European Parliament resolution on the Commission White Paper on reforming the Commission (aspects concerning the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market) (COM(2000) 200 — C5-0446/2000 — 2000/2216(COS))
Date: 2000-11-30
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, action programme, administration of the Institutions, domestic market, institutional reform, legislation, personnel administration

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37.
Hopes, in that spirit, that the power to clear EAGGF accounts conferred on the Commission will be
extended to all Community appropriations not managed by its services, in order that Parliament be pro-
vided with additional and more extensive financial control data in its capacity as budgetary authority;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the govern-

38.
ments of the Member States.

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16. Commission reform: legal aspects

A5-0326/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission White Paper on reforming the Commission
(aspects concerning the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market) (COM(2000) 200 (
C5-0446/2000 ( 2000/2216(COS))

The European Parliament,

) having regard to the Commission White Paper on reforming the Commission (COM(2000) 200 )

C5-0446/2000),

) having regard to the EC Treaty, in particular Article 283 thereof,

) having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market for the Com-
mittee on Petitions on the Special Report from the European Ombudsman to the European Parliament
following the own-initiative inquiry into the secrecy which forms part of the Commission’s recruit-
ment procedures,

) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

) having regard to its other resolutions of 30 November 2000 on reform of the Commission (1),

) having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (A5-0326/

2000),

A. whereas the present rigid and hierarchical system is ill equipped to meet the Commission’s future

objectives and its staff’s needs and aspirations, and needs significant modifications,

B. whereas the Commission needs to develop human resource (‘HR’) strategies and policies that will
enable it to achieve optimum performance in its core tasks of policy conception, initiating legislation
and enforcing Community law,

C. whereas devolving functions by externalisation, subject to proper scrutiny, transparency and control, is

a crucial part of these strategies and will assist the matching of tasks to resources,

D. whereas the Commission’s tasks must be carried out at the highest possible levels of performance,
efficiency and control in delivering a service to the people of Europe, with particular regard to inde-
pendence and accountability,

E. whereas the stated aim of the reform is to sustain an independent, permanent and high-quality Eur-
opean civil service that equips the Commission to fulfil its tasks as a world-class organisation and
enables it to be a model employer,

F. whereas officials must remain responsible and accountable for their actions and keep the opportunity

to be rewarded for their success in meeting or exceeding their set goals,

(1)

‘Texts Adopted’, Items 14, 15 and 17.

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G. whereas the reform must not detract in any way from the Commission’s key responsibilities and com-

petences as enshrined in the Treaties and the case-law of the Court of Justice,

Thursday 30 November 2000

H. whereas the reform must be implemented at a time of very rapid change in terms of employment

practices, employee expectations and technological advances,

I. whereas the Staff Regulations (‘the Regulations’) must serve the needs of the institutions and staff and

not hamper them in the efficient performance of their tasks,

J. whereas the protection presently afforded by the Regulations and the associated case-law of the Court
of Justice must be secured without undermining the modernisation process, while maintaining such
safeguards for individual staff members as are required in a Community governed by the rule of law,

K. whereas the principle of open competitions for the recruitment of staff should be retained, albeit

modernised so as to permit a faster, more targeted approach to recruitment at a lower cost,

L. whereas one of the foundations of the reform is the creation of a linear career structure, which
enables staff to progress through the system on the basis of merit, without the creation of artificial
divisions,

M. whereas the commitment to equal opportunities for women and other under-represented categories

and the abolition of age limits for recruitment are welcomed,

N. whereas the reform of the Regulations must result in a lighter, flexible, effective and efficient frame-
work, more suited to a fast-changing world and capable of accommodating the special needs of the
various Community institutions, in particular those of Parliament,

O. whereas successful reform is essential for the Commission’s future credibility and will have a strong
impact on the public perception of the European civil service and the EU institutions in general,

P. whereas Parliament looks forward to detailed proposals for amendment of the Staff Regulations and
the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, which it will carefully scrutinise in the light of the
objectives and propositions set out in this resolution,

