Resolution of the European Parliament containing the comments accompanying the decision concerning discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the 2001 financial year (Section I - European Parliament)
Date: 2003-04-08
Institutions: Committee on Budgetary Control, European Parliament
Subjects: European Parliament, budgetary discharge, financial year, general budget (EU), implementation of the budget

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RESOLUTION

of the European Parliament containing the comments accompanying the decision concerning
discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the
2001 financial year (Section I – European Parliament)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,

— having regard to the Revenue and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet in respect of the

financial year 2001 (SEC(2002)405 – C5-0242/2002),

— having regard to the annual report of the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 2001 and

the institutions' replies (C5-0538/2002) (1),

— having regard to the Statement of Assurance as to the reliability of the accounts and the legality
and regularity of the underlying transactions provided by the Court of Auditors pursuant to Article
248 of the EC Treaty (C5-0538/2002),

— having regard to Article 275 of the EC Treaty, Article 78d of the ECSC Treaty and Article 179a of

the Euratom Treaty,

— having regard to Article 77 of the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977 (2) and Articles 145
to 147 of the Financial Regulation of 25 June 2002 (3) and Article 13 of the internal rules for the
implementation of the European Parliament's budget (4),

— having regard to Article 89(7) of the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977, pursuant to which
each Community institution is required to take all appropriate steps to act on the comments
appearing in the decisions giving discharge,

— having regard to Rules 93a and 184(3) and Annex V of its Rules of Procedure

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A5-0082/2003),

1.

Takes note of the figures with which the European Parliament's accounts for the 2001 financial year
were closed, namely:

Use of appropriations

Appropriations for the 2001
financial year

(in EUR)

Appropriations carried over from 2000 financial year

Article 7(1)(b) Financial
Regulation

Article 7(1)(a) Financial
Regulation

Appropriations available

1 012 600 000,00 (1)

87 095 001,17

Commitments entered into

1 005 814 717,37

—

Payments made

869 193 295,71

80 185 294,78

Appropriations carried
over to 2002

— Article 7(1)(b) of

Financial Regulation

— Article 7(1)(a) of

Financial Regulation

136 621 421,66

—

—

Cancelled appropriations

6 785 282,63

6 909 706,39

Balance Sheet at 31 December 2001: 1 501 918 591

(1) Including supplementary and amending budget No 5/2001.

—

—

—

—

—

(1) OJ C 295, 28.11.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 356, 31.12.1977, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(4) PE 265.492/BUR/FIN.

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General matters

2.

3.

4.

Recalls that, following their recent revision, the Rules of Procedure and in particular Rule 93a, first
indent thereof, now provide (with effect from the discharge procedure for the 2003 financial year)
than the
for discharge to be given to the President of
Secretary-General;

the European Parliament,

rather

Takes the view that the scope of the discharge procedure should cover not only the management
activities of Parliament's Secretary-General and Administration but also the decisions taken by the
Institution's governing bodies, vis-à-vis its President, Bureau and Conference of Presidents, all the
more so as the Bureau has given certain Vice-Presidents responsibility for overseeing administrative
matters (1); instructs its competent committee to pay particular attention to those aspects when
drawing up its discharge report for the financial year 2002;

Notes that the new internal rules on the implementation of the European Parliament's budget (2)
(adopted to reflect the new Financial Regulation (3) contain a number of provisions relevant to the
discharge process and, in particular,

— the designation of the President of the European Parliament as an authorising officer within the

meaning of the Financial Regulation (Article 5(1) of the internal rules);

— a duty on the Secretary-General

(Article 6(1) and (2) of the internal rules) to forward the
annual reports of the Directors-General to the President, accompanied by a signed declaration
containing an assurance as to the sound financial management of the Institution, together with
any qualifying remarks;

5.

Instructs its President to forward such annual reports to the Committee on Budgetary Control for
consideration for the purposes of the discharge procedure;

Implementation of the budget

6.

7.

8.

implementation of

Notes the high level of
the budget as evidenced by the take-up rate
(commitment) of available appropriations in the 2001 financial year (99,33 % as against 99,28 % in
2000 and 98,97 % in 1999); notes that the level of use (payment) of appropriations automatically
carried over from the previous year has remained more or less constant in recent times (2001:
92,07 %, 2000: 91,16 %, 1999: 91,96 %);

Congratulates the Secretary-General on the efficient use of the budgetary appropriations made
available by Parliament as disclosed by the high utilisation rates;

Notes that the principal changes to the appropriations in the 2001 budget as originally adopted
concerned:

— Article 200 (rent and annual

lease payments): 173,79 % increase intended to accelerate the

financing of the LOW building in Strasbourg;

— Article 201 (insurance): 186,54 % increase resulting from the need to conclude additional
contracts following the cancellation by its insurers of existing cover in the wake of the events
of 11 September 2001;

instructs its Secretary-General to inform its Committee on Budgetary Control of the progress of
legal proceedings against its former insurers;

(1) See list of responsibilities of Bureau Members: PE 315.558/BUR/DEF.
(2) See Bureau minutes 4.12.2002.
(3) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, Annex 2.

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9.

Takes note (1) that the number of documents checked by the Financial Controller remained broadly
stable at 33 146 in 2001 (2000: 33 335) while the document return rate (error rate) (2) increased
slightly from 7,0 % in 2000 to 7,6 % in 2001 (1999: 8,4 %);

10.

Is concerned that the large number of errors, which are now detected and set right because of the
activities of the Financial Controller, will go undetected when ex-ante verification is abolished;

11. Welcomes the continuing fall

in the number of

instances in which the Financial Controller
withholds his approval (3) (1999: 12, 2000: 8, 2001: 6, 2002: 4) as evidence that the programme
of professional training in the budgetary field for authorising officers is bearing fruit; points out
that of those six withholdings in 2001 four were overruled by the superior authority and one (No
01/04) was referred to OLAF which, after investigation, concluded that there was no evidence of
financial irregularity;

12.

13.

14.

