33. Pointsout,inacontextinwhichthesignificanceoftheEUasaglobalpartnermustbestreng-
thened,thatstepsinthedirectionofestablishingacommonEuropeandiplomacyandtowardsthecreationofaEuropeanexternalactionservicewoulddirectlycontributetotheachievementofthisgoal;
34. Intendstoanalysefutureneedsandcurrentimplementationofthecommonforeignandsecurity
policy,takingintoaccountthemajorfinancialincreasegrantedunderthissectionfor2004;willassesstheoutcomeofthenewjointmeetingsestablishedbetweentheParliamentandCouncilfollowingthebudgetconciliationmeetingofNovember2003anddrawthebudgetaryconsequences;
35. RegretsonceagainthattheCommissionhasnotputforwardtheparliamentarydimensionofthe
WorldTradeOrganization(WTO)asoneofitsprioritiesinrelationtoexternalresponsibilityandrecallsthattheParliamentaryAssemblyoftheWTOmustbedevelopedandmadepermanent;urgestheCom-missiontosubmitaconcreteproposaltoParliamentby31July2004atthelatest;
Personnelandadministration
36. NotesthattheCommissionplanstorequest700newenlargement-relatedpostsfor2005;encour-
agestheeffortsbytheCommissiontouseredeploymentwithinandbetweendepartmentstomobiliseadditionalresources;notesthat,asaresultofredeployment,anadditional570postsareestimatedtobecomeavailablein2005toimplementpriorityinitiatives;
37. Willevaluate the Commission’srequest onthe basisofdifferent criteria such asavailability of
candidatesforrecruitment,absorptioncapacityoftheinstitutions,thegeographicalbalanceofposts,thequantitativeandqualitativeimplementationoftheEuropeanParliament’spoliticalpriorities,theprocessofoutsourcingand,also,withinthegeneralcontextofheading5;
38. AskstheCommissiontoprovide,withthePDB,amid-termprogrammingofdecentralisedagencies,
executiveagencies,regulatoryagencies,externalofficeswiththerelatedimpactontheheadingsofthefinancialperspectiveconcerned,inparticularheadings3and5withtheconsequencesandtheuseoffreed resources for the Commission; recalls the Commission’s undertaking to ensure that policy onagenciescomplieswitharigorousbudgetaryapproachandremainssubjecttodemocraticsupervisionbythepoliticalandbudgetaryauthorities;
*
**
39. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncil,theCommissionandtheCourtof
Auditors.
P5_TA(2004)0370
Parliament’spreliminaryestimatesfor2005
EuropeanParliamentresolutionontheestimatesofrevenueandexpenditureofParliamentforthe
financialyear2005(2004/2007(BUD))
TheEuropeanParliament ,
/dash havingregardtoArticle272oftheECTreaty,/dash havingregardtotheCouncilRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1605/2002of25June2002ontheFinan-
cialRegulationapplicabletothegeneralbudgetoftheEuropeanCommunities(
1),
/dash havingregardtotheInterinstitutionalAgreementof6May1999betweentheEuropeanParliament,
theCouncilandtheCommissiononbudgetarydisciplineandimprovementofthebudgetarypro-cedure(
2),
(1) OJL248,16.9.2002,p.1.
