WRITTEN QUESTION P-1374/02

by Hans-Peter Martin (PSE) to the Commission

(6 May 2002)

Subject: Reforms entailed by enlargement

Numerous reforms are required as a result of the enlargement of the Union.

Are there already specific plans and posts for staff and officials in the Directorates-General geared to the accession of three, five or even ten Member States?

Can the Commission provide details of the additional staff and financial resources required?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(25 June 2002)

In order to identify the direct implications of the next enlargement for activities and human resources, the Commission has carried out a thorough assessment of its likely needs in an enlarged European Union. As a result of the conclusions of various European Councils, this assessment is based on the assumption that up to ten countries will join the Union as from 1 January 2004 and nine new official languages will consequently be in use.

The result of the analysis, the methodology, and a breakdown of the expected developments by main policy groupings and by main job profiles are set out laid down in the Commission Communication on Activities and Human Resources of the Commission in the Enlarged European Union(1).

As outlined in the Communication, the overall needs amount to 3 900 net additional full time equivalent persons compared to 2002.

As the Honourable Member will recall, the inter-Institutional agreement (I.I.A.) envisaged a gradual increase of the ceiling of Heading 5 (administrative expenditure) to EUR 450 million (at 1999 prices) two years after accession for six countries. With accession now expected in 2004 (the I.I.A. originally foresaw accession to take place in 2002), the corresponding level for Heading 5 would be reached in 2006.

Using the same approach to the possible accession of four additional Member States as that employed on Agenda 2000 means an indicative topping-up of EUR 612 million in 2006 set out in the Common Financial Framework 2004-2006(2). These additional appropriations for a Union of 25 Member States would permit the financing of some 2300 additional establishment plan posts up to 2006 (part A of the Budget)(3). That is compatible with the indicative phasing-in period of additional posts up to 2006 taking account of departments' needs, the phasing-in profile of new posts in previous enlargements, and the Institution's absorption capacity in terms of new recruits.

The underlying assumption is that phasing in of all the net 3 900 additional human resources, including appropriations for outside personnel, will follow the same pattern of establishment plan posts in part A of the budget.

However, the overall needs concerning Heading 5 will have to take into account the needs of the other Institutions whose global estimates are not yet fully available as well as those of the Commission. The ceiling of Heading 5 in 2006 will therefore have to be re-assessed in the light of actual needs to be phased in and of the room of manoeuvre within the overall ceiling of the current financial perspectives

In some areas there will be a very substantial pre-accession workload (e.g. linguistic services, structural policies and Common Agricultural Policy). The Commission has, therefore, in the APS 2003, identified a priority need for 500 temporary staff for 2003. The persons recruited in 2003 may continue their work in 2004 and beyond. However, these 500 staff will not be in addition to the needs assessed for the period after enlargement.

(1) COM(2002) 218.

(2) Information Note Common Financial Framework 2004-2006 for the Accession Negotiations, Communication from the Commission, SEC(2002) 102, 30.1.2002.

(3) The same figure is arrived at following two different approaches. The first one by applying the expected increase in the ceiling of Heading 5 in 2006 (+ 12 % at 1999 prices) to the number of current posts in the Commission establishment plan (including OLAF and OPOCE, but excluding Research). The second one based on the share (31 %) of appropriations for Commission staff remuneration (Chapter A-11, including other budget items more closely connected with posts but excluding pensions) as a percentage of total appropriations in Part A of the budget and dividing it by the average cost for an official.