A4-0067/95

Resolution on the guidelines for the 1996 budget: Section I - European Parliament, Ombudsman Annex, Section II - Council, Section IV - Court of Justice, Section V - Court of Auditors, Section VI - Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 1995 budget ((OJ L 369, 31.12.1994)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A4-0067/95),

A. whereas a supplementary and amending budget 1/95 (C4-0083/95) has been presented in order to cope with the consequences of enlargement; whereas enlargement will also have major repercussions for the 1996 financial year,

B. whereas the value of the ECU has fallen by 2.5% against the Belgian franc over a 12-month period; whereas this affects the administrative budgets of the institutions in particular,

C. whereas the 1996 budget should be based on a stringent approach to the allocation of financial resources, transparency in the management of appropriations and greater use of working methods enabling the real requirements of the institutions concerned to be identified,

1. Considers that, on the basis of the macroeconomic forecasts, heading 5 of the Financial Perspective (Administrative expenditure) is expected to increase by 4.2%, i.e. to total ECU 4 191 million at 1996 prices;

2. Stresses that compliance with the provisions of the Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) of 29 October 1993 on budget discipline and improving the budgetary procedure, more particularly Article 19 thereof ((For the purposes of sound financial management, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission will, without prejudice to paragraph 21, ensure as far as possible during the budgetary procedure and at the time of the budget's adoption that margins are left available beneath the ceilings for the various headings so that, if necessary, additional appropriations can be entered in the course of the financial year without the financial perspective having first to be revised (OJ C 331, 7.12.1993, p. 1).)), is a prerequisite for the allocation of appropriations and that it is therefore necessary to decide on and justify the priorities for each institution;

3. Points out that its responsible committee has called on the institutions concerned to submit their multiannual forecasts, breaking down administrative expenditure into four categories: expenditure on members and staff; property expenditure; other property-related expenditure; expenditure on data-processing; stresses that such information must be made available, with an annual breakdown, before the draft budget for 1996 is drawn up;

4. Draws attention in this connection to the sharp increase in property and other property-related expenditure; considers, therefore, that any new expenditure in this area must be planned and taken into account as part of a proper assessment and in compliance with the provisions of the Financial Regulation and its previous resolutions in this field; calls for a list of the different property policies currently being pursued by the institutions to be drawn up;

5. Calls on each institution to draw up an analytical budget to show the breakdown of administrative expenditure and to include this in the report on the estimates of revenue and expenditure; points out that, while recognizing the specific characteristics of each institution, these analytical budgets should show expenditure on meetings and part-sessions, Members, non-assigned supervisory staff, buildings and security, equipment, information technology, information, translation, telecommunications and mail, and miscellaneous operating costs; stresses that such a breakdown is likely to increase budgetary transparency;

6. Stresses that it will take into consideration any request to create new posts or to upgrade or change posts wherever such requests are suitably justified and backed up by assessments and reports on the redeployment of human resources;

7. Calls accordingly on the institutions concerned to submit, prior to the first reading of the 1996 draft budget, and at the latest by 30 June 1995, establishment plans per directorate or per grouping of departments according to their administrative organization, accompanied by the necessary information making it possible to verify the hierarchical structures and the established relations between and tasks assigned to members of staff;

8. Stresses its commitment to the effectiveness and independence of the European civil service and calls on the institutions to notify it, prior to the first reading of the 1996 draft budget, of the specific administrative measures they have taken with regard to the application of the Staff Regulations and in particular Annex VII thereof; draws attention inter alia to the conclusions of the annual report of the Court of Auditors on the 1993 financial year ((OJ C 327, 24.11.1994.));

9. Reiterates its view of the desirability of interinstitutional cooperation and calls on the institutions concerned to notify it of any projects and specific examples of tasks undertaken jointly, inter alia in the context of property policy, the recruitment of staff in general and, in particular, of nationals from the new Member States which have joined the Union and professional training initiatives;

10. Is profoundly concerned by the need for proper information to be available to European citizens about EU policies; invites its appropriate bodies to introduce a radical restructuring of its information policy in conjunction with other European Institutions; proposes that the services of the Commission and the European Parliament set in motion a broad scope of cooperation together; declares its intention to review the results of this work before 30 September 1995, before taking its decision on the first reading of the 1996 budget;

11. Recalls its request, made in its resolution of 27 October 1994 on the 1995 draft budget ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 133.)), for a draft decision laying down rules harmonizing the minimum guaranteed social security conditions for Members' assistants, particularly in Brussels; instructs its competent bodies (the Quaestors and the Bureau) to consider the matter so as to include the decisions to be made in the 1996 draft estimates of the Parliament;

12. Underlines that STOA should reply to the requirements of assisting the Parliament and its organs; that its administrative framework should not encourage the creation of parallel services but create synergy within the Secretariat of Parliament; that this approach should be based on the annual screening report; considers therefore that decisions for 1996 should be distinguished from those to be taken for the duration of the parliamentary term on the basis of an appropriate evaluation of Parliament's research capacity, and that short-term decisions, such as for 1996, should not prejudice medium-term decisions; that the Budgetary Control Committee's conclusions shall guide Parliament's position on this matter in its consideration of the 1996 draft estimates;

13. Requests that a review is undertaken of access services to the Parliament for people with disabilities during 1995;

14. Affirms that, during the first reading of the 1996 draft budget, it will be guided by the results of the implementation of the 1994 budget appropriations, particularly since, in the last few financial years, progress has been made towards harmonizing the nomenclature of administrative expenditure;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the institutions and bodies concerned and to the Commission.