(2) OJC172,18.6.1999,p.1.AgreementasamendedbyDecision2003/429/EC(OJL147,14.6.2003,p.25).C104E/1014 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
/dash havingregardtoitsresolutionof26February2004ontheguidelinesforSectionsII,IV,V,VI,VII,
VIII(A)andVIII(B)andontheEuropeanParliament’spreliminarydraftestimates(SectionI)forthe2005budgetprocedure(
1),
/dash havingregardtothereportoftheSecretaryGeneraltotheBureauconcerningthepreliminarydraft
estimatesofParliamentforthefinancialyear2005,
/dash havingregardtothepreliminarydraftestimatesestablishedbytheBureauon29March2004,pur-
suanttoRules22(6)and183oftheRulesofProcedure,
/dash havingregardtoRule183oftheRulesofProcedure,/dash havingregardtothereportoftheCommitteeonBudgets(A5-0236/2004),
A. whereastheceilinginheading5(Administrativeexpenditure)has,asaresultofthetechnicaladjust-
ment,beenfixedatEUR6185millionforthe2005budget(
2);whereasthistechnicaladjustment
representsaEUR94millionreductionintheceilingofthefinancialperspectivesofheading5for2005at2005prices,
B. whereas a simple extrapolation ofthe techical adjustment,the evolution ofstaffsalaries and the
updatedestimatesoftheeffectsofthereformoftheinstitutionscombinedwiththefinancialprogram-mingasestablishedbythethirdreportoftheSecretariesGeneralinJuly2003wouldhaveresultedin
anegativemarginofsomeEUR145millionfor2005,
C. whereastherecentupdatetothethirdreportbytheSecretariesGeneralonthedevelopmentinhead-
ing5foreseesanegativemarginofEUR45millionintherevisedadministrativeexpenditureplansfor2005insteadofapositivemarginofEUR28,5millionaswasestimatedinJuly2003,
D. whereas2005isthefirstfullyearoftheenlargedUnionandofthe6thlegislatureoftheEuropean
Parliament,
E. whereasthe2005estimatesarebasedonthefollowingkeyparameters:full12monthsofenlarge-
ment-relatedexpenditurewith9newlanguages;44workingweeks,ofwhich3constituencyweeks,12ordinarypart-sessionsand6additionalpart-sessions;a2,7%salaryadjustment,anda7%standardabatementforposts;whereastheparameterswillbere-examinedduringthefirstreadingofthe2005budgetintheautumn,
Politicalpriorities
1. Stressestheimportanceofsatisfyingtheneedsrelatingtoenlargementdespitethefinancialcon-
straintsinheading5in2005andtocontinuetoimproveservicesrenderedtoMembersthroughtheimplementationofthe‘RaisingtheGame’initiative;
2. Reiteratestheimportanceofcontinuingtoapplysoundfinancialmanagementandbudgetaryrigour
andprovidevalueformoneyfortheEuropeantaxpayer;underlinesthattheestimatesforthe2005budget,takingintoaccountthebudgetaryconstraintsanduncertainties,havetobebasedonsoundassumptionsandrealneeds;
3. UnderlinestheneedtocontinuethereformofitsAdministrationbyrationalisingandmodernising
workingmethods,makingbetteruseofnewtechnologiesandconcentratingoncoreactivities;
Generalframework
4. IsawarethatseveralassumptionshavebeenmadebyitsAdministrationonaccountoftheuncer-
taintiesrelatingtothepreliminarydraftestimatesfor2005;pointsoutthattheparametersandtheunder-lyingassumptionshavetobere-examinedduringthefirstreadingofthe2005budgetinlightofthepoliticalpriorities;
(1) P5_TA(2004)0118.
(2) Calculatednetofstaffcontributionstothepensionsscheme(EUR175millionat2005prices).30.4.2004EN C104E/1015 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
5. Notesthat the preliminary draft estimates have been set at 20% ofheading 5, representing an
increaseof3,3%over2004budget;reservesitsfinaldecisiononthegloballevelofSectionIuntilthefirstreadingintheautumn;
6. PointsoutthatoutoftheamountofEUR1272millioncorrespondingto20%ofheading5,an
amountofEUR1007,6millionisforeseenforstandardoperationalexpenditureandEUR173,4millionforenlargement-relatedneeds;
7. Recallsthatthecapitalinjectionsandacceleratedrepaymentofbuildingshaveproducedmajorsav-
ingsintherecentyears;isoftheopinionthatapartoftheappropriationsavailableinthebudgetcouldbeusedforanadvancepaymentfortheD4andD5buildings;considers,however,thatthefinaladvancepaymentamountcanonlybedecidedintheautumninthecontextoftheoverallsituationofSectionIandofheading5;
ExpenditurerelatedtoMembersandpoliticalgroups
8. Notesthatnoappropriations,onthelineorinthereserve,areforeseenforaMember’sStatute,but