Recalls paragraph 4 of its discharge decision of 10 April 2002 for the financial year 2000 (4)
concerning the President's overruling of withholding of approval (WOA) No 01/06 (failure to keep
an adequate record of interpreting costs during 2000); notes that at its meeting of 13-14 May 2002
the Bureau approved the conclusions of the administrative inquiry and instructed the Interpretation
Directorate to assess the feasibility of the inquiry's recommendations; questions the usefulness of
such a circular approach;

Notes the conclusion of the Court of Auditors in its communication of 15 November 2002
concerning decisions to overrule withholdings of approval during the financial year 2001 that this
aspect of internal control is operating normally in that it has revealed anomalies in administrative
management but which do not call into question the legality of expenditure or compliance with
public procurement rules; points to the overall opinion expressed in the section of the Court of
Auditors annual report for 2001 concerning administrative expenditure (paragraph 7.16) that the
audit of the reliability of the accounts did not reveal any evidence of material misstatements;

Recalls that following the Bureau's decision of 10 December 2001, with effect from 1 January
2002, under Parliament's Internal Rules the Committee on Budgetary Control is simply informed of
withholdings of approval (WOA) by the Financial Controller; notes that of the four WOA's during
2002 three were overruled by the President pursuant to Article 21 of the Internal Rules; expresses
concern at the circumstances of WOA No 02/02 concerning the regularisation of telephone bills
charged to the Bonn information office over the period 1992 to 1998; asks its Secretary-General to
consider whether the case merits an administrative inquiry and to inform its competent committee
of his conclusions;

15.

Asks the Secretary-General to indicate to what extent the recommendations from the Committee on
Budgetary Control in relation to cases of withholdings of approval by the Financial Controller in
the year 2001 were actually implemented;

Presentation and content of the accounts (analysis of budgetary management)

16. Welcomes the Court of Auditors' recognition in paragraph 7.3. of its Annual report 2001 that —
following the observation made in paragraph 7.3. in its Annual report 2000 — Parliament has
improved the presentation and user-friendliness of its analysis of budgetary management; believes,
nevertheless, that further efforts can be made to inform readers in an easily understandable manner
of the most significant features of expenditure for the year, possibly by analogy with a company's
annual report to its shareholders; regrets that a document as important as Parliament's annual

(1) Source: Financial Controller's Report to the Institution No 02/01 (PE 315.560/BUR/Ann).
(2) Defined as correcting communications as a percentage of files submitted.
(3) See Annex.
(4) OJ L 158, 17.6.2002, p. 43.

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accounts should be available only as a sub-section of a technical volume published by the
Commission in one language (SEC(2002)405 — FR); asks its Secretary-General to report on the
feasibility of publishing Parliament's ‘Compte de gestion', including a further improved analysis of
budgetary management, on Parliament's website;

17.

18.

Recalls paragraph 12 of its abovementioned decision of 10 April 2002 concerning the absence
from Parliament's balance sheet of any reference to the contingent liability corresponding to its
officials' pension rights; notes with satisfaction that the Commission's consolidated balance sheet
(SEC(2002)406 — FR Volume IV) now includes a provision (15 300 for liabilities and charges in
respect of the pension scheme of all EC officials together with a reminder that the ‘Member States
shall jointly guarantee payment of such benefits' (1);

Notes with satisfaction the assurance (2) given by the Secretary-General that none of the problems
alleged to exist in the Commission's accounting system affect the European Parliament; notes that
the European Parliament does not share the same accounting system as that used by the
Commission, and that its budget and expenditure patterns are of an entirely different order; recalls
that the Court of Auditors has not at any point identified deficiencies in the European Parliament's
accounting system such as to indicate problems of the kind encountered by the Commission;

Management follow-up to the recommendations made in the ROME-PE study

19. Welcomes the efforts to direct Parliament more towards Activity Based Management and improving
the service available to Members in their parliamentary work; notes with interest the notes from
the Secretary-General on ‘Raising the game' (3) and looks forward to assessing the specific
proposals of the Secretary-General on the basis of the preparatory work of the Bureau working
groups in October 2002; expects them to increase operational effectiveness and budgetary
efficiency in maximising the potential of Parliament's human and financial resources; underlines the
urgency of these measures in light of the substantial
increase and complexity of Parliament's
workload but also the impact of enlargement in 2004 (4);

20.

Takes note of the final conclusions and recommendations of the external ROME-PE study on the
operational jobs inventory of Parliament (delivered in December 2001) and the reflection this has
stimulated in making more effective use of the staff skills base (5);

21. Welcomes the creation of a database of the posts in the Secretariat, which has been operational
since 1 January 2003 allowing detailed statistical analyses to be made of the ongoing situation as
regards the establishment plan and the compiling in 2003 of another database for skills, which will
allow the functional needs of Parliament (database) to be matched with the human resources
available (skills base) (6);

22. Welcomes the restructuring of DG5 (7) through the creation of a division for Human Resources and
Internal Organisation which, together with the Professional Training Division reports directly to the
Director-General; considers that
from the traditional
administration of human resources to more pro-active management of human resources;

this marks a clear and welcome shift

(1) Article 83(1) Staff Regulations.
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q5).
(3) PE 318.464/BUR, PE 324.669/BUR, PE 324.894/BUR.
(4) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q7).
(5) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q7).
(6) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q7).
(7) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q14).

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23.

Notes that this rationalisation of human resources with a view to enlargement is linked to the
proposals for an early retirement scheme for officials of Parliament and its political groups; expects
the release of officials eligible under this scheme to be conducted in a fully fair, transparent and
non-discriminatory manner which also does not result in depriving Parliament of all its expertise at
a stroke (1);

24. Welcomes the proposals for the improvement of the assistance provided by the secretariat of
Parliament to its Members in the context of their legislative activities; considers that these proposals
are an important first step towards organising the work of Parliament's secretariat in an up-to-date
way; points out, however, that this should not reduce the political role of the European Parliament;
calls on the Secretary-General to forward the final report on the reorganisation of the Secretariat
and its working methods to the Committee on Budgetary Control (2);

25.

Is disappointed that little progress has been made in agreeing ‘negative priorities' over the past 12
months and thus making savings in non-essential activities and instructs its Bureau to re-examine
the possibility of restarting the process;

Mobility

26.

27.

