pv 2015-07-06-draft en - european parliament2015)11-23_en.pdf · 2016-01-06 · pv bur. 23.11.2015...
TRANSCRIPT
PV BUR. 23.11.2015
PE 571.120/BUR
EN United in diversity EN
PE-8/BUR/PV/2015-11
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
B U R E A U
MINUTES
of the meeting of
23-11-2015
Louise Weiss Building - Room R1.1.
- - -
Strasbourg
PV BUR. 23.11.2015
PE 571.120/BUR 2/43
EN
BUREAU
MINUTES
of the meeting of Monday, 26 October 2015
from 18:30 to 20:30 hours
Louise Weiss Building - Room R1.1.
Strasbourg
CONTENTS
Page
1. Adoption of draft agenda .................................................................................................. 7
2. Adoption of the Minutes of the meeting of 26 October 2015 ........................................... 8
3. Communications by the President .................................................................................... 9
4. Financing of the MELD-Party - Note from the Secretary-General ................................ 11
5.1. Security matters .............................................................................................................. 15
5.2. Staff matters .................................................................................................................... 17
6. Financial contribution for the Association of Former Members in 2016 - Note from
the Secretary-General ..................................................................................................... 20
7. Financial contribution for the European Parliamentary Association in 2016 - Note
from the Secretary-General ............................................................................................. 21
8. Report on the use of the translation services in 2014, within the framework of the
Code of Conduct on Multilingualism - Note from the Secretary-General ..................... 22
9. Report on the use of the interpretation services in 2014, within the framework of
the Code of Conduct on Multilingualism - Note by the Secretary-General ................... 23
10. Draft Rules of Procedure of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee
- Letter from Mr CRISTEA, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova
Parliamentary Association Committee ........................................................................... 24
11. Request from the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union to
display on the buildings of the European Parliament a banner with the logo of the
United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP21 – Letter from Mr SELLAL,
Permanent Representative of France to the European Union ......................................... 26
12. Draft programme for committee missions outside the three places of work (inside
the EU, the candidate and the EEA countries) for the first semester of 2016 - Letter
from Mr BUZEK, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs ................................. 27
13. Request from the Committee on Regional Development to send a mission to the
Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain, from 3 to 5 December 2015 - Letter from
Ms MIHAYLOVA, Chair of the Committee concerned ................................................ 33
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14. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs to send a mission
to Athens, Greece, on 30 November and 1 December 2015 - Letter from Mr
HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee concerned ............................................................... 35
15. Draft programme for committee hearings for the first semester of 2016 - Letter
from Mr BUZEK, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs ................................. 37
16. Urgent matters and other business .................................................................................. 40
16.1 One-Stop-Shop for financial services for Members ....................................................... 40
16.2 Flexibility in the working conditions of staff during the current security situation ....... 40
16.3 Translation of the verbatim reports of the plenary sittings (CRE) ................................. 40
16.4 Cancellation of visitors groups to Brussels following the security situation .................. 41
17. Items for information ...................................................................................................... 42
18. Date and place of next meeting ....................................................................................... 43
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EN
BUREAU
MINUTES
of the meeting of Monday, 23 November 2015
Strasbourg
Mr Martin SCHULZ, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 18.55
hours.
