ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(80)348
Vol.1980/0125

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)348 final
Brussels/13thJune1980
να,
XV
/*>2fW^•,f,K\^<JSSIq„--w^sk7.·«3-8£<"
V-^.r--"•&
V*:>, A">/
^,^\y
v^^/7'iTnri'-V?^•\^^
DRAFTDECISION
CONCERNING AJOINTINTERPRETING SERVICE
C0M(80)348final

COMMISSION
OFTHE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
JOINT INTERPRETING SERVICE
TheCommission' sInterpreters and.ConferenceServices
Directorateprovidesinterpreters forallmeetingsheldbytheinstitu­
tionsinBrussels–theCommission,theCouncilandtheEconomicand
SocialCommittee.With384LA.interpreterposts(and58supportposts)
itisbyfarthe.world'slargestinterpreting service.
Thenumberofmeetingswithinterpreters hasconstantlybeen
increasing,from2,801in1959to-8,376in1978.Thetrend,inthenumber
ofinterpreterwiays isevenmoreimpressive,withanincreasefrom4»438
in1959"to78,949in1978,2Qfjobeingprovidedbyfreelanceinterpreters.
Thefullsix-language interpreting systemisrequested'withgrowingfre­
quency,especiallyinCouncilworkingparties.
/
Thenewroundofenlargement ,bringinginfirstGreeceand
thenSpainandPortugal,willhavetheeffectofgreatlyexpandingthe
needforinterpreters andtheassignmentofinterpreters tomeetingsin
thevariousinstitutions willbecomeallthemorecomplex;anewcomputer
application (SAFIR)hashadtobedevelopedforthepurpose.
Inviewoftheshortageofqualifiedconferenceinterpreters
ithasbeenfoundnecessarytoworkcloselywithuniversityinterpretingand
translatingschoolsandtodesignandoperateaprogrammeconsistingof,
amongotherthings,,intensivetrainingcoursesforinterpreters whohave
graduatedinotherdisciplines (35$oftheDirectorate'scurrentpersonnel
weretrainedintheDirectorate).

2.
Onthe"basisofpurelypracticalarrangements the
Interpreters andConferenceServicesDirectorate hasthusinactual
factbecomeajointservice;itworksfortheCommissionasto5^and
fortheCouncilastomorethan4C$»Thisfact,combinedwiththevolume
ofitsstaff,thedailyuseofalargenumberoffreelanceinterpreters
andspecificobligationsregardingselectionandtrainingmeanthatthe
activitiesofthisservicegowaybeyondthefourcornersofasingle
institution andhavenologicalplaceinaCommissionDirectorate-General .
Sothattheseactivitiescandevelopasflexiblyas
possibleintheinterestofalltheinstitutions ,withoutanyruinous
competition betweentheinstitutions regardingtherecruitment ofstaff *
andfreelanceinterpreters ,itisproposedthataninterinstitutional
JointInterpreting Servicebesetupatthe-AlbertBorschette
ConferenceCentre(PlaceJourdan).
1 ·Γ

STATISTICAL PAPERt ,
Î ' ''
'Postsauthorized:384LAposts(20ofthemtemporary)_
Currentmanpov.'er:308officialsandtemporaries
'' • Officials Te
Vioroen
X *.
Ken113(57%)
(43%),
■'Total
-.ofwhichformertrainees
"Trendofactivities99'
51(26%):Temnoranes
,r.;65(60%)
.44(4C%)
:';109 ;
55W)ΓTotal
I.78(58/0)
130(42%)
308
106(35%)
N<*of ;Naof-.'Proportionaccounted'
meetings ...;interpreter-forbyfreelance
'-day3
1959;
i960
1965
1970
1975
19781
12,801"T 4,438
2,182s,6,860
3,620 :■'17,786
5,516 29,551
7,254··ν!64,115Notavailable
Notavailable
29.30%
28.01%
-28.00%
■ :'8,376 j.7^949,7.20.25%
Breakdownbyinstitutionin1978(interpreteiwiays )!n>•:
Commission
Council..''51.2e/»
;40.86$
-5.36/,
L/i.-
ί..··"0.12%EconomieandSocialComnsittee' •' '
:V.T.UT.ì:-s■':!V"'/.w?.'••
EuropeanInvestment Bank nor;:iv
'< 1 •'..11*–Other(Researchbudget,BerlinCentre,DublinFoundation,"etc.)2.38%
Freelanceinterpreters onthecomputerindex(SAFIR)"*c.-u.
French
German
English
Italian :
Dutch
Danish * '
Greek
Otherlanguages:cru...;
.'••f.:o
301
-''-246''
227
117":
45:
•-'■-'19
8
Total1,038.«.·· ,ι;>.ι·.:.·"ν·.·
:1.
■Selectionprocedures -in1978'"' >
Tests '. ■,".,,,;821..il■
Candidates '••.326 .
Successes(contracts,training...
periods,renewals,entryonthe;•
freelance 'register) 190(58%).
Failures ..»136(42%)'