Supports the mobility policy and notes that some 118 A-grade officials (a little over 20 % of the
total) have been subject to mobility in the three years of the scheme's operation, that mobility has
become an accepted part of the culture of the Secretariat-General and that an essentially positive
to
view of mobility is taken by those involved, both heads of service and officials subject
mobility (3);

Takes note of the criticism (4) that the procedure is seen as excessively rigid, insists that a more
individual-oriented approach, together with the development of a variety of human resources
management tools, should lead to improvements as regards accompanying measures, particularly as
regards professional training; also believes that the rate of mobility should be increased for younger
members of staff; welcomes the recent amendment to the Bureau's rules on mobility to establish
accelerated mobility for new officials at the start of their career and to capitalise on the experience
acquired by older officials by extending the reference period from five to seven years;

28. Welcomes the widening of

the system of

to the unfavourable position of

‘décloisonnement' by which LA officials may be
transferred to A-posts at the same grade without passing an A-category competitive examination;
draws attention, however,
former LA officials who passed a
competition and moved to an A-category post before ‘décloisonnement' and were thereby placed at
the starting grade (A7) in the A-category irrespective of their seniority in the LA category; points
out that such former LA officials are unfairly prejudiced in their career advancement by comparison
with their colleagues who benefit from ‘décloisonnement' with the result that they remain at the
same salary level much longer (in some cases for over 10 years) than other officials (5 years); asks
the Secretary-General to draw up a list of such officials and to make proposals by 1 July 2003 to
remedy this unfair situation;

Equal opportunities

29.

Points out
that on more than one occasion it has strongly advocated the need for equal
opportunities between men and women, in particular the promotion of women to senior levels in
the European institutions; regrets that over the whole period 1999 to 2001 this objective has not
been achieved; is concerned that only 22 % of ‘A' grade employees are women, that none of the 3

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q7).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q7).
(3) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q10).
(4) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q10).

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recent Director-General appointments were female; regrets that over the period July 2000 to 15
December 2001, out of 6 A1/A2-posts only one woman was appointed, out of 12 A3-posts only
men were appointed and out of 4 LA 3-posts only one woman was appointed; also notes that for
the remaining promotions in category A in 2001 out of all the men and women eligible for
promotion only 14,3 % of women were promoted whereas 30,8 % of men were promoted; notes a
positive trend in recruitment of female administrators in 2001 (7 men/7 women) (1);

Underlines that the persistent problem of the excessively low number of women in high grades (2)
and the lack of progress in this area should not obscure the progress made over the past three
years in the areas of working conditions, social infrastructure and raising awareness among the
hierarchy;

Supports the objectives set in the Lalumière report (3) to the Bureau that by 2007, 2 women should
be appointed to A1 level and by 2005, 2 women should be appointed to A2-posts, 8 women to
A3-posts and that in the LA category greater use should be made of ‘décloisonnement' so as to
increase the number of women in A3-posts; also welcomes the proposal to recruit an equal
number of men and women in the A category;

Supports the Bureau decisions on career development and human resources policy (4), in particular
(i) the necessity to give systematic preference, where there is equal merit, to female applicants for
management posts for as long as the imbalance continues; (ii) the encouragement of applications
training and awareness-raising
from women from middle-management posts through regular
measures; (iii) the obligation for the EPSO (European Communities Personnel Selection Office) to
honour the equal opportunities obligations written into recent treaties and to ensure that the sexes
are represented equally on its governing body; (iv) to ensure a balanced gender representation on
selection boards and the use of gender-neutral selection procedures;

30.

31.

32.

Part-time working

33. Welcomes the information (5) that in 2001 none of the 438 requests for part-time working was
refused; supports the Bureau decision of 11 June 2001 under which the Administration has
instituted a system whereby half-time working is compensated by the recruitment of temporary
agents;

34.

Notes that the Strasbourg session inadvertently discriminates against part-time employees, the
majority of whom tend to be women;

Curbing mission costs

35. Welcomes the renegotiation of the ‘Fontaine-Juncker Agreement' (6) so that, as from 2004, only
50 % of Parliament's permanent staff need be based in Luxembourg, which will enable the transfer
of additional staff to Brussels, particularly after enlargement;

36. Welcomes the stabilisation at a reduced level of

the expenditure on staff missions between
Luxembourg and Brussels due to the transfer of staff, carried out on a consensual basis and with
the necessary sensitivity to social
issues; supports the proposed merger of the studies/research
services currently based in Luxembourg with the committee secretariats to be based in Brussels;

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q11 and annex 2).
(2) See report to the Bureau by Mrs Lalumière Vice-President (PE 318.444/BUR).
(3) See report to the Bureau by Mrs Lalumière Vice-President (PE 318.444/BUR).
(4) See report to the Bureau by Mrs Lalumière Vice-President (PE 318.444/BUR).
(5) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q13).
(6) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q20).

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37.

Requests that missions by the Vice-Presidents' and Quaestors' assistants should ordinarily be limited
to Brussels and Strasbourg and that anything beyond this should be subject to a maximum yearly
ceiling per assistant;

European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

38.

Takes the view that cooperation between the European Parliament and OLAF is generally
satisfactory; draws attention, however, to the following difficulties:

— the excessive time taken to complete investigations;

— doubts as to whether the rights of defence of persons investigated are in all cases adequately

respected;

— witnesses may agree to give evidence to assist in the conduct of an investigation without being
aware that the final report may contain an assessment of their personal involvement in the
alleged fraud under investigation;

39.

Asks the OLAF supervisory committee to consider these matters in the context of its evaluation
activities;

Staff reports

40.

Recognises that annual staff reporting using a system of promotion points requires a great deal of
work but, on the other hand, fosters greater dialogue within departments and leads to a more
stable and predictable career development and enables greater, though still insufficient, account to
be taken of merit (1);

Training

41.

Underlines the importance of the adoption of the new Financial Regulation which entered into
force on 1 January 2003 and the fact that it applies to all Institutions equally; congratulates the
Secretary-General on the speed and effectiveness with which the Administration made the necessary
internal preparations for
the new Financial Regulation; calls on the
Secretary-General to ensure that its principles and provisions are fully respected throughout the
Institution and that all authorising officers receive adequate training before taking up posts with
financial responsibility; notes with satisfaction that 12-day modular management courses are now
obligatory for all appointments to A3 posts and above;

the implementation of

Recruitment

42.

invites its President

Notes the Bureau's recent rules governing the procedure for appointing senior officials within
Parliament's Administration (2);
to the Committee on
Budgetary Control by 1 July 2003 assessing the operation of
indicating any
problems which may have been experienced and, in particular, examining whether and to what
extent it has been possible for the Bureau when making senior appointments to depart from the
traditional practice of assembling geographically and politically balanced packages and to move
forwards a policy of appointments based on qualifications, merit and ability;

to submit a report

the new rules,

43.

