1 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/11
DG Personnel
57. Welcomes the in troduction 
by 
DG Person nel 
of ‘Streamlin e
’, which allows a con siderable 
increase 
of 
efficiency 
and 
can 
be 
very easily used b y 
all staff memb ers;
58.
 Welcomes the screen ing
 exercise un dertaken
 by
 DG Person nel;
 invites
 DG Person nel
 to continue
 to 
work 
on 
the screen ing 
and 
to take 
a similar approach to the Commission ’s 
screening 
exercise, which is 
leading 
to major improvemen ts 
in 
staff allocation  
and 
efficiency;
59.
 Notes that the tran sitional
 provision s
 introducing
 the multiplication factor (An nex
 XIII
 to the Staff 
Regulations) 
enacted 
by 
the reform are so sin gularly 
opaque an d 
even 
self-contradictory
(1) Parliamen t’s reply to parag raph  11.7 of the Court’s an nual report. (1) that they 
gave 
rise to diverg ent 
interpretations 
between 
the various in stitutions 
and 
to numerous 
cases before 
the 
Court of Justice; un derlines 
the importan ce 
of clarity an d 
simplicity in  
the draftin g 
of legal 
texts; 
insists 
that the tran sitional 
period between 
the old pre-2004 salary scale an d 
the new 
post-reform sal­
ary scale should b e 
kept 
to a minimum 
(the Commission ’s 
pre-reform explan a
tory documen t 
having 
envisaged 
an 
end 
to the tran sitional 
period by 
2006), an d 
awaits with in ter
est the outcome of the an aly­
sis 
to be 
conducted 
in 
this respect b y 
the working 
group 
created by 
the Secretary-Gen eral;
60. Recalls 
that — at the same time as the sig nificant 
increase 
in 
the number 
of financial/budgetary 
staff 
required as a con sequence 
of the revised Fin ancial 
Regulation 
— the instit
ution’s 
potential 
for attract­
ing 
qualified fin ancial 
staff was reduced when  
in 
2004 the Staff Reg ulatio
ns 
were substantially 
revised, 
including
 a sizeable
 reduction in the level of salaries an d
 other benefits
 paid to n ew
 officials on 
recruitmen t;
61. Observes 
that at least on e 
Directorate-Gen eral 
in 
its activity report stresses the usefuln ess 
of ex-post 
controls 
in 
detecting 
errors or weak nesses 
for future correction ; 
points 
out that n ot 
all Directorates-
General 
currently 
have an 
ex-post con troller;
62. Calls 
for an 
evaluation  
by 
an 
independent 
external 
body 
of the overall impact of the 2004 reform of 
the Staff Reg ulations, 
analysing 
the costs an d 
benefits 
of the reform an d 
in 
particular iden tifying 
any 
unintended
 consequences
 having
 a negative
 impact on the run ning
 of the in s
titutions;
 invites
 the 
Secretary-Gen eral 
at the same time to commission  
a study in to 
staff satisfaction  
levels;
63. Takes 
note 
of the overview provided b y 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
of the num
ber 
of applican ts 
for open 
posts 
above 
the level of Head of Un it; 
is concerned 
at the fact that for a large n umber 
of these posts the 
number 
of candidates 
was limited (1 or 2); requests that adequate measures b e 
taken 
to bring 
about 
an 
increase 
in 
the number 
of internal 
candidates 
for such posts;
DG Infrastructure and Logistics
64. Regrets 
that, after havin g 
bought 
the SDM, WI C 
and 
IP3 
buildings 
in 
Strasbourg, 
asbestos 
was found 
in 
much 
greater 
amounts 
than 
initially 
indicated 
by 
the French 
expert; notes 
that a decision  
has been 
taken 
to 
remove that asb estos 
in 
the interests 
of the lon g-term 
protection  
of those work ing 
in 
and 
visiting 
the 
buildings 
concerned;
65. Asks 
the Presiden t 
and 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to ensure 
that the asb est
os removal work s 
are carried out 
in 
accordance 
with the in tervention 
protocol an d 
expert reports an nexed 
to the reply to the discharg e 
questionnaire 
and 
under 
the constant 
supervision  
of the experts so as to ensure an  