Reform Objectives and Performance Targets

1.
Reaffirms the principle pursuant to which an independent, impartial European civil service provides
the best guarantee for strengthening the role of the Commission and of the other Union bodies and insti-
tutions and for promoting the Community interest;

Considers that tasks must be matched to resources so as to develop coherent policies around a tar-

2.
geted range of skills, education and experience;

Calls for reform goals to be developed into more specific, challenging benchmarks, referred to global

3.
best practice;

4.
Reiterates the importance of the financial control reforms in giving delegated accountability to offi-
cials and achieving a new organisation culture in which officials are trusted to perform agreed tasks and
measured against agreed objectives;

Stresses that clear objectives, the right resources, meaningful tasks and a stimulating environment are

5.
the key to creating and maintaining an attractive and rewarding work environment;

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Organisation and Grading Structure

Demands that all officials should have clear job descriptions, be given clear objectives and the right

6.
resources, and empowered accordingly;

7.
Considers that simplified grading and organisation structures must allow for the recognition of
enhanced skills alongside increased administrative responsibility, the organisation of project teams and
increased horizontal cooperation;

Calls for the requirements for entry into the European civil service to be qualitatively increased and

8.
for recruitment to a permanent post to be subject to additional quality criteria;

9.
Urges the Commission to match organisation to tasks and avoid designing activities around portfo-
lios for a set number of Commissioners; this task must be addressed after an IGC decision on the future
structure of the Commission;

Personnel Appraisal, Development and Reward

10.
Endorses the performance appraisal strategy; it must be introduced in support of the principle of
promotion on merit and without undermining the principles generally recognised within the European
Union as guaranteeing the political independence of civil servants;

11.
Trusts that trade unions will be consulted on the guidelines for staff assessments, that staff will be
involved in drawing up job goals and that the personal development role of the appraisal system will be
emphasised;

Urges that a strong career guidance system should actively facilitate interdepartmental and possibly

12.
interinstitutional staff development;

Calls for procedures to deal with persistent under-performance (reassignment, retraining or regrad-

13.
ing); the idea of a job for life, irrespective of performance, must disappear;

14.

Demands enhanced training programmes, fully integrated into staff development;

15. Welcomes the emphasis on continuous training and the possibility of an interinstitutional training
centre, but considers that given resource pressures a cost-benefit analysis of such a centre is necessary;
notes further that importance should also be attached to training by outside agencies and joint activities
involving other EU institutions and national governments;

16.
Stresses that staff assessment requires a great deal of training, that it should be carried out in a
climate of confidence, and that annual development interviews between the staff assessed and the man-
agers responsible should form part of the assessment procedure;

17.
Notes the value of the ‘stagiaire’ programme in offering work experience to young people, considers
that their working conditions and responsibilities need to be reviewed as part of the reform package, and
recommends that the document of 28 June 2000 drawn up by the ‘stagiaires’ and submitted to the Com-
mission should be taken as the starting-point;

Career Mobility and Staffing Flexibility

18.
Believes that the new grading and promotion system must encourage mobility but that the require-
ments of the institution should not fall victim to inflexible application of the mobility principle; postings
away from the Commission must not penalise career progression;

19.
Calls for staff exchanges among the institutions, and between them and national governments,
regional administrations and the private sector, and for a structured programme for high-flyers including
external secondments;

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Endorses the proposal to set up an interinstitutional recruitment agency, after due consultation with

20.
all the institutions involved;

Considers that recruitment, grading and pension plans should facilitate external recruitment and
21.
that flexible short- or long-term fixed contracts should be available, and that in any event, transparency
in the recruitment procedures must remain at the fore;

Considers that special staffing needs must be catered for within overall HR plans and that the JRC

22.
and the External Service must be integrated into a global staff development programme;

Salaries and Terms of Employment

Believes that talented, well-motivated people should be attracted; consequently, the compensation