Remains concerned at the lack of transparency in the appointment procedure to senior posts in
Parliament; considers that the concern to safeguard the privacy of applicants is not justified by the
lack of openness in the procedure; calls for the names of all successful applicants for senior

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q14).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q20).

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positions (A1, A2, A3) in the secretariat of Parliament and its political groups to be published on
the noticeboards and in the internal bulletin of the Institution; instructs its Secretary-General to
publish the lists of successful candidates in open and internal competitions;

44. Welcomes the establishing a European Communities Personnel Selection Office by a decision of the
European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the
Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman on
25 July 2002 (1); notes that the Office is already taking charge of the selection of pre-enlargement
auxiliaries on behalf of the Institutions for the purpose of drawing-up lists of suitable candidates;
hopes that this will lead to the creation of a common European civil service, the curbing of costs
and greater mobility between the institutions (2);

Short-time staff

45.

Notes that under current rules, non-session auxiliaries can be employed for a maximum of three
years (3); requests that the changes to the recruitment and management system planned for 2003
(by way of decentralised budgets and a ‘pool' system) lead to greater stability and predictability for
the staff concerned; calls for consideration to be given to ways of improving the statutory position
of local staff employed in Strasbourg;

Members' restaurant, self-service canteen and bars

46.

Notes that the CBRS sector (Canteens, bars, restaurants, shop) has a complex structure involving
three working places, many points of sale, an imprest account, an annual subsidy from Parliament's
budget, an outside catering contractor and auditor, and a combination of accrual and budgetary
accounting; recognises, without in any way calling into question the regularity of its financial
management or its current structure, that for these reasons it is not easy to form an overall view of
the operations of the CBRS sector;
instructs its Secretary-General to supply the Committee on
Budgetary Control by 1 July 2003 with a brief and simple explanation of the way in which the
CBRS sector functions, and in particular, the relationship between the annual subsidy and the
overall profit/loss situation;

Places of work and buildings

Seat of the European Parliament

47.

Notes that the detailed analysis (4) of the costs of Parliament's three places of work was sent to the
European Convention on 16 October 2002; notes that the annual cost of maintaining the three
places of work is estimated at EUR 169 million, including EUR 120 million for the infrastructure
(EUR 60 million rent of 300 000 square meter meeting rooms, offices and technical areas, EUR 18
million ancillary costs (water, gas, electricity,
installations,
security) EUR 42 million for technical equipment, fitting-out and furnishing of premises), EUR 40
million for extra staff and missions (employment of supernumerary staff — EUR 22 million;
mission expenses — EUR 18 million) and EUR 9 million for miscellaneous and other costs
(telephone subscriptions, charges for telephone and telematic communications, insurance cover for
telephone,
IT, audiovisual equipment, office supplies, handling operations involving 15 lorries
transporting cupboards and tin trunks full of documents);

insurance, maintenance of technical

(1) OJ L 197, 27.7.2002, p. 53.
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q14).
(3) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q14).
(4) PE 320.860/BUR/FIN — see also questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q25).

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48.

49.

50.

51.

Notes that 25 855 days per year are lost due to staff travel to Strasbourg; notes that this amounts
to a cost for the taxpayer of EUR 3,9 million, and is the equivalent to the employment of 60 full
time staff members per year; requests that the figures presented in the report on the cost of
Parliament's three places of work be adjusted to include this additional information and sent to the
European Convention;

Underlines that
in an increase in the volume of
Parliament's budget by 20 %; considers that the costs involved in maintaining three places of work
are likely to follow the same trend and result in additional costs of about EUR 34 million;

the forthcoming enlargement will

result

Underlines the loss of efficiency for Members occasioned by travelling time, by having two sets of
filing systems and by the regular moving of archives, etc. from one place of work to another and
transport available to
takes into account
Members, extra length of journeys and frequency of flights);

the indirect costs for members (different modes of

Accepts the view that any concentration of activities in one place of work would entail one-off
infrastructure and staff removal costs; recalls that
those costs would probably be offset by
Parliament's vacating the larger premises currently occupied; recognises that recurring costs might
also arise and that those would vary considerably depending on the country selected;

52.

Admits that the decision on the meeting places of the Parliament has been laid down in the Treaty,
but against the will of Parliament;

53.

54.

Urges the European Convention to take due account of this study and to discuss the desirability of
concentrating the activities of the European Parliament in one place; calls on the Convention to
amend Article 289 of the EC Treaty and to ensure that the European Constitution stipulates that
the European Parliament and its members can themselves decide where the seat of Parliament
should be and where it wants to carry out its work; calls on its representatives in the European
Convention to defend this position in the Convention;

Is astonished that the cost of committee meetings outside Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg
amounts to EUR 1 144 530 per annum; asks that committees should be limited to a maximum of
one ‘external' meeting per annum, and that this should be justified with an explanation as to why
the Committee cannot meet in one of the three places of work, and should be approved by
Parliament's Bureau;

Buildings policy in Strasbourg — LOW

55.

56.

Regrets that the negotiations on the final investment cost of the LOW Building are still on hold
pending the outcome of the action before the Court of Justice regarding the contractual completion
date and points to the uncertainty this creates for Parliament's budget planning (1);

Insists that, notwithstanding the court proceedings (2), talks should continue at administrative and
political level with SERS (Société d'aménagement et d'équipement de la region de Strasbourg) and
Strasbourg City Council in an attempt to find ways of narrowing the gap between the price SERS is
asking for and the price Parliament is prepared to pay;

57.

Recommends to the Bureau that it reconsider the proposal to build two new meeting rooms in
Strasbourg; considers that a reconfiguration of
to
accommodate the arrival of new members after enlargement;

the existing buildings could be sufficient

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q34, 44).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q34, 44).

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Buildings policy in Luxembourg

58. Welcomes the fact that the Luxembourg authorities have now repaid in full the costs incurred in
August 2000 when the ADG building had to be vacated owing to work to remove asbestos (1);

Buildings policy in Brussels

59.

Notes that since 15 January 2001 all the buildings in Brussels are now owned by Parliament
following the capital injections made in previous years;

Paved area

60.

costs charged to the European Parliament; notes

Points out that under Article 3(2)(a) of the Protocol between the European Parliament and the
Belgian Government, signed on 23 July 1998, the latter is responsible for all the upkeep and
maintenance
the draft additional
memorandum of understanding between the European Communities and the Kingdom of Belgium
on the reimbursement of the amount paid by the European Parliament for the maintenance and
upkeep of the paved area was forwarded to the Belgian authorities on 25 April 2002; notes that a
follow-up letter was forwarded on 23 October 2002 and that no reply has been made to either
letter; notes that the total amount involved is EUR 4,74 million (value 31.12.2001) (2) and urges the
Belgian government to comply with its obligations forthwith;

that

D4-D5/Ardenne

Parliament's handling of the project selection process

61.