optimum level of 
protection  
for all person s 
transiting 
or working 
in 
these buildings 
while the work s 
are being 
carried 
out;
66. Notes that fin al 
cost estimates for the exten sion 
of the sports cen tre 
in 
Brussels will b e 
determined upon 
conclusion 
of the curren t 
negotiated 
procedure; in vites 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to present 
to the Bureau 
and 
the Committee on  
Budgets 
the final 
cost estimates prior to the fin al 
decision 
to begin 
the work; 
notes 
that the work  
carried out so far is n ot 
consistent 
with the interests of either Members or the E uro­
pean 
taxpayer;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
DG Translation and DG Interpretation and Conferences
67. Notes with con cern 
the statemen t 
by 
DG Translation 
in 
its activity report that the code of con duct 
on 
multilingualism 
is only 
respected in  
60 % of cases, an d 
that failure to comply with the code is un ac­
ceptably 
serious in  
certain 
committees; con siders 
that any 
move away from multilin gualism 
would be 
seriously 
damaging 
to democracy an d 
the normal 
discharge 
of the duties of Memb ers, 
and 
calls on 
the 
Secretary-Gen eral 
to ensure 
that the code is properly applied;
68. Supports the proposal b y 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to introduce 
awarenes
s-raising 
measures amon gst 
users 
of translation 
and 
interpretation 
services, in cluding 
committees, deleg ations 
and 
political g roups, 
and 
suggests 
that future proposals should in clude 
virtual billing 
of users;
69. Notes that a sub stantially 
revised code of con duct 
was adopted b y 
the Bureau at its meetin g 
of
17 Novemb er 
2008;
70. Congratulates
 DG Tran slation
 as well as DG I nter
pretation an d
 Conferences
 on their efforts in han­
dling 
expeditiously the major in crease 
from 11 official lan guages 
in 
2004 to 23 lan guages 
in 
2009;
71. Notices that work ing 
conditions 
for interpreters 
have deteriorated in  
this parliamen tary 
term owin g 
to 
ever-increasing 
work 
pressure an d 
over-interpretation 
of rules g overni
ng 
missions; 
invites 
DG Inter­
pretation 
and 
Conferences 
to look 
urgently 
into 
this issue in  
order to improve the motivation  
of inter­
preters;
 points
 out that these prob lems
 concern most of the time the main lan guage
 combinations,
 
which have a much heavier timetab le 
owing 
to the level of deman d 
for their services;
72. Requests the Secretary Gen eral 
to provide an  
overview for the year 2007, an d, 
if possible, 
for the year 
2008, of meetin gs 
which were can celled 
at such a late stag e 
that interprete
rs and 
other supportin g 
staff 
could not 
be 
rescheduled, in cluding 
the total costs in volved 
and 
who was charg ed 
for these costs;
DG Finance
73. Notices the work of the simplification work ing
 group;
 invites
 the Secretary-General to give a short 
report to its competen t 
committee on  
the outcome of this work ing 
group; 
expects that b efore 
any 
changes 
to the financial 
rules are en visaged, 
that committee will b e 
asked 
to give 
a formal opin ion;
74. Insists 
that the implemen ting 
rules for the Memb ers’ 
Statute should b e 
clear and 
easy to comply with;
75. Invites 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
to establish 
a service, to b e 
available 
to all Memb ers 
as of July 2009, to 
advise them on  
the correct application  
of, and 
their rights 
and 
obligation
s under, 
the new 
Member’s 
Statute, 
and 
the proper han dling 
of assistan ts’ 
contracts;
76. Considers 
that, in 
order to carry out their parliamen tary 
duties Memb e
rs should b e 
entitled 
to use the 
mode of tran sport 
that is best 
adapted to their parliamen tary 
work 
agenda, 
the most con venient, 
the 
fastest and 
the least costly to Parliamen t;
77.