thatchapter102(ReservefortheMember’sStatute)ismaintainedwithatokenentry(p.m.);
9. ReiteratesitssupportfortheadoptionofaStatuteforMembers’assistants;considersthattheprovi-
sionsprovidedbythenewstaffregulationsregardingtheoptiontodefineassistantsascontractagentsshouldbeexamined;
10. IsoftheopinionthattheleveloftheSecretariatallowance(Article391)shouldbeassessed;
Multilingualismandassistancetomembers
11. CallsonitsAdministrationtoanalysethebudgetaryimplicationsofthenewcodeofconductfor
controlledmultilingualismandinvitestheSecretary-Generaltosubmitareportonthissubjectby1Sept-
ember2004;
12. Welcomesthesavingstobecreatedbynewcontracttermsoffreelancetranslationsofverbatim
reportofproceedingsofplenarysittings;considers,however,thatalternativemeansshouldbeexamined
insteadofcontinuingtotranslateallverbatimreportsofproceedings(CRE)intoalllanguages,e.g.the
possibilityoftranslationbyrequest;invitestheBureau,asafollow-uptothe2004budgetprocedure,tosubmitareportonthemeasuresundertakenconcerningthetranslationoftheverbatimreportby1Sept-ember2004;
13. InvitesitsSecretary-Generaltosubmitanupdatedreportby1July2004ontheworkloadofthein-
houseinterpreters,ontheuseoffreelanceinterpretersandontheinterinstitutionalcooperationinthisfieldtoensuretheoptimaluseofresources;
14. Considers,inviewofthefinalreportbypilotcommittees,thatthereshouldbeclearandobjective
criteriaonthepossiblefutureallocationofexpertisebudgetsforparliamentarycommittees;hasserious
doubtsregardingthegeneralisationoftheallocationwithastandardamounttoallcommittees;
Enlargement/dashrelatedstaffrequests
15. Pointsoutthatthemainpartoftheadditionalneedsinviewofenlargementhasbeencoveredin
the2002-2004budgets;reiteratesitsviewthattheremainingenlargement-relatedstaffrequestsalsohavetobebasedonrealneedsandrealisticrecruitmentestimations;recallsthat,inthelightofrecentexperi-ence,severalfactorsanduncertaintiesaffecttherecruitmentforecasts,suchasthedelaysinrecruitmentproceduresandproblemsinfindingcertaincategoriesofstaff;
16. Notesthatthecreationof140newenlargement-relatedpostsinthegeneralsecretariathasbeen
proposedbytheBureau,withtheinclusionofthecorrespondingbudgetaryappropriationsinthefirstreadinginordertotakeintoaccounttheinformationforthcomingonrecruitmentpossibilities;reservesitsfinaldecisionuntilthefirstreadingofthe2005budget;C104E/1016 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
17. Notestheproposaltocreate8newnon-enlargementrelatedand38newenlargement-relatedtem-
porarypostsinthepoliticalgroups;approvesthesepostsandthecorrespondingbudgetaryappropriations;
18. Recallsthat,incaseofanagreementbeingreachedonthereunificationofCyprus,theneedfornew
postsmustbeevaluated;
Staffpolicyandother(non-enlargement)staffrequests
19. Considersthatthenewstaffpromotionandcareerplanningpolicyshouldbesetupinawaywhich
allowsfortheprovisionofbudgetaryprogrammingwhilerespectingthelegitimateandequalrightsofitsstaff;isoftheopinionthattheAdministrationshouldcreateapromotionpolicyunderthenewstaffregulations;invitestheSecretary-Generaltosubmitareportbefore1September2004onthemid-termfinancialimpactoftheincomestructureunderthenewstaffregulations;
20. ReiteratesParliament’sprioritiestoensurethattheprinciplesofequalopportunities(inparticular
race,genderanddisabilities)areimplementedinthecontextofallpromotionandrecruitmentprocedures;
21. Notesthatpossibleproposalsonupgradingswillbeputforwardinthefirstreadingtotakeinto
accountthenewstaffregulations;
22. CallsonitsAdministrationtocontinuetouseallpossibilitiesavailableforredeployment;23. Notesthat24newpermanentpostsandprolongationof10temporaryposts,aswellasthecreation
ofadirector’spost(A*14/15)withinDGPersonnel ,arerequestedbytheBureaufornon-enlargement
relatedneedsintheGeneralSecretariat;approvestheseposts,butentersinthereserve7ASTpostsfore-
seenfortheoperationofaround-the-clock‘CrisisCentre’andforthesupervisionofoutsidestaff,pending
theupdateonrecruitmenttothecurrentlyunfilledpostsintheSecurityDivision;
Interinstitutionalcooperation
24. Reiterates its support for further interinstitutional cooperation in order to improve the use of