62.

63.

64.

Recalls that a number of factors were decisive in the selection of the D4-D5/ARDENNE project to
extend the EP's existing buildings in Brussels: the location and accessibility of the sites in relation to
the buildings currently occupied and agreement of the Belgian Government to meet the costs of the
land and site development;

Recalls that the President of the European Parliament sent a letter to the Belgian Prime Minister on
8 March 2001 asking whether land would be provided free of charge for any property project
planned by Parliament (and not only in respect of the site for the D4-D5 building, as stated by Mr
Martens by letter of 18 November 1991, afterwards confirmed by Mr Dehaene) and whether the
federal authorities owned a building or site which could be made available to Parliament; notes that
this question remained unanswered even after Parliament sent the Belgian Prime Minister a letter of
reminder on 13 July 2001 (3);

land free of charge was
Regrets that at the time of the market prospection the provision of
guaranteed by the Belgian Government only and solely for the D4-D5/Ardenne-project; notes
nonetheless that the project assessment carried out by Parliament was based on functional criteria
only;

Notes that Promotion Leopold (a subsidiary of S.A. SEL) in the case of the D4-D5 buildings, and
S.A.
Immomills Louis De Waele Development in the case of the Ardenne building forwarded
documents establishing exclusive rights over the sites concerned, notes that SA Promotion Leopold
is the outright owner of 11 % of the D4-D5 sites and has a purchase option on 89 % of the other

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q37).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q36).
(3) Source: Note to the Members of the Bureau ‘selection of a building project in Brussels', PE 308.949/BUR, 17 October

2001.

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65.

66.

67.

D4-D5 sites, enabling it to acquire ownership of them at any time up to 6 April 2005, the date on
which the option will expire (purchase option agreement of 6 April 2000 between the SNCB and
SA Promotion Leopold) whereas SA Immomills Louis De Waele Development acquired the
‘Ardenne' site by a contract of sale dated 23 January 1998 (1);

Notes that this situation would justify the application of the ‘negotiated procedure' (2) under Article
7(3)(b) of Council Directive 93/37/EEC of 14 June 1993 concerning the coordination of procedures
for the award of public work contracts (3);

Considers that the Administration and Bureau of the European Parliament acted correctly in trying
to find a suitable solution for the extension of the EP's buildings in Brussels and that a genuine
effort was made to take the most favourable decision for the European Parliament in the particular
circumstances,
the Financial
Regulation and Community law on public procurement (4);

transparency and in compliance with the provisions of

in full

in the context of

Considers that during the previous parliamentary term, the European Parliament did not have a
legal basis to justify reserving building land with a view to a possible enlargement of the European
Union,
the
enlargement project was surrounded by great uncertainty and Parliament's Bureau was unable to
take official decisions about enlargement until it had the legal basis of the Treaty of Nice and the
confirmation of the Copenhagen European Council; at that time, the rights of ownership of the
adjacent plots of land were already in the lands of SA Promotion Léopold and SA Immomills Louis
De Waele Development;

institutional dialogue with the Belgian Federal Government;

The situation faced by Parliament

68.

69.

70.

Regrets that even after the assurances given by Prime Ministers Martens and Dehaene the Belgian
Government failed to make the sites concerned available to the Parliament but offered estate agents
and developers the possibility of buying or acquiring an option to purchase the property, for
example by means of a ‘purchase option agreement' between the developers of the D4-D5 project
and the SNCB (Société nationale des chemins de fer belge) concluded on 6 April 2000 which itself
arose from an earlier agreement of 22 May 1990 concerning the D4-D5 buildings; is astonished
that the SNCB signed up to this strategy;

Considers that this state of affairs presented the European Parliament with a fait accompli and
deprived it of the freedom to apply Community public procurement law in full; considers that it
would have been better to have had a public invitation to tender for the building of an extension to
the EP on the land that had earlier been made available by the Belgian Government free of charge;

Considers that although the Administration and the Bureau of the Parliament acted correctly in
applying Community law on public procurement, it would be an appropriate matter for inquiry by
the competent authorities (national and/or European) as to whether Parliament's decision-making
freedom has been restricted by the arrangements made between the Belgian authorities and other
third parties;

(1) Source: Legal opinion on the procedure for concluding a long-term lease with an option to purchase in connection
with the negotiations on the D4-D5 buildings in Brussels (SJ-281/00, 6 December 2000) and Legal opinion on the
choice of a negotiated procedure with the developers of a building in Brussels in the context of the future
enlargement of the European Union SJ-262/01.

(2) Source: Legal opinion on the choice of a negotiated procedure with the developers of a building in Brussels in the

context of the future enlargement of the European Union (SJ-262/01).

(3) OJ L 199, 9.8.1993, p. 54.
(4) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q39).

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Social infrastructure

71.

Calls for every effort to be made to guarantee access to the new buildings for disabled people;

Brussels crèche

72. Welcomes the fact

I-Institute
(Wayenbergstraat) owned by the Marie Haps Foundation, as a result of which it will be possible to
extend existing childcare capacity by the end of 2004;

the EP has secured a purchase option (1) on the Albert

that

Security policy

73.

74.

75.

76.

Draws attention to the fact that even before the 11 September 2001 attacks the Bureau and the
Secretary-General had turned their attention to security policy; refers to the notes of 14 September
2000 (2), 9 May 2001 (3), 18 September 2001 (4) and 20 February 2002 (5); endorses the measures
in force concerning stricter checks on access and better checks on visitors; urges a stepping-up of
the cooperation with national security services that is essential for the security of the buildings in
Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg; regrets that
the buildings in
Brussels is inadequate; calls on the Belgian Government to provide the same security for the
European Parliament's buildings as for the federal and regional parliaments, inter alia by enlisting
the services of the Military Police (MP);

the police surveillance of

Recognises the problems of street crime in the European district; calls for adequate checks by the
police but notes that some of the problems are also due to the siting of the European institutions,
which has turned what was originally a residential area into an urban wasteland; points out that a
mixed district with offices and housing and healthy social control can make a major contribution
to greater security; calls for greater consultation and dialogue between local residents and the
European Parliament;

Regrets that the Court of Auditors did not approve the request made in paragraph 16 of its
resolution of 13 April 2000 (6) on postponing the discharge decision for a special report on the
practice of awarding tenders for security services for its building,
including an examination of
whether it is economically viable;

Reiterates this request for the drawing-up of a special report on invitations to tender for contracts
for the surveillance of Parliament's buildings, including an examination of their economic viability,
as the problems raised back in 2000 do not appear to have been solved;

Better use of EP buildings

77.

