WRITTEN QUESTION E-0356/02

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Council

(14 February 2002)

Subject: Financing the EU Convention

On 28 February 2002 the Convention on institutional reform will meet for the first time. There is much media speculation at present on the costs of the Convention. Agence Europe of 28 January 2002 carried a report of the Council's decision that the Convention should have a budget of EUR 10,5 million, and has reported on other occasions on the considerable expenditure involved in setting up its cabinet, seconding officials, installing offices, etc.

What is the Council's estimate of how much the Convention will cost?

How much have former EU conventions of this size cost?

The Convention President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, is to have his own cabinet. Was this the usual practice for other EU conventions? How many people will be members of this cabinet? How much financial expenditure will be required?

The Convention President and Vice-Presidents are to receive allowances rather than salaries. What budget framework has been set for the President and Vice-Presidents? Are further allowances planned? Are the allowances for Mr Giscard d'Estaing compatible with his other expenses?

What can the Council suggest to keep down the costs of the Convention?

Reply

(30 September 2002)

The questions put by the Honourable Member do not really come within the Council's sphere of competence, although replies to several of them are to be found in official documents accessible to the public, namely:

(a) Decision of 21 February 2002 of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council setting up a Fund for the financing of the Convention on the future of the European Union and laying down the financial rules for its management;

(b) European Parliament Report 311 084 of 25 February 2002 on draft SAB No 1/2002;

(c) Interinstitutional Agreement between Parliament, Council and Commission of 28 February 2000 on the financing of the Convention;

(d) Budget of the Fund for the Convention for 2002, adopted by the Conference of the Member States on 18 April 2002(1).

Document (b) contains an estimate, prepared by the General Secretariat of the Council, of EUR 10,5 million, representing the total foreseeable cost of the Convention in 2002, with the exclusion of a considerable proportion of infrastructural costs, which the Institutions will bear; the same Report contains a table setting out the breakdown in principle of the various costs between the Institutions, Governments and national parliaments, including those of the candidate countries.

It is accordingly stated in the document that The Convention on the Future of the European Union has no precedent and that The Convention must have its own budget.

For the duration of the proceedings the President of the Convention has a cabinet of two persons (one provided by the General Secretariat of the Council, the other by the Government of a Member State of the Union) who are responsible chiefly, but not exclusively, for its agenda and the organisation of meetings.

The President and Vice-Presidents do not receive salaries, but are reimbursed on a flat-rate basis for expenditure they have to incur in performing their duties on behalf of the Convention.

Lastly, the Council, in common with the European Parliament and the Commission, periodically receives a report on the implementation of the budget of the Convention, in accordance with the rules for the management of the budget.

(1) OJ L 123, 9.5.2002, p. 40.