PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION ( ECSC, EURATOM, EEC ) AMENDING REGULATION NO 6/66/EURATOM, 121/66/EEC OF THE COUNCILS
Date: 1990-04-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European official, housing, member country, regulations for civil servants, third country

COMMISSION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

C0MC90) 149 final 

Brussels, 23 April  1990 

Proposal  for a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (ECSC, EURATOM, EEC) 

amending  Regulation No 6/66/Euratom, 121/66/EEC of the Councils 

(presented  by the  Commission) 

raCPTAHATDKf MTMnRftNTOi 

1. Adoption by the Council on 5 October 1987 of Annex X to the Staff 
Regulations laying down special rules applicable to staff working 
outside the Community helped, among other things, to resolve the issue 
of the aocommodation costs facing all expatriates.  Under these new 
provisions the full cost of aocommodation is met by the institution. 
This means, however, that the emoluments paid (in particular the 
geographical weighting) incorporate no compensation for this 
expenditure. 

However, these provisions apply to non-<!ommunity countries only, and 
make no provision for countries situated within the Community. 

2. It is true that the geographical weightings contain an  'aocommodation 

cost' component based on surveys among estate agents on the going rents 
asked of new arrivals. Experience has shown, however, that in certain 
towns and cities officials who are compulsorily transferred are unable 
to find accommodation at the average rents asked by estate agents.  The 
fact that compulsory transfer under the rotation system may force 
officials to take aocommodation at rents outside the reference soale 
means that the weighting does not offset the cost of accommodation and 
that the proportion of salary spent on it is unduly high, thereby 
jeopardizing the principle of equal treatment.  Action must be taken to 
cope with this situation, bait only where it actually arises. 

3. Steps consequently need to be taken to remedy this situation to avoid 
imposing an excessive financial burden on the officials concerned and 
deterring qualified candidates from transferring, thereby impairing the 
smooth operation of Commission departments and ultimately compromising 
the attainment of the Commission's objectives. 

The rules as they now stand go only part of the way to meeting these 
requirements.  A revision of weightings is not necessarily the best 
solution, since these are designed to establish comparisons between the 

A as, 

- 2 -

cost of living on a long-term basis in the various places of employment 
and cannot be used to cater for the very specific situation of staff 
subject to the rotation system. 

Article 14 of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations makes provision for 
covering certain costs incurred as a result of an official's posting, 
but relates exclusively to staff members who incur entertainment 
expenses.  It does nothing to help those who do not. 

The Regulation implementing Article 14a of Annex VII to the Staff 
Regulations1 is geographically limited.  Furthermore, its financial 
provisions are inadequate to meet the case in point since aHowanoes are 
restricted to 8% of net remuneration. 

4. The best course would therefore seem to be to amend this Regulation to 

provide a better solution to the accommodation problem facing officials 
who - in the interests of the service and within the limits of the 
postings available - are subject to the rotation system. 

1  Council Regulation No 6/66 Euratom, 121/66/EEC of 28 July 1966. 

A  I* 

-  2 -

Proposal  for a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (ECSC, EURATOM, EEC) 

amending  Regulation  No 6/66/Euratom,  121/66/EEC  of  the  Councils 

THE COUNCIL OF THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES, 

Having  regard  to  the  Staff  Regulations  of  Officials  of  the  European 

Communities  and  the  Conditions  of  Employment  of Other  Servants  of the  European 

1 

Communities  laid down by Regulation  (EEC,  Euratom,  ECSC) No 259/68 , as  last 

amended  by  Regulation  (EEC,  Euratom,  ECSC)  No  2187/89  ,  and  in  particular 

2 

Article  14a of Annex  VII thereto, 

Having  regard  to Regulation  No 6/66/Euratom,  121/66/EEC  of the Councils  laying 

down  the  list of places  for which  a rent  allowance  may be granted, the maximum 

amount  of that  allowance  and  the  rules for granting  it, of  28 July  1966 , 

Having  regard  to the proposal  from  the Commission,  submitted  after  consulting 

the Staff  Regulations  Committee, 

Whereas  the officials  posted, under  a rotation  system, to places  of  employment 

other  than  the  provisional  seats  of  the  institutions  may  be  faced  with  a 

particularly  difficult  accommodation  situation because  of the  limited  duration 

of the posting; 

Whereas  this  situation  is  liable  to  impair  the  mobility  of  the  officials  in 

question  and  the  smooth  operation  of  the  departments  located  in  those  places 

of employment;  whereas  consequently  Regulation  No 6/66/Euratom,  121/66/EEC of 

the Councils  should be  amended; 

1  OJ No L 56, 4.3.1968, p. 1. 

2  OJ No L 209, 21.7.1989, p. 1. 

3  OJ No 150, 12.8.1966, p. 2749/66. 

uAS ADOPTED  THIS  REGULATION: 

Article 1 

The following  Article 6a  is added  after  Article  6 of  Regulation  6/66/Euratom, 

121/66/EEC: 

"Article 6a 

By  way  of  derogation  from  Articles  2  and  6,  officials  posted  under  the 

rotation  system  to places  of employment  within  the  Community,  other  than the 

seats of the  institutions,  may be granted  a rent allowance  in accordance  with 

the conditions  set out  in Articles 4 and 5. 

This  allowance  may  not  be  combined  with  the  allowance  referred  to  in  the 

second  subparagraph  of Article 14(1) of Annex  VII to the Staff  Regulations. It 

shall  be  limited  to  the  duration  of  the  official's  posting  and  shall  not  be 

paid  for more  than 6 years after  the date on which  he takes up duty." 

Article 2 

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  day  following  that  of  its 

publication  in the Official  Journal  of the European  Communities. 

It shall enter  into force on 1 January 1990. 

This  Regulation  shall  be  binding  in  its  entirety  and  directly  applicable  in 

all Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 

The President 

FICHE  FINANCIERE 

OBJET  : incidence  budgétaire  de  la proposition  de  règlement  du  Conseil 

portant  modification  du  règlement  n° 6/66  EURATOM,  121/66/CEE 
(indemnité  de  logement) 

Pour  l'année  1990  l'incidence  prévisible  pour  le  budget  des  Communautés 
s'établit  à environ  140 000 écus. 

u 

ISSN 0254-1475 

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