2.
η
i«Bud/rotaryardfinancialaspects
197°TotalcostofInterpreters andConferenceServices
Directorate <
Averagecostofinterpreter-day ■"■•v...J...:.
–allin t.-•.;I- '
,–freelance j
–officialsortemporaryorauxiliaryservants
CIUTISubsidy 1.,'
1979Estimatedaveragecostofinterpreter ^day
■Costofafreelanceperday(Category 11,1January1979)
ofwhichfees '. *.
CIUTISubsidy
8..Remuneration
Allowancepaidtotrainees:Bfrs165OOmonthlyBFH
645»216.182
.:•-172
''8,485
8,094
7,600,000
8,000
6,972
6,113
a50a000
LA8–Step1
LA7–Step1
9#Careerstructure
.LA8 Assistanti
LA7/6Interpréter
LA5/4 Principali
Principali:
HeadofInt'
LA3- HeadofDiv:
10.Administrative infrastructureWithoutexpatriation allowance Withexpatriation allowance
Singlewithout
iependents •Marriedwith
2dependent
children ■Singlewithout
dépendentsMarriedwith
2dependent
children
53,493 (
'59,885 ■69,293
77,63364,605
72,831;■82,169
92,435
Assistantinterpreter
Interpreter -
Principalinterpreter
Principalinterpreter (managerial)
HeadofInterpretation Group
HeadofDivision ·(.ί··'
Aofficials 1 j . ~
Bofficials 16 .- ;
Cofficials 43(including21conferencetechnicians)*
60. •r'-■ •••;-
11,Mootingroom3equippedforinterpreters .•"
» dk''Commission • :18 ■
Council. :13
EconomicandSocialCommittee:6
Total 37
Plus20roomsunderconstruction attheAlbertBorschette ConferenceCentreManagedoytheDirectorate
Others
12.Somefigures "forotherinternational organizations
UN-NewYorlc
UN-Geneva
NATO
OECD
UNESCO
IMF
GATT
WHO--104staffinterpreters–1,543meetings(1978)^86staffinterpreters –2,590meetings(197Ö)
44staffinterpreters •
20staffinterpreters–2,500meetings(1978)
10staffinterpreters c";■''•;_'
6,staffinterpreters ';«« 1
5staffinterpreters > -•
4staffinterpreters
atThesefigureshavebeenconvertedtofacilitatecomparisonwithfiguresfor
theCommunities .. ., .•

MAIN ACTIVITIES OPTHEINTERPRETERS AND CONFERENCE SERVICES DIRECTORATE
OENERAL MATTERS
1.Activities relating "tostaff interpreters
a)Sélection - -
D)Tests : . ' '
c)Preparation ofcompetitions'
d)~promotion andcareers . 1
2,Activities relating tofreelance interpreters •- , * '
a)Negotiations andrelations with theInternational Association of
Conference Interpreters (AIIC )–five-year agreements regarding
working conditions forfreelance interpreters atallinstitutions
(including Parliament ).
b)Life' assurance andEndowment policies forfreelance interpreters ,
c)Sickness andaccident insurance forfreelance interpreters ,
d)Grading offreelance interpreters (Categories IandII).
3,Relations with other Community institutions and bodies
a)Invoicing interpreter-days served forother institutions , -
b).calculating theaverage cost ofaninterpreter-day , -„
»>■»«r
4,Relations with other international organizations
a)Appropriate ,departments inother organizations .
b)Advisory Committee onAdministrative Questions (UN),
5,Relations with university interpreting schools
a)Direct contacts' -help with 'teaching ,membership ofexamining boards ,
b)Relations with theStanding International Conference ofDirectors
ofUniversity Institutes fortheTraining ofTranslators andInter­
preters (CIUTl ),andparticularly subsidies forparticularly scarce
language combinations .