Supports the proposal that better use should be made of Parliament's buildings; points out that this
would increase the occupation rate of
the buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg significantly;
considers that this approach would give Parliament an added dimension by enabling it to become a
player in the political debate other than through its strictly parliamentary activities; takes the view
that this use of the buildings could involve citizens more directly in European integration by
putting on events attracting media coverage and public involvement;

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q32).
(2) PE 293.557/BUR and Annexes.
(3) PE 302.593/BUR and Annexes.
(4) PE 308.879/BUR.
(5) PE 311.852/BUR.
(6) OJ C 40, 7.2.2001, p. 398.

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78.

Supports the five criteria laid down for such initiatives: consistency with Parliament's political
the European Parliament, direct extension of parliamentary
guidelines, respect and dignity of
activities, openness and media coverage, cost control
(reasonable cost, search for external
co-funding);

Political groups

79.

Recalls that in accordance with paragraph 2.7.1 of the rules on the use of appropriations from
budget item 3701 (1), the audited reports (i.e. accounts) of the political groups and the equivalent
reports of the non-attached Members are forwarded to the Committee on Budgetary Control;

80.

Endorses the following remarks in relation to the political groups' accounts:

(a)

the accounts of seven political groups (PPE-DE, PSE, UEN, ELDR, GUE/NGL, EDD, Verts/ALE)
the
have been published on Parliament's website in accordance with paragraph 48 of
abovementioned decision of 10 April 2002;

(b) although one group submitted the accounts of a Luxembourg foundation to the President
(disclosing assets including equity investments and real property), those accounts have not been
published on Parliament's website;

(c)

for the sake of completeness, the website should also include the audited accounts of the TDI
group, dissolved on 2 October 2001;

(d) the internal financial rules of the political groups for the use of the 3701 appropriations shall

also be published on Parliament's website;

(e)

in each of the seven cases the auditors have issued an unqualified opinion on the group's
accounts;

(f) despite an increase in the take-up rate of the 3701 appropriations, varying between 87,96 %
and 105,45 % in 2001 (compared with much lower figures in 2000), the groups' accounts still
show substantial carry-overs from year to year amounting to more than half of the annual
subsidy for each group; on 28 November 2001 the Bureau adopted an interpretation of Article
2.1.6 of the rules on the use of appropriations from budget item 3701, to the effect that the
imposed on the carrying-over of unused
ceiling (of 50 % of
appropriations (a ceiling applicable from 1 January 2002) would apply only with effect from
the carrying-over of the 2002 appropriations of the 2003 financial year;

the annual appropriations)

(g) notwithstanding the availability of substantial carry-overs, Parliament's budget

for 2003
increased the 3701 appropriations by 8,4 %; in the interest of sound financial management no
further derogations from the carry-over rules should be authorised;

81.

Notes the following remarks in relation to the accounts of the non-attached Members:

(a) under the rules presently in force (budget

item 3701)
Members are not audited but merely inspected and,
Administration; the Secretary-General
external auditor's certificate in future;

the accounts of
the non-attached
in some cases corrected, by the
is asked to report on the feasibility of requiring an

(b) the provisions of the 3701 rules concerning non-attached Members need to be revised and
clarified in order to avoid claims for ineligible items of expenditure (i.e. those already covered
by Members' allowances, e.g. general expenditure allowance, secretarial allowance) (2) and
accompanied for Member's guidance by a list of items qualifying under the 3701 rules;

(1) Annex to Bureau minutes 1.2.2001 (PE 315.827).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q50).

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82.

Notes that on the basis of information provided by the Secretary-General (1) the 3701 rules need to
be reviewed in order to determine whether they are compatible with the new Financial Regulation
and that a working group will report its conclusions and recommendations to the Bureau by the
end of March 2003; requests its Bureau to base any revision of the 3701 rules on the following
considerations:

— the need to spell out

in clear terms the political groups' responsibilities as regards the

implementation of the budget;

— the opinion of Parliament's Legal Service that the legal, financial and contractual position of the

groups should be spelt out explicitly in the Rules of Procedure or other internal rules (2);

— the rules should clearly state the checks which the auditors are required to carry out and the
specific assurances which they must give in their certificate of conformity based on the best
practice currently applying among the groups' auditors and, in particular, an assurance that the
3701 appropriations have not been used to acquire real property or to finance an election
campaign;

83. Welcomes the information provided by the Secretary-General that the accounting officers of the
political groups will shortly supply the Administration with an inventory of their fixed assets
indicating the value thereof (3); asks the Secretary-General
to the
Committee on Budgetary Control covering the inventory of all the political groups together with
proposals in relation to the particular problem of property purchased by the political groups for
their national delegations and kept in locations to which the Administration does not have access;

to submit a global report

84.

85.

86.

87.

Notes with satisfaction that the Court of Auditors work programme for 2003 includes a follow-up
report of the Court's Special Report No 13/2000 on the expenditure of the European Parliament's
political groups (4);

Instructs its Committee on Budgetary Control to continue to dedicate a section of its annual
discharge to the accounts of the political groups and the non-attached Members giving particular
attention to any specific remarks made by the Court of Auditors in the context of the discharge for
the 2002 financial year;

Notes the adoption by the Commission on 19 February 2003 of a proposal for a Regulation of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the Statute and financing of European political parties
(COM(2003) 77 final); notes that following the entry into force of the Nice Treaty the procedure is
now subject to co-decision; expresses the hope that the Council and Parliament in the third year
since the publication of the Court of Auditors' special report 13/2000 on this matter, will be able
to take a decision for the implementation of the Statute before the next European elections;

Reiterates the request made in its abovementioned resolution of 13 April 2000 for the financial
year 1999 and in its discharge decision of 4 April 2001 (5) that the Court of Auditors audit the
political groups' finances every two years to assist the Committee on Budgetary Control in drawing
up the report under Article 2.7.3. of the rules on the use of Item 3701 appropriations (6);

Awards of contracts

88.

in 2001 (7)

the Advisory Committee on Procurements and Contracts (ACPC) was
Notes that
consulted on 279 transactions or procurement procedures for a total value of +/- EUR 430 million,
including 3 capital injections (buildings) representing +/- EUR 320 million and that the proportion
of competitive contracts was broadly comparable with previous years:

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q49).
(2) SJ 316/02.
(3) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q52).
(4) OJ C 181, 28.6.2000.
(5) OJ L 160, 15.6.2001, p. 25.
(6) PE 298.252/BUR/fin. Bureau Minutes of 11.12.2000 and 1.2.2001.
(7) Source: ACPC activity report 2001.