 Invites
 the Secretary-Gen eral
 to make
 the necessary
 financial
 and
 human resources availab le
 for the 
rapid implemen tation 
of the new 
Assistants’ 
Statute;
78. Calls for an  
overall an alysis 
by 
an 
independent 
body 
of the soun d 
financ
ial management, 
effectiveness 
and
 efficiency
 of contracts
 with extern al
 service providers in areas such as I T,
 security, b ars,
 restau­
rants, 
canteens, 
travel office, clean ing 
building 
maintenance 
with particular reg ard 
to:
—the method of selection ,
 
—the most suitab le 
type of con tract,N E 2 1 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/13
 —possible 
loss of man agement 
control 
through 
excessive extern alisation
, 
—transparency 
of fee/billing 
mechanisms,
 
—reliance 
on 
commission  
as a factor in  
remuneration,
 
—the problem 
of monopolies 
in 
the provision  
of services in  
certain 
areas, 
—justification  
for paymen ts 
from Parliamen t’s 
budget;
79. Recommen ds 
that Parliamen t’s 
Internal 
Auditor tak e 
the above-
mentio
ned 
areas and 
issues into 
account 
when 
carrying 
out the risk  
analysis 
on 
which his future work  
programmes 
will be 
based;
DG 
Innovation and Technological Support
80. Recalls that, accordin g 
to the hearin g 
before 
the competen t 
committee of the I nternal 
Auditor of
20 January 
2009, there were in  
2007 major prob lems 
with the state of I T 
gover
nance 
in 
Parliamen t, 
requiring 
important 
changes 
to the structures, tradition s 
and 
managemen
t of the institution’s 
IT 
policy; 
considers 
it of the utmost urg ency 
to introduce 
all major requiremen ts 
for modern  
IT 
governance 
and 
planning 
tools which would b ring 
Parliamen t’s 
IT 
sector closer to the COBIT (Con trol 
Objectives 
for 
Information 
and 
related Techn ology);
81. Underlines 
that this ob jective 
requires an  
in-depth 
analysis 
of Parliamen t’s 
needs 
and 
strategies 
in 
order 
to bring 
political requiremen ts 
into 
line 
with IT 
instruments, 
bearing 
in 
mind 
the ever more dig italised 
global 
environment, 
whereby 
political orien tation 
should be 
the guiding 
force for the ultimate g oal 
and 
IT 
instruments 
should fully support these goals; considers that this approach will on ly 
be 
possible 
when 
IT 
governance 
structures are in  
place; calls therefore on  
the Bureau to take the appropriate decision s;
Parliamentary 
assistance allowance
82. Welcomes the achievemen t 
of the Secretary-Gen eral 
— in 
response 
to previous discharg e 
resolution s, 
reports
 by
 the Court of Auditors an d
 the Inter
nal Auditor — in havin g
 obtained
 the necessary
 sup­
porting
 documen ts
 to regularise
 virtually all claims (99,9 % b y
 amount)
 for the period 2004-2007; 
takes 
note 
of the simplification  
of the claims procedure in troduced 
on 13 
December 
2006 whereb y 
invoices 
and 
fee statemen ts 
issued by 
paying 
agents 
and 
service providers are n o 
longer 
required to b e 
submitted 
by 
Members 
but 
must be 
retained 
by 
them; instead, 
Members 
are now 
required to sub mit 
copies 
of the ‘statements 
of expenditure
’ and ‘
statements 
