A4-0110/95

Resolution on the estimates of revenue and expenditure of the European Parliament and the Ombudsman for the 1996 financial year

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolution of 5 April 1995 on the guidelines for the 1996 budget: Section I - European Parliament/Annex Ombudsman, Section II - Council, Section IV - Court of Justice, Section V - Court of Auditors, Section VI - Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 5(b).)),

- having regard to the Secretary-General's report,

- having regard to the preliminary draft estimates for 1996 established by the Bureau on 4 April 1995 pursuant to Rules 22(5) and (6) and 165(1) of the Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A4-0110/95),

I. GENERAL FRAMEWORK

1. Recalls that the 1996 budgetary procedure is subject to the financial framework established by the 1993/1999 financial perspective, as revised on 29 November 1994 in accordance with Article 24 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 October 1993 on budgetary discipline and improving the budgetary procedure ((OJ C 331, 7.12.1993, p. 1.));

2. Points out in this connection that:

- the appropriations must be used in accordance with the principles of sound financial management in particular cost-saving and cost-effectiveness;

- the rate of increase in expenditure in category 5 of the financial perspective in force is estimated at 4.2% at current prices;

- this rate of increase, after adjustment to take account of pensions expenditure, which is forecast to increase by 14.31%, is estimated at 3.5%;

- the estimated annual rate of inflation is 2.7%, and changes in exchange rates, public service charges and the consumer indexes for certain services may influence the volume of certain items of expenditure;

- the BEF/ECU conversion rate used to calculate the appropriations requested is 2.76% lower than the rate used in establishing the 1995 budget;

- the increase in the number of Members of Parliament to 626 following the European elections and enlargement and the organization of the work of Parliament's bodies do not allow an immediate comparison to be made of the appropriations for certain sectors between the 1995 and 1996 financial years;

3. Points out that the preliminary draft estimates were accompanied by an analytical budget and a report on staff policy in accordance with its request in the guidelines for the 1996 budget;

4. Adopts Parliament's estimates for the 1996 financial year, as attached to the minutes, totalling ECU 762 439 800 in expenditure and ECU 51 857 000 in own resources; estimates the volume for reuse at ECU 1 701 000.

II. ESTABLISHMENT PLAN

5. Recalls that under supplementary and amending budget No. 1/95 the establishment plan of its Secretariat showed a rate of increase of 7.45%; that it took the view that any further demand should be met by the redeployment and mobility of the staff already employed in all of its services, including the external information offices; recalls that such human resource management presupposes a detailed analysis of the various posts in the staff plan and consistent and sustained action in the field of staff training with a view to enhancing the yield from human resources;

6. Notes that the Secretary-General's report states that the post-by-post evaluation process, which was the subject of a pilot experiment with the assistance of external experts, did not yield the results anticipated; emphasizes in this context that the qualitative, job-satisfaction approach must be subordinate to the principle of the 'interests of the Institution' and of the place occupied by the latter in the Union's institutional system;

7. Recalls also that, since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union, the introduction of new legislative procedures and changes in the budgetary procedure have had direct effects on the organization of Parliament's work and, consequently, on the arrangements for parliamentary assistants; that all of these procedures are organized annually by means of a specific programme; that consideration of the legislative proposals resulting from this programme covers a wide range of Union interests and reveals among others, research and documentation requirements; that the translation of research requirements in terms of administrative tasks should not encourage the creation of parallel services, but create synergy within the Secretariat; recalls, in this connection, its abovementioned resolution of 5 April 1995;

8. Deems it necessary, therefore, to re-enter for the 1996 financial year the total number of staff entered in the establishment plan adopted in the 1995 budget, including SAB 1/95, and to press on with the evaluation of posts by appropriate means, taking account of both institutional imperatives and new human resource management methods; believes that such management should not rule out new forms of work and should take into consideration the tools offered by new technologies, without however affecting the specific role of the Institution; notes the possible advantage to the Institution of again having recourse to the recruitment of local staff, within the limits set by the relevant texts and in the services to which the Secretary-General would decide, under the guidance of the competent bodies, to apply this course of action, following a reasoned request from the Directorate-General concerned and on a proposal from the Directorate-General responsible for personnel;

9. Takes this opportunity to request the Secretary-General to submit an evaluation report, before the first reading of the draft budget, on the operation of the legislative backbone and the operational requirements which have arisen with the co-decision procedure, giving particular attention to the question whether new arrangements are required for linking the various existing services or services needing to be created;

10. Notes, in this context, that it is necessary to consider whether certain possibilities for interinstitutional cooperation might be contemplated in the context of arrangements which might be available under the Staff Regulations; therefore calls on the Secretary-General to submit, before the first reading of the draft budget, a plan for the organization of the Secretariat's Services identifying those services which might be suitable for Interinstitutional cooperation; recalls, in this connection, the outcome of the trialogue meeting of 4 April 1995 on interinstitutional cooperation;

11. Accordingly authorizes the appropriations for the following upgrades: 4 A5 to A4, 10 A6 to A5, 4B2 to B1, 54 C2 to C1, 16 C3 to C2, 4 C4 to C3, 9 D2 to D1, 15 LA5 to LA4 and 1 temporary A6 to temporary A5, 2 A7 to A6 in the non-attached Members' secretariat and the award of two ad personam promotions, 1 LA4 to LA3 and 1 C1 to B3;

12. Takes the view, moreover, that the movement of staff between categories, which is governed by statutory provisions, must be effected by means of the relevant procedures, in particular internal competitions of a general nature; emphasizes that this approach does not call into question the career planning system as confirmed in recent financial years;