Present
Mr Martin SCHULZ, President*
Vice-Presidents Excused
Mr TAJANI* Ms VĂLEAN
Ms McGUINNESS* Mr LAMBSDORFF
*
Mr WIELAND*
Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO*
Ms GÁLL-PELCZ*
Ms GUILLAUME*
Mr PAŞCU*
Mr SASSOLI*
Ms JÄÄTTEENMÄKI*
Ms LUNACEK*
Mr PAPADIMOULIS*
Mr CZARNECKI*
Quaestors Excused
Ms MORIN-CHARTIER*
Ms BEARDER
Mr LIBERADZKI*
Mr KOVATCHEV*
Mr KARSKI*
Also Present
Mr WELLE, Secretary-General*
Ms RATTI, Deputy Secretary-General*
* present for Items 5.1 and 5.2 in camera
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List of officials present at the meeting:
Private Office of the President
Mr WINKLER*
Mr MACHMER
Mr DIRRIG**
Ms WOLLNY
Ms BOVEINGTON-FAURAN
Mr KLEINER
Mr DREUTE**
Private Office of the Secretary-General
Mr MANGOLD**
Ms LUEDDECKE
Mr SØRENSEN
Private Office of the Deputy Secretary-General
Mr LANE
Secretariat
DG Presidency (PRES) Mr KNUDSEN
DG Internal Policies (IPOL) Mr RIBERA D'ALCALA
DG External Policies (EXPO) Mr AGUIRIANO
DG Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) Mr TEASDALE
DG Information (COMM) Ms LAHOUSSE/ Mr DUCH-GUILLOT**
DG Personnel (PERS) Mr KAISER*
DG Infrastructure and Logistics (INLO) Ms LINNUS**
DG Translation (TRAD) Mr MAVRIC
DG Interpretation and Conferences (INTE) Ms WALTER-DROP
DG Finance (FINS) Mr KLETHI/ Mr REIJNDERS/ Mr BETZ
DG Innovation, Technical Support (ITEC) Mr VILELLA
DG Security and Safety (SAFE) Ms RATTI*/ Mr CAROZZA
***
Legal Service Mr DREXLER, Jurisconsult*
Director for the Relations with Political
Groups
Mr SCHWETZ
Conference of President's Secretariat Mr HILLER
* present for Item 5.1 and 5.2 in camera
** present for Item 5.1 in camera
*** present only for Item 5.1 in camera
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Political group secretariats,
Mr EVISON (EPP)
Mr HORNAK (S&D)
Mr DANECKI (ECR)
Mr KRINGS (ALDE)
Ms PANTAZIDOU (GUE/NGL)
Mr DENKINGER (Greens/EFA)
Ms ALBERTINI (EFDD)
Mr CAMPOMENOSI (ENF)
Mr GLASER (Non-attached Members)
Vice-Presidents' and Quaestors' assistants
Mr SALVELLI Mr TAJANI's assistant
Ms O'HEA Ms McGUINNESS's assistant
Ms KRONTAL Mr WIELAND's assistant
Ms DIAZ BLANCO Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO's assistant
Mr LOVAS Ms GÁLL-PELCZ's assistant
Mr VINTILA Mr PAŞCU's assistant
Ms BARREIRA Ms GUILLAUME's assistant
Mr COBUCCI Mr SASSOLI's assistant
Mr KLEEMANN Mr LAMBSDORFF's assistant
Ms ROSENBERG Ms LUNACEK's assistant
Mr ALATOPOULOS Mr PAPADIMOULIS's assistant
Ms SOBKIEWICZ Mr CZARNECKI's assistant
Mr RICHARD Ms MORIN-CHARTIER's assistant
Ms KONTÁR Ms BEARDER's assistant
Ms STANEVA Mr KOVATCHEV's assistant
Mr SKOCZEK Mr KARSKI's assistant
Mr TZIORKAS*, Mr CALINOGLOU, Mr ADLER and Ms STASINOPOULOU acted as
secretary to the meeting.
* present for Items 5.1 and 5.2 in camera
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1. Adoption of draft agenda
The Bureau,
- noted the draft agenda (PE 571.118/BUR) and adopted it as shown in these
minutes.
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2. Adoption of the Minutes of the meeting of 26 October 2015
The Bureau,
- approved the Minutes of the Bureau meeting of 26 October 2015 held in
Strasbourg (PE 567.401/BUR).
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3. Communications by the President
3.1 Pension Fund
The Bureau,
- heard the President explain that Parliament‟s representatives to the board of the
Members‟ Pension Fund are appointed every December after consultation of the
Bureau; following an established practice to appoint to this post Quaestors,
Parliament‟s representatives have been so far Ms MORIN-CHARTIER and Mr
LIBERADZKI, Quaestors, and Ms LULLING, former Member and Quaestor; as
the latter is not a Member and Quaestor anymore, he proposes to the Bureau to
confirm the appointment of Ms MORIN-CHARTIER and Mr LIBERADZKI,
Quaestors, who have actively represented Parliament's interests in the board of the
Pension Fund and should continue to do so;
- endorsed the President‟s proposal to appoint Ms MORIN-CHARTIER and Mr
LIBERADZKI, Quaestors, as Parliament‟s representatives to the board of the
Members‟ Pension Fund.