of amoun ts 
invo
iced’ issued b y 
paying 
agents 
and 
service providers;
83. Recalls parag raphs 
59 and 
61 of its discharg e 
resolution  
in 
respect of the fin ancial 
year 2006
(1) European  Parliamen t  resolution of 22 April 2008  with observations  forming  an integral  part of the decision on dis­
charge 
in 
respect of the implemen tation 
of the European 
Union 
general 
budg
et for the fin ancial 
year 2006, section  
I 
—
European 
Parliamen t 
(OJ L 88, 31.3.2009, p. 3). (1); asks 
the 
Secretary-Gen eral 
to provide Memb ers 
who have complied with the rules con cerning 
the use of the 
parliamen tary 
assistance 
allowance 
with a letter from admin istration 
stating 
so;
84. Welcomes the commitmen t 
given 
by 
the Secretary-Gen eral 
at the hearin g 
of the competen t 
committee 
on 20 
January 
2009 to provide Memb ers 
as of July 2009 with at least on e 
official paymen t 
agent 
per 
Member 
State engaged 
by 
Parliamen t 
to manage 
contracts 
and 
all related matters con cerning 
Members’ 
local 
assistants, 
bearing 
in 
mind 
the other option s 
foreseen 
in 
the implemen ting 
rules;
85. Invites 
the Bureau to g uarantee 
that local assistan ts 
will be 
given 
equal access to Parliamen t’s 
buildings 
in 
the three places of work ;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
Political grou ps (review of accou nts and procedu res — budget item  4  0  0  0 )
86. Welcomes the fact that the accoun ts 
of the political g roups 
are publish
ed on 
Parliamen t’s 
website
(1) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/g roups/accounts_en.htm (1), 
together 
with their in ternal 
financial 
rules; poin ts 
out, however, the hig hly 
disparate n ature 
of the inter­
nal 
financial 
rules drawn  
up by 
the various political g roups;
87. Notes 
that in 
2007 the appropriation s 
entered 
under 
budget 
item  4  0  0  0  were used as follows:
(in EUR)
Total availab le under the 2007 b udget 75  211 947
Non-attached 
Members 673 
575
Amounts 
available 
for the groups 74 
538 372
GroupAppropria­
tions 
allocated 
under 
Parliamen t’s 
budgetOwn
 
resources 
and 
carried-
over appro­
priations 
of 
groupsExpenditure 
2007Rate 
of use 
of availab le 
appropria­
tionsCarry-over 
ceiling
 (*)Amounts 
carried over 
to 2008
PPE 18 197 622 9 449 345 18 572 670 67,18 % 9 098 811 9 074 297
PSE 14 165 895 7 265 776 14 827 524 69,19 % 7 082 948 6 604 146
ALDE 6 703 291 3 560 145 7 461 720 72,70 % 3 351 646 2 801 716
Verts/ALE 2 690 396 1 434 335 3 167 057 76,78 % 1 345 198 957 674
GUE/NGL 2 
740 154 994 094 2 835 166 75,92 % 1 370 077 899 083
UEN 2 
797 063 541 496 2 436 330 72,98 % 1 398 532 902 230
IND/DEM 1 
502 292 1 044 042 1 821 789 71,55 % 751 146 724 546
ITS 1 
441 708 10 718 1 130 306 77,82 % 720 854 — (**)
NI 538 048 135 527 450 827 66,93 % 269 024 117 207
Total  50 776 469 24 435 478 52 703 387 70,07 % 25 388 234 22 508 559
(*)In accordan ce with Article 2.1.6 of the Rules on  the use of appropriation s  f r o m  b u d g e t  I t e m  4  0  0  0 .  
(**)The Group was dissolved on  14 November 2007 and it subsequently repaid the un spent appropriation s to the EP.