III. MOVEMENTS IN APPROPRIATIONS

13. Recalls that in its abovementioned resolution of 5 April 1995 on the budgetary guidelines for 1996 it specified that in setting the appropriations for the relevant budget lines it would be guided by the outturn of appropriations for the 1994 budget;

14. Sets the appropriations for Title 1 'expenditure relating to persons working with the Institution' and in particular: Item 1005 'special travel expenses in the exercise of the parliamentary mandate' at ECU 1 100 000; Item 1172/1 'other services and work sent out for translation and typing' (translation of the verbatim report of proceedings) at ECU 4 million and enters ECU 500 000 for this item in Chapter 100; increases the flat-rate abatement to 4.5% and adjusts the relevant appropriations in Chapter 11 accordingly;

15. Recalls the opinion of its parliamentary committee on the cost of renting a provisional building in Strasbourg; therefore enters in Item 2000/2 'rent' a total appropriation of ECU 13 985 000, in Article 202/2 'water, gas, electricity, heating' an appropriation of ECU 1 152 000 and in Article 203/2 'cleaning and maintenance' an appropriation of ECU 3 997 000;

16. Enters in Article 203 'cleaning and maintenance', 3rd sub-indent 'Brussels' an appropriation of ECU 7 326 000, while indicating its intention to relinquish all the buildings in Brussels during 1997, with the exception of the Montoyer and Espace Léopold buildings, in accordance with its resolution of 5 April 1990 on the buildings policy of the European Parliament ((OJ C 113, 7.5.1990, p. 138.));

17. Enters in Article 204 'fitting-out of premises', 3rd sub-indent 'Brussels' an appropriation of ECU 7 500 000, which would appear justified on the basis of the pragmatic timetable for certain fitting-out operations;

18. Enters in Article 205 'security and surveillance of buildings', 3rd sub- indent 'Brussels' an appropriation of ECU 7 000 000 and an appropriation of ECU 834 000 for this article in Chapter 100 'provisional appropriations'; in this connection, requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on fire-fighting arrangements in the Brussels buildings and on the operating conditions of the security system for the Brussels premises; retains Article 207 'construction of buildings' with a p.m. entry; also enters in Item 2110 'telecommunications equipment' a total appropriation of ECU 11 032 000 and in item 2311 'telephone, telegraph, telex, television' a total appropriation of ECU 11 098 000;

19. Enters in Article 209 'other expenditure on buildings' an appropriation of ECU 3 304 000;

20. Notes that the expansion of Parliament's activities in the three places of work implies the need to maintain a substantial number of buildings; accordingly requests the Secretary-General to submit a report, before the first reading of the 1996 draft budget, assessing the method of operation and organization of the services concerned, placing particular emphasis on supplies and maintenance control, the management of equipment and the maintenance of buildings and the relevant financial implications, on a multiannual basis; this should not prejudice the request of Parliament, in its resolution of 17 March 1995 on the closure of Parliament's accounts for the 1994 financial year (administrative expenditure) ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 10.)), that the Court of Auditors examine Parliament's lease of the IPE IV building in Strasbourg by 15 July 1995;

21. Enters a sum of ECU 200 000 in Chapter 100, 'Provisional appropriations', under Article 230, 'Stationery and office supplies', and reiterates its request for a report showing the practical measures taken to recycle paper and to ensure reuse, made under SAB 1/95;

22. Enters an appropriation of ECU 9 226 000 in Chapter 101 'contingency reserve';

23. Recalls its abovementioned resolution of 5 April 1995 on the guidelines for the 1996 budget and, in particular, its commitment to providing European citizens with appropriate information on EU policies, and calls on the competent bodies to carry out a radical restructuring of the EP's information policy in conjunction with other European institutions; notes that its competent bodies have drawn up a series of recommendations in this area; that the translation into budgetary terms of these recommendations is subject to the preparation of an external study to assess the impact of Parliament's written and audiovisual information policy and of the visitors programme on the citizens of the Union; therefore considers it necessary immediately to start making the necessary arrangements for the preparation of this study in order to assess any financial implications in the context of the first reading of the 1996 draft budget;

24. Instructs the Secretary-General, furthermore, before the first reading of the 1996 draft budget, to submit concrete proposals designed to enhance maximum awareness of their responsibilities on the part of authorizing officers, whose task is to implement the budget in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the political authority and in conformity with the financial rules and regulations;

IV. MEMBERS' ASSISTANTS

25. Recalls its earlier positions on the matter of Members' assistants, in particular the request in its resolution of 5 April 1995 on the guidelines for the 1996 budget; takes the view that the arrangements to be introduced for Members' assistants must:

- concern assistants employed in Brussels;

- be optional;

- specify that assistants opting for these arrangements will be covered by the Belgian social security and tax systems;

- include a mechanism offsetting the differential between Belgian tax and social security liability and the average tax and social security liability in the Member States of the Union for this type of job;

- be based on the Act concerning the election of representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage ((OJ L 278, 8.10.1976.));

Considers, moreover, that it is necessary to draw up at the same time a proposal for a statute for Members' assistants at the European Parliament established in Brussels;

V. OMBUDSMAN

26. Maintains for the 1996 financial year, on the basis of the nomenclature used in SAB 1/95, the same volume of appropriations (ECU 1.2 million) adopted for the Ombudsman in 1995, pending the decision on his appointment;

27. Urges that, at the end of each annual budgetary procedure, a report should be published explaining the European Parliament's policy priorities in the context of the budget of the European Communities with the primary aim of supplying information to the national parliaments;

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the institutions concerned.