resourcesandcreatecontractualsavings;invitestheSecretaryGeneraltosubmitareportontheinter-institutionalcooperationby1September2004;
Informationpolicy
25. Reiterates its support for the ‘Europarl’ Internet site; considers that the Legislative Observatory
shouldbeprovidedwithsufficientmeanstocontinueitswork;
Informatics
26. InvitestheAdministrationtoimprovetheDITservicesavailabletoMembersandstaff;callson
improved anti-spam measures and stricter rules onthe sending ofin-house e-mails tothe entire EP-domain;invitestheSecretary-Generaltosubmitareportby1September2004onmultiannualplanonexpenditureininformatics;
Security
27. CallsontheSecretary-General tosubmitareportby1July2004onthemeasurestakenasa
follow-uptotheBureaudecisionof25February2004;30.4.2004EN C104E/1017 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
Miscellaneous
28. Invites the Conference of Presidents to take into account the budgetary implications and the
opinionoftheCommitteeonBudgetsbeforedecidingontheannualworkprogrammeofinterparliamen-tarydelegationsanddelegationstoJointParliamentaryCommitteesandtorespectthebudgetarymeansenvisagedforthispurpose;reiteratesitspositionthatadhocdelegationsshouldbeauthorisedonlyinexceptionalcircumstances,whichcouldnothavebeenforeseenwhensettinguptheannualworkpro-gramme;considersthatanannualfinancialreferenceenvelopeshouldbesetforadhocdelegations;
29. RequeststheSecretary-Generaltosubmitareportby1July2004ontheprogressofthestudyon
EMAS(EnergyManagementAssistanceScheme);
30. TakesnoteoftheOmbudsman’sdecisionregardingsmokingintheEPpremises;callsontheSecre-
tary-GeneraltocomeupwithnewmeasurestocomplywiththeremarksmadebytheOmbudsman,e.g.toensurethatnon-smokerareasarerespected;
31. Reiterates,onceagain,itsrequestforthere-introductionoflimitationstotheentryintoitscanteens
toensurethatMembersandstaffcanusethepremiseswithoutunnecessarylossoftimeandinanappro-priateenvironment;callsontheSecretary-Generaltoproposeappropriatemeasures;
32. NotesthattheBureauisproposingtocontinuethepilotprojectontheuseoftaxis;recallsthe
discussionsintheframeworkofthe2004budgetandcallsonthecompetentbodiestocomeupwithfurtherproposalsforarevisionofthecarserviceincludingmonitoringandqualityassessmentsurveysoftheusersoftheservicefollowingthediscussionsintheframeworkofthe2004budget;considersthat20%oftheproposedbudgetfor2005isplacedinreservependingafurtherreportbySeptember2004;
33. CallsonitsAdministrationtoencouragetheuseofpublictransportandothersustainablemeansof
transportationinviewoftheincreaseofMembersandstaffafterenlargement;invitesitsSecretary-GeneraltopresenttotheCommitteeonBudgetsinnovativeproposalsforincentivesfortheuseofpublictransporttogetherwiththepossiblebudgetaryimplicationsandtoreportontheintroductionofservicebicyclesauthorisedinthe2004budget;
34. StressesthatsubsidiesgrantedfromParliament’sbudgettotheassociationofformerMembers(Item
3600)andtotheEuropeanParliamentaryAssociation(Item3601)mustcomplywiththeprovisionsoftheFinancialRegulation;considersthatfinancialsupportshouldbedependentonthesubmissionofdetailedinformationontheplannedactivities;hasdecided,atthisstage,toenteranamountofEUR100000againstItem3600(‘CostofmeetingsandotheractivitiesofformerMembers’)inreserve,pendingthesubmissionofthefollowingdocuments:aprogrammeofplannedactivitiesandafinancialplanforthefinancialyear2005,proofofpaidmembershipfeesduringthefinancialyear2004,aswellasabalancesheetandanannualreportforthefinancialyear2003;
35. Isdetermined,asthedrivingforcebehindthemovementtosetupaWTOParliamentaryAssembly,
toensurethatsufficientappropriationsbecomeavailabletoprovidefortheadequateparticipation,withthenecessaryinfrastructure,ofitsdelegationsinallmeetingsoforleadinguptosuchanassembly;
36. AuthorisestheamendmentsproposedinAnnexVoftheSecretary-General’sreportonthe2005
preliminarydraftestimatesconcerningthenomenclatureofSectionI;
37. ReservesitspositiononthetotalamountforSectionIuntilParliament’sfirstreading;
*
**
38. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncilandtheCommission.C104E/1018 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004