88. Points out that in  2007 the accoun ts of two political g roups received a qualified opin ion from their 
external 
auditors;
89. Notes that at its meetin g 
of 7 July 2008 when  
considering 
its decision  
on the closure of the 2007 fin an­
cial 
year for the political g roups, 
the Bureau, without deb ate:
—noted 
and 
approved the documen ts 
submitted 
by 
the groups 
and 
the final 
consolidated accoun ts 
of 
the non-attached 
Members,
 
—allowed the PPE -DE 
Group to in clude 
in 
its accoun ts 
for 2007 expen diture 
relating 
to certain 
per­
sonnel 
costs for the years 2005-2007, which were in ternally 
invoiced 
by 
Parliamen t 
after 31 Janu­
ary 
2008, 
—postponed 
its decision  
on 
the final 
accounts 
of the former I TS 
Group;
90. Notes further that the accoun ts 
of the former I TS 
group 
dissolved on  14 
November 
2007 submitted 
to 
the chairman  
of the Committee on  
Budgetary 
Control 
on 4 
November 
2008 were accompan ied 
by 
an 
auditor’s 
certificate (i) con taining 
a qualified opin ion 
concerning 
evidence 
of inadequate 
internal 
con­
trols 
as attested b y 
the paymen t 
of remun eration 
to a staff memb er 
unsuppor
ted by 
a contract; 
and 
(ii) referrin g 
to disciplin ary 
proceedin gs 
against 
a former employee;
91. Notes that the I TS
 group
 repaid the remain ing
 balance
 of its sub sidy
 to Parliamen t,
 amounting
 to 
EUR 317 
310,23, in  
April 2008;N E 4 1 / 5 5 2 L
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/15
European political parties
92. Notes 
that at its meetin g 
of 7 July 2008 when  
considering 
its decision  
on 
the closure of the 2007 fin an­
cial 
year for the political parties, the Bureau, takin g 
a decision  
without deb ate, 
approved the fin al 
reports 
on 
the implemen tation 
of the respective prog ramme
s of activities an d 
fina
ncial 
statements 
of the politi­
cal parties receivin g 
a subsidy 
from Parliamen t’s 
budget;
93. Notes 
that in 
2007 the appropriation s 
entered 
under 
budget 
item  4  0  2  0  were used as follows:
(EUR)
Execution 
of 2007 b udget 
under 
the agreement
Party Own 
resources Total EP 
subsidies Total 
revenueSubsidies 
as % of elig ible 
expenditure 
(max. 75 %)
PPE 1 150 174,16 3 156 413,79 4 306 587,95 75,00 %
PSE 1 033 792,85 2 992 217,56 4 026 010,41 75,00 %
ELDR 382 
797,45 1 022 343,98 1 405 141,43 74,00 %
EFGP 243 
733,02 631 750,00 875 483,02 74,05 %
GE 179 599,61 524 251,22 703 850,83 75,00 %
PDE 52 861,45 152 610,87 205 472,32 75,00 %
AEN 53 
496,02 159 137,64 212 633,66 74,84 %
ADIE 82 
775,00 239 410,00 322 185,00 74,46 %
EFA 81 
354,87 215 197,63 296 552,50 75,00 %
EUD 73 
951,00 226 279,50 300 230,50 75,00 %
Total  3 334 535,43 9 319 612,19 12 654 147,62 74,81 %
94. Points out that in  all reports, the auditors certified un reservedly that the accoun ts submitted were in 
conformity 
with the main  
statutory provision s 
of Regulation 
(EC) 
No 2004/2003
(1) Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the E uropean Parliamen t and of the Coun ci l of 4 Novemb er 2003 on the regulations
governing 
political parties at E uropean 
level and 
the rules reg arding 
their funding 
(OJ L 297, 15.11.2003, p. 1). (1) and that they pre­
sented 
a true and 
faithful picture of the situation  
of the political parties at the close of the 2007 fin an­
cial 
year; observes 
that the assessmen t 
by 
Parliamen t’s 
Internal 
Auditor of complian ce 
with the relevan t 
rules 
was somewhat more critical;
95. Instructs 
its Secretary-Gen eral 
to publish 
the accoun ts 
and 
the auditors’ reports con cerning 
subsidised 
political 
parties on  
Parliamen t’s 
website;
96. Asks 
for its competen t 
committee to b e 
informed 
of the follow-up g iven 
to the report b y 
the Internal 
Auditor 
published 