23.
package must be competitive with the private and public sectors;

Believes that the Commission’s administration should primarily meet the criteria of a European civil

24.
service serving the general public;

Emphasises that staff must have a simple, clear, equitable and externally transparent system of
25.
allowances, which takes into account the particular working conditions of each official and the inconve-
niences which those conditions entail; there should be no unjustified perks;

Considers that functional managers must be able to incentivise staff through performance-based

26.
pay, within a codified system of bonuses, and commends the current ECB scheme as an example;

27. Welcomes the fact that the Commission addresses the possibilities of combining work and family
life; expects parental-leave benefits also to be examined in the light of best practice in the Member States;

Retirement

Supports the proposals for a permanent, flexible retirement scheme; this should encompass both

28.
early and late retirement;

Urges the Commission to consider a funded, portable pension scheme so as to promote greater

29.
mobility;

Working Environment, Equal Opportunities and Recruitment

30.

Emphasises that recruitment must be modernised and streamlined to accord with best practice;

Considers that there should be better access to posts within the institutions for women, ethnic
31.
minorities, the disabled and persons having the permanent right of residence in a Member State, while
eschewing ageism;

Commends the early adoption of an on-line personnel system giving all staff access to comprehen-
32.
sive information on the rules and conditions of their employment and the ability to carry out personal
administrative tasks on-line;

Calls on the Commission to ensure that gender mainstreaming is facilitated,

33.
assessed at all levels and in all directorates-general and departments;

implemented and

34. Welcomes the fact that the Commission has undertaken to comply with the European Ombuds-
man’s recommendations concerning transparency and sound management principles in the recruitment
procedure;

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Disciplinary Procedure, Administrative Complaints Procedure and Whistleblowing

35.
Agrees that the disciplinary structures and procedures must be made more efficient, including invol-
vement of an independent assessor, endorses the need for administrative improvements in the short term,
but calls for early action to redesign the system and review the provisions dealing with officials’ personal
financial liability;

Advocates complaints panels, with independent members, to settle staff disputes speedily without

36.
the need for court proceedings, albeit preserving the ultimate possibility of judicial review;

Insists on officials’ rights and obligations to report wrongdoing being formally defined; a fair bal-

37.
ance should be struck between all the interests involved;

Parliament as Employer

38.
Urges Parliament’s administration to introduce a linear career structure in parallel to the Commis-
sion allowing for easy interinstitutional transfer; support the speedy launch of the recruitment office;
enhance its existing staff appraisal and disciplinary procedures; promote flexibility and mobility, particu-
larly in the light of its cyclical workload, the staffing requirements of political groups and the need for
contract flexibility; build more mobile career structures; encourage exchanges with EU institutions and
other organisations, and participate in joint training programmes;

Deems it appropriate to incorporate the temporary staff working for the political groups into any
39.
reform of the Staff Regulations, with particular regard to unemployment conditions and terms of early
retirement;

Implementation

40. Warns that the Commission’s reforms must be implemented as quickly as possible to avoid staff
demoralisation and public disenchantment;

41.
Attaches priority to adopting job descriptions for all grades, reforming the grading system and
moving to annual appraisals, with merit-based promotion; the Commission should implement the new
career development philosophy without delay by adopting a shadow appraisal system ahead of formal
agreement on the Regulations;

42.

Calls on the Commission to make proposals for reform of the Regulations as a matter of urgency;

Calls on the IGC to consider the reform’s Treaty and case-law implications and make the necessary

43.
changes to ensure that the implementation of the reform package is unimpeded;

Involvement of Staff and Trade Unions

44.
Affirms that full staff and trade-union involvement is essential to the success of HR reforms; hopes
that the unions, staff committees and the institutions can adopt a positive stance and examine best-practice
representation strategies in both the public and private sectors in determining their responses;

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Instructs the President of Parliament to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and

45.
the governments of the Member States.