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2001

2000

1999

Open invitations to tender

Restricted invitations to tender

Automatic awards

Negotiated procedure

Private treaty

Unspecified

Total

104

61

19

32

46

17

279

107

73

15

19

61

274

107

64

7

36

115

329

89.

90.

Points to the findings in the ACPC annual report that of the 279 dossiers dealt with in 2001 a total
of 37 (13,35 %) were not accepted in the form in which they were presented;

Recognises that the quarterly and annual reports of the ACPC constitute a valuable management
tool giving a complete overview of the Institution's contract and procurement activity; asks its
Secretary-General, following the abolition of the ACPC as a consequence of the entry into force of
the new Financial Regulation on 1 January 2003, to take steps to ensure that its Committee on
Budgetary Control continues to receive on a regular basis full
information on Parliament's
procurement and contract activities; notes in this connection the Secretary-General's decision (1) to
create a new inter-service public procurement advisory group (GIMP) which is intended to draw on
the experience and expertise accumulated over the years by the ACPC, but without undermining
the autonomy or the responsibility of the authorising officers under the new rules;

91.

Notes that the ACPC has been replaced by the Inter-Service Public Procurement Group which will
advise on procurement
the
issues; requests however, an assurance that
Directors-General will remain intact and that procurement decisions will lie with them;

the responsibility of

Information policy

92.

93.

94.

95.

Takes note of the Commission communication on an information and communications strategy for
the European Union (COM(2002) 350 final); also notes the Secretary-General's ‘Draft programme of
information and communications measures with a view to the European elections in June 2004' (2);

Reiterates its request that the Parliament should hold an annual debate on EU information policy
before the budget guidelines for the following financial year are established;

that

the following principles

Recalls
communications:
concern to provide a varied and balanced range of information;

impartiality and absence of propaganda, provision of factual

should be taken into account

in public information
information and

Stresses that the information disseminated by the EU should highlight common European values,
such as democracy, pluralism, security, solidarity, equality of opportunities, cohesion, etc and
simultaneously show the population the practical advantages of membership of the Union in their
daily lives, in order to counter the image of the Union as an arena for on-going confrontation
between diverging national interests;

96.

Reaffirms its agreement with the right of citizens to have access to a continuous, complete,
impartial and objective flow of basic information on the EU in their own language; considers that
the dissemination of this information in all the official languages recognised in the Member States

(1) PE 324.930/BUR.
(2) PE 320.937/BUR – 10 September 2002.

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in a
and in the lesser-used languages
comprehensible manner and stress the importance of devising, as a matter of priority, specific
information campaigns, particularly in the candidate countries;

should be ensured by the appropriate authorities

97. Welcomes the cooperation between the Commission,

Interinstitutional Working Group on Information and Communication and calls
cooperation to be stepped up;

the Council and Parliament within the
this

for

98. Welcomes the installation of a permanent exhibition within the visitors' area in Brussels and

Strasbourg on the history of the European Parliament;

99.

Points out once again that the resources allocated to information and communication are paltry
(EUR 25,8 million, or 2,58 % of the total EP budget in 2001) of which a substantial proportion
(EUR 11,2 million = 43 %) is allocated to the visitors' programme and Euroscola;

100. Recognises that major efforts have been made to modernise the visitors' programme, particularly by
improving the tools available to the service (IT/audiovisual support, Visitors' service website) and
using human resources more effectively (multilingualism, Gevisite IT system); is pleased that this
has enabled work to be planned more efficiently and allowed the organisation of a series of talks
for nationals of the applicant countries; notes that a firm of consultants has been charged with
carrying out a study into the quality and impact of the visitors programme and that the study will
be available by the end of June 2003; calls on the Secretary-General to provide the Committee on
Budgetary Control with a copy of this study (1);

Members' assistants

101. Reiterates that it is absolutely vital that the rights of assistants working for Members should be
safeguarded,
including appropriate insurance and social security; considers that the best way of
doing this is through the adoption of the Statute for assistants; in this context urges the Council to
consider rapidly the amended proposals amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 (2)
submitted by the Commission on 16 July 2002 so that the new system can enter into force before
the 2004 elections; urges the Bureau of the EP to take a decision before 30 June 2003 on the 12
proposals (3) submitted to it on 7 October 2002 (4) by the Vice-President responsible for the
Statute for assistants;

102. Points out that a Statute of this kind does not apply to service providers who, by virtue of their
legal status, must fulfil their social security and taxation obligations themselves; recommends that,
in order to ensure the greatest possible transparency, the Bureau should require Members who
employ service providers to forward a copy of the invoices issued by the service providers/Members
to the Administration, in the same way as contracts between Members and parliamentary assistants
now have to be submitted to the Administration; (5) notes the view of the Financial Controller (6)
that, as with service providers in any other sphere of Parliament's activity, payment should be based
on the submission of a valid invoice for services rendered;

Members' allowances

103.

Insists that the basic principles of clarity, transparency, regularity and answerability should apply to
all payments made out of the Institution's budget, including payments relating to Members;

104. Draws attention once again to the recommendations made by the Court of Auditors that
allowances for travel and subsistence should reflect actual travel costs and the real duration of the
mission;

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q56).
(2) OJ C 331 E, 31.12.2002, p. 23.
(3) PE 321.006/BUR.
(4) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q61).
(5) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q62).
(6) Annual report No 03/01, paragraph 4.2.

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105. Notes with satisfaction the creation by the Bureau of a working group on Members' allowances and
expenses in the context of negotiations on the Members' Statute; and calls on the working group to
implement the Court of Auditors' recommendations;

106. Notes with concern the increasing number of Members registering their attendance during ‘yellow'
weeks, amounting to a cost of EUR 372 675, and underlines the point that yellow weeks were
originally instituted as an important time for Members to connect with the constituencies which
they represent;

107.