2.
6.Otheractivities
a;MattersofprincipleregardingtheCommunity'languagerules,
particularly withaneyetoenlargement. ■
b)Budgetandfinancialmatters,andparticularly re–useoffunds.
c)Statisticalwork.
CONFERENCES
1.ManagementofallCommissionconference rooms.
2.Programmeforassigninginterpreters toallmeetingsheldbyinstitutions
inBrussels,atheadquarters andelsewhere,currentlybeingputonto
computer(SAFIR).
3.Engagementandremuneration offreelanoeinterpreters ..
4.Technicalservices:
a)Designandmaintenanceofsimultaneousinterpretingfacilities,
andresearchintonewtechniques.
b)Assignmentofconferencetechniciansandoperators.
5»AlbertBorschetteConférenceCentre,placeJourdan..''
TEAINING '
1.Intensivetrainingforstudentinterpreters whohavegraduatedin
sotherdisciplines . .
■
2-.Studygrantstohelp'interpreters learn,newlanguages.'
3.Vocationaltrainingandspecialization (steel,coal,nuclearenergy,
data–processing,...). t
4.Traininginpreparationforaccession(Greece,Spain).
5.Assistancetonon-membercountriesforthetrainingofconferenceinter­
preters(teachertraining ,inChina.Tunisia,'IndiaandTurkey).
aParticularly OxfordandCambridge–61%ofEnglish-language interpreters
areformertrainees.

JOINTINTERPRETING SERVICE
TheCouncil,
TheCommission and
TheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
Whereastheprovisionofinterpreters formeetingsheldwithin
theinstitutions shouldbeorganizedinsuchawayastomeetthe
institutions' needsasrationallyaspossible;
WhereastheCommission'sinterpreting serviceservesseveral
institutions,andthoseinstitutions shouldbemoreclosely
associatedinthemanagementof'theservice, .
Havedecidedasfollows:
/ ,
«
Article1 .>
AJointInterpreting Serviceshallbeformedtoprovide
theinstitutions withtheinterpreters theyneedformeetings
theyhold.
Article2
TheServiceshallberesponsibleforselectingandtraining
interpreters andshallregularlydeterminetheirworkschedules.The
servicesoffreelanceinterpreters shallbeusedwherenecessary.

Article3
1.AManagingBoardshallbesetup.Eachinstitutionshallhave
onevote.
2.TheChairmanoftheManagingBoardshallbeprovidedbythe
Commission .
3.UnlessotherwiseagreedtheManagingBoardshalltakedecisions
byamajorityvote.
4.TheManagingBoardshallunanimously adopt .itsrulesofprocedure.
•Article4
Actinginthecommoninterestofalltheinstitutions the
ManagingBoardshallexercisethefollowingfunctions :
-itshallunanimously determinetheService'soperational procedures;
-itshallputtotheinstitutions suggestionsforimprovements inthe
operationoftheService;
-itshalladopttheService'sprogrammeofwork;
-itshalldeterminetheService'srequirements astoappropriations
andstaff. . *
Article5
1.TheCommissionshallassigntotheServiceofficialsandother
stafftomanageitandperformitsduties.Commissionposts
assignedtotheServiceshallbeincludedasaspecificitem
intheCommission'slistofposts.
2.ThepowersconferredbytheStaffRegulations ofOfficialsand
ConditionsofEmploymentofOtherServantsuponaninstitution,the
appointingauthorityandtheauthorityempoweredtoconcludecontracts
ofemploymentshallbeexercisedbytheCommission.
TheCommissionshallappointofficialsinGradesA1toA3andLA3
afterseekingtheOpinionoftheManagingBoard.

-3-
Article6
TheDirectoroftheServiceshallberesponsible forthe
smoothoperationoftheService.He$hallactasSecretarytothe
ManagingBoard,reporttotheBoardontheeffectgiventoits
i
instructions andputsuggestions totheBoardregardingtheoperation
oftheService.Heshallbethehierarchical superiorofthestaff
oftheService.
Article7 •.,
Appropriations relatingtothepersonnel andoperationof
theServiceshallbeenteredinthesectionoftheGeneralBudgetof
theCommunities relatingtotheCommission .
Article8
TheEconomic andSocialCommittee shallbetreatedasan
institution forthepurposesofthisDecision.
i
Article9
TheManagingBoardmay,inaccordance withrulestobe
determined,placeitsinterpreters atthedisposalofotherEuropean
institutions andbodies.
Article10 .
ThisDecisionshallbereviewedbytheinstitutions adopting
it,onthebasisofareportfromtheManagingBoard,withaviewto
determining,inthelightofexperience,waysinwhichotherinstitu­
tionswhosorequestmightbecomeinvolvedintheJointService,or
incertainofitsactivities .„
Article11
ThisDecisionshallenterintoforceon
/