in 
August 
2007 on 
the implemen tation 
of the rules on  
cont
ributions 
to political par­
ties at European 
level (referred to in  
paragraph 
55 of Parliamen t’s 
Resolution  
of 22 April 2008 on  
dis­
charge 
for the fin ancial 
year 2006);
97. Notes that, as in  
2005 and 
2006, budgetary 
implemen tation 
by 
two parties (AE N 
and 
PDE) 
fell signifi­
cantly
 short of the provision al
 budget,
 and
 that the authorisin g
 officer was in structed
 to recover as 
regards 
2007:
—EUR 81 
294,07 from the AE N,
 
—EUR 269 
153,40 from the PDE , 
and
 
—EUR 49 
819 from the ADI E;
98. Recalls 
that at its meetin g 
of 8 October 
2008, the Bureau took  
note 
of the proposed code of con duct 
for 
electoral campaig ns 
by 
political parties in  
the context 
of the Europea
n 
elections;N E 9 0 0 2 . 9 . 6 2
Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion 26.9.2009
99. Recalls that, in  accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1524/2007
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1524/2007 of the E uropean Parliamen t and of the Coun ci l of 18 Decemb er 2007 amen ding Regu­
lation 
(EC) 
No 2004/2003 of the E uropean 
Parliamen t 
and 
of the Coun cil 
on 
the regulations 
governing 
political parties
at European 
level and 
the rules reg arding 
their funding 
(OJ L 343, 27.12.2007, p. 5). (1), application s for funding by Euro­
pean 
political foun dations 
from the b udget 
of Parliamen t 
were considered 
for the first time durin g 
2008; 
instructs 
its competen t 
committee to con sider 
the utilisation  
of those fun ds 
in 
its discharg e 
in 
respect 
of the financial 
year 2008;
Voluntary 
pension fu nd
100. Takes 
note 
of the fact that, in  
spring 
2008, the total memb ership 
of the scheme was 1 113, including 
478 
active ME Ps 
(61 % of the total n umber 
of MEPs), 
493 pensioners 
(of whom 56 were the depen ­
dants 
of deceased memb ers) 
and 
142 deferred memb ers;
101. Points 
out that at 31 Decemb er 
2007 the fun d’s 
assets were E UR 214 
887 336; n otes 
that the return  
on 
investments 
in 
2007 was 1,2 %;
102. Notes — in  
relation 
to the accoun ts 
of the ASBL man aging 
the Memb ers’ 
voluntary 
pension 
fund 
— 
the independent 
auditor’s statemen t 
that, without qualifyin g 
their opinion , 
the assets of the ASBL were 
actuarially deficien t 
by 
EUR 30 
917 229 as at 31 Decemb er 
2007 (2006: E UR 26 
637 836);
103. Notes further the extern al 
auditor’s statemen t 
that the fin al 
responsib ility 
for the paymen t 
of benefits 
rests 
with Parliamen t, 
as provided for b y 
Article 27 of the Statute for Members of the E uropean 
Par­
liament 
adopted b y 
Parliamen t, 
which provides that ‘acquired rig hts 
and 
entitlements 
shall be 
main­
tained 
in 
full’;
104. Takes 
the view that this in terpretation 
does not 
accord fully with the orig inal 
conception 
of the vol­
untary 
pension 
fund 
as a self-g overning 
entity 
outside the structures of the in stitution; 
invites 
its Legal 
Service 
to give 
its views b efore 
the entry 
into 
force of the n ew 
statute on  
the question  
as to whether 
ultimate fin ancial 
responsibility 
for the volun tary 
pension 
fund 
lies with the fun d 
and 
its members 
or 
with Parliamen t, 
bearing 
clearly in 
mind 
the interests 
of European 
taxpayers;
105. Notes the in tention 
to negotiate 
a convention 
between 
Parliamen t 
and 
the fund; 
points 
out that un der 
no 
circumstan ces 
will Parliamen t 
in 
the prevailin g 
economic 
situation 
provide extra mon ey 
from the 
budget 
to cover the fun d’s 
deficit, as it did in  
the past, an d 
that if it has to g uarantee 
pension 
rights, 
Parliamen t 
should have full con trol 
over the fun d 
and 
its investment 
policies;
106. Recalls the con clusions 