Expresses concern at the extension of the opening hours of the central signature register from
7 am to 10 pm; asks the Secretary-General to submit proposals for minimum supervision of the
register;

108. Notes that Members' voluntary pension contributions are currently being taken automatically from
the general expenditure allowance; asks its Secretary-General to report by 1 July 2003 on the
feasibility of requiring Members to set up a standing order to pay these contributions;

109. Emphasises, in the context of Members' duties, their right to carry out their tasks in all the official
languages of the Member States and urges that the resources be found to make available all the
documentation in all the languages simultaneously, in order to prevent discrimination and in order
not
to diminish or reduce their rights and obligations to exercise fully their representative
functions;

The case relating to the Members' cash office

110. Notes that the procedure provided for in Article 22 of the Staff Regulations has been initiated with
a view to defining responsibilities in connection with the discrepancy of BEF 4 136 125 between the
cash situation and the corresponding accounts in 1982;

Environment

that

111. Recognises that the new buildings currently under construction for the European Parliament offer a
unique opportunity to set an example through the implementation of best environmental practice;
welcomes the fact
the D4-D5/Ardenne buildings will be designed and constructed in
compliance with environmental regulations; supports the decision to install a system for the
recovery, storage and reuse of rain water in the D4 Building; supports the decision to reduce
energy consumption in the buildings through the use of
the following techniques: advanced
thermal
insulation, air-conditioning systems which facilitate heat recovery or free cooling, solar
panels for water heating purposes and the possibility of a unit for the cogeneration of heat and
electricity (1);

for

112. Welcomes the information (2) provided by the Secretary-General that following the publication of a
call
tenders Parliament's Administration will shortly sign a contract with a consultancy
specialising in environmental management in order to commission a comprehensive review of its
internal environmental policy, whose conclusions are expected to be available during 2003; insists
that the review's conclusions should be forwarded to Parliament's competent committees; repeats
the point made in paragraph 75 of its abovementioned decision of 10 April 2002 underlining the
necessity of implementing green housekeeping principles for Parliament's new buildings (3);

113. Notes that the Administration is currently studying the practical and administrative aspects (4) of a
plan drawn up in 2002 following a study by Iris Consulting on a better mobility (transport) plan in
Brussels; agrees that persons using Parliament's buildings in Brussels should be encouraged to use

(1) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q43, Q72 and Annex 6).
(2) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q72).
(3) OJ L 158, 17.6.2002, p. 43.
(4) Questionnaire and replies PE 315.838 (Q73).

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public transport as far as possible; recognises, however, that to make significant progress in this
area it will be necessary to make the rue Belliard area more pedestrian-friendly;
instructs its
Secretary-General to pursue his contacts with the relevant Belgian authorities with the aim of
making the area around Parliament's buildings safer and more attractive for foot and cycle traffic;

114. Calls for more internal information to be made available about sustainable mobility within and
around the EP buildings (posters, monitors showing train services at the Luxembourg station,
information on collective/public transport) and invites the Bureau to set up a professional, visible,
continuous and interactive mobility management desk centre, preferably as part of already existing
services, where everyone can find out about sustainable mobility;

115.

the European institutions

Points out that the EU is playing a leading role on climate policy at international level; considers
should also make their own contribution to meeting EU
that
commitments under the Kyoto Protocol; congratulates the Secretary-General on the environmental
measures already taken in relation to buildings policy and day-to-day management (1) and calls for
these measures to be grouped together and incorporated into an EP climate policy plan by 31 July
2003 with clear targets that make a specific contribution to achieving the Kyoto standards;

Transparency

116. Notes with satisfaction that for 2001 all 626 Members submitted declarations of their financial
interests in accordance with Annex I, Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure; notes that as at 30
January 2003 a total of 444 Members had updated their declarations for 2002 (2); encourages its
Members to authorise the publication of their declarations on the Internet;

117. Applauds the Bureau's decision at its meeting of 13 January 2003 that the register of lobbyists and
interests they represent within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of Annex IX of the Rules of Procedure
should be publicly accessible via Parliament's website;

118. Recalls that under the terms of Article 14(9) of the Rules governing the payment of expenses and
allowances to Members (3)
‘The European Parliament shall draw up a list of the names of all
assistants which shall be open to the public for inspection'; notes the opinion of the Committee on
Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (4) that in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No
45/2001 (5) such personal
information may only be disclosed if the data subject has given his
consent; shares the concern (6) of the European Ombudsman that Parliament's decision to publish a
register of MEP's assistants ‘has been thrown into question by the argument that data protection
gives assistants the right to remain anonymous even whilst being paid from European taxpayer's
money;'

119. Applauds therefore the Bureau's decision of 10 February 2003 to publish the list of accredited
assistants (subject to exceptions on reasoned grounds), including the Member to whom the assistant
is contracted, on Parliament's website;

120. Notes with concern that the European Ombudsman has also criticised (7) the European Parliament
for its rejection based on Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of his proposal that it should inform
candidates in recruitment competitions that the names of successful candidates will be made public;

(1) See Questionnaire, Annex 6.
(2) Source EP-DG I.
(3) PE 113.116/rev XIII / 08-2002 (see also Annex VI, paragraph 7 to those Rules).
(4) PE 316.190.
(5) OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.
(6) Letter 30.9.2002 (PE 321.047/BUR).
(7) Letter 30.9.2002 (PE 321.047/BUR).

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121. Notes as a further instance of the unresolved tension between openness (Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001) (1) and data protection (Regulation (EC) No 45/2001) the Legal Service's opinion (2)
that documents (specifically: withholdings of approval by the Financial Controller) relating to acts
carried out by authorising officers in their official capacity may not be disseminated without first
deleting their names;

122.

123.

Is aware of a comparable lack of clarity in the arrangements governing the flow of potentially
sensitive information between OLAF and the Committee on Budgetary Control, the provisions of
Annex VII to the Rules of Procedure appearing rather inadequate as a framework for regulating
such information;

Instructs its President, relying on the advice of the Secretary-General and the Legal Service, to
consider what action may be necessary including, possibly, amendments to the Rules of Procedure
to arrive at a proper balance between the requirements of openness, transparency and access to
documents on the one hand and the legitimate protection of private data on the other hand, and to
submit suitable proposals to the competent bodies;

(1) OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.
(2) SJ 289/02.

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