of an 
independent 
actuarial valuation
(2) Final report: liab ilities and assets analysis November 2007 — AON Con sul ting Belgium NV/SA. (2) of the volun tary pension scheme com­
missioned 
by 
Parliamen t 
that (i) the cash flow in come 
was sufficien t 
to finance 
pension 
payments 
until 
2015 
and 
that thereafter it would b e 
necessary 
to begin 
realising 
assets in 
order to pay the pen sions 
due; 
and 
(ii) provided the assumption s 
used by 
the scheme’s actuary were proved correct, at the termi­
nation 
date the fun d 
will be 
in 
surplus; n otes 
that the Secretary-Gen eral 
has commission ed 
an 
updated 
actuarial study examin ing 
the position  
following 
the recent 
financial/b
anking 
crisis;
107. Welcomes the in formation 
that, as advocated in  
previous discharg e 
resolution s, 
members 
of the fun d 
now
 pay their on e-third
 contribution
 from private extern al
 accounts
 rather than havin g
 it deducted 
automatically b y 
Parliamen t’s 
administration 
from the g eneral 
expendit
ure allowan ce;
108. Notes, 
however, that for the purposes of the primary pen sion 
scheme under An nex 
III 
to the Rules on  
Members’ 
expenses 
and 
allowances, 
the contributions 
of the Memb ers 
conce
rned 
continue 
to be 
col­
lected from the g eneral 
expenditure 
allowance;N E 6 1 / 5 5 2 L
26.9.2009 EN Official Journ alof the EuropeanUnion L 255/17
109. Notes that at its meetin g of 22 Octob er 2007, the Bureau decided n ot to comply with a recommen ­
dation 
by 
the European 
Ombudsman 
(complain t
 655/2006/(SAB)ID) that Parliamen t 
should give 
access 
to the list of memb ers
 of the volun tary
 pension
 scheme, n otwithstanding
 a positive opin ion
 of the 
European 
Data Protection  
Supervisor; calls on  
the Bureau to recon sider 
its position  
and 
to publish 
the 
list in 
accordance 
with the advice of Parliamen t’s 
Legal 
Service an d 
in 
line with the tran sparency 
policy 
of the Un ion 
so as to mak e 
public 
all final 
beneficiaries 
of European 
fundin
g;
Environment
110.
 Recalls that on 27 Novemb er
 2007 the Presiden t
 and
 Secretary-Gen eral
 sign
ed an agreement
 for an 
environmental 
certification  
of Parliamen t’s 
buildings, 
and 
that in 
parallel the Secretary-Gen eral 
set in 
motion 
the procedures required for Parliamen t 
to be 
registered 
on 
the list of b odies 
taking 
part in 
EMAS 
(Eco-Management 
and 
Audit Scheme) in  
Belgium, 
France 
and 
Luxembourg;
111. Points 
out that Parliamen t 
now 
has EMAS 
certification  
for all three places of work , 
and 
that it is the 
only 
EU 
institution 
with such a certified recog nition 
of environmental 
policy;
112. Points 
out that on  18 
June 
2007, the Bureau set a 30 % reduction  
in 
CO2 emissions by 2020 as the 
first and 
main 
target 
for the environmental 
management 
system, in  
keeping 
with Parliamen t’s 
Decision 
of 24 
April 2007 on  
discharge 
for the fin ancial 
year 2005;
113. Requests its Secretary-Gen eral 
to inform 
its competen t 
committees, in  
time for n ext 
year’s discharg e, 
of
 all follow-up made in respon se
 to the recommen dations
 contained
 in Parliamen t’s
 Resolution of
24 April 2007 on  
discharge 
for the fin ancial 
year 2005 with reg ard 
to enviro
nmental 
measures, in clud­
ing 
precise fig ures 
on 
CO2 emissions reductions achieved b y then;
Case 
concerning the Members’ Cash Office
114. Notes that 2007 saw the resolution  
of the case con cerning 
the difference of BE F 4 
136 125 b etween 
the 
cash accoun ts 
and 
the general 
accounts 
established 
in 
1982; notes 
further that the question  
of the 
guarantee 
accounts 
in 
respect of the imprest admin istrator 
and 
assistant 
accounting 
officer in 
office at 
the time was also sub sequently 
settled.