3.2. Plenary matters
The Bureau,
- heard the President
inform members of comments received regarding the organisation of the
Catch-the-Eye and Blue Card procedures, and explain that applying a single set
of criteria would ensure greater predictability and consistency in the
management of the sittings;
explain that these procedures were initially introduced in order to liven up
Plenary debates but sometimes end up simply being used by political groups to
extend their speaking time, as Members occasionally pre-arrange such requests
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rather than making them spontaneously as was originally intended; suggest
therefore, that a uniform set of criteria to guide the Catch-the-Eye and Blue
card procedures seemed necessary;
regret that the Plenary chamber is occasionally instrumentalized for political
stunts, and that this improper behaviour, along with the display of flags and
emblems, does not only disrupt formal sittings, but is also to the detriment of
Plenary's main purpose, which is as a forum for political debate;
- heard Mr WIELAND and Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-Presidents, emphasise the
need to safeguard the dignity of the Parliament, and that in this respect a
procedural review might be useful to address the fact that some Members make
Catch-the-Eye or Blue Card requests solely to improve their personal ratings
regarding speeches made in Plenary and also, that any procedural reforms to the
above-mentioned issues should enjoy a broad consensus;
- heard the President invite the members of the Bureau to submit in writing
proposals to improve the Catch-the-Eye and Blue Card procedures as well as to
address misconduct in the Plenary chamber, with a view to discussing with the
above-mentioned concerns at a forthcoming Bureau meeting.
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A. DECISIONS/EXCHANGE OF VIEWS
4. Financing of the MELD-Party - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, with debate,
- noted the note dated 13 November 2015, from the Secretary-General, on the
above-mentioned subject (PE 571.177/BUR and annexes);
- heard the Secretary General explain that the concerns about the use of Parliament
funding by the MELD1 party and the FELD
2 foundation, which had been voiced
by Ms KARLSSON, Member, had led to intense public debate in Denmark and an
internal examination by Parliament‟s services, which focused on three separate
items:
a boat trip which took place in 2013;
a video about the referendum on the Danish justice and home affairs opt-out;
the membership of individual Members in more than one European political
party;
- heard the Secretary-General further inform members that:
the examination of the boat trip in 2013 had established that the contract for the
rental of the boat had been signed by 'Dansk Folkeparti', the national Danish
party participating in MELD, but that the cost was to be borne by MELD and
FELD; stress that whereas the rules on the financing of European political
parties and their foundations explicitly prohibit the direct and indirect financing
of national parties, documents available on the internet showed that the boat
trip presented candidates for the Danish local elections in 2013, a fact which
had led to the conclusion that direct or indirect financing of a national party
1 Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy
2 Foundation for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy
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had taken place contrary to the rules and that the cost which had been
reimbursed should therefore be claimed back by the Parliament;
the examination of the video from 2015 had established that it was encouraging
people to vote NO in the upcoming Danish referendum on EU questions and
was funded by MELD; whereas the rules also prohibited the financing of
referenda campaigns, the final decision concerning this item should be taken at
the closure of accounts for the current year, on the basis of the relevant
documents;
it had been established that individual Members of MELD were members of
more than one European political party, since five of them had been also
founding members of a new European party, the Alternative for Europe (AFE),
two of whom had also joined the Alliance of European Conservatives and
Reformists (AECR) party; since the rules prohibit the funding of European
parties whose members are founding members of more than one such party, a
view sustained by a Legal Service analysis, the five founding members of the
AFE can no longer be considered as members of the MELD; it follows that the
MELD no longer has the necessary membership to be recognised as a
European party, and the funding from the Parliament of MELD should
therefore be terminated, notwithstanding the declarations from some of the
founding members of the AFE that they had meanwhile resigned from the AFE
or that their signature had been a „clerical error‟;
- heard Mr WIELAND and Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-Presidents, express support
for the proposals put forward by the Secretary-General in his note, suggesting that
ex-ante verifications of possible multiple party memberships should be carried out
in connection with the future funding of parties;
- heard Ms GÁLL-PELCZ, Vice-President, support the proposal from the
Secretary-General and explain that Mr SZABO, Member and member from her
national party, Fidesz-KDNP, had declared that he was not aware that he had
signed a registration form for membership of the AFE and that in the meantime he
had resigned from this party;
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- heard Mr CZARNECKI, Vice-President, and Mr KARSKI, Quaestor, declare that:
the closure of accounts for 2013, for MELD and FELD, had been approved by
the Bureau at its meeting of 15 September 2014;
the use of Parliament funding for the boat trip was justified, since the logo of
MELD and FELD had been used and had been visible;
the boat trip could not be considered to be part of a campaign connected to the
Danish local elections, since election campaigns in Denmark only run for three
weeks and the boat trip had taken place several months before the election;
the fact that the matter was dealt with by the Bureau a few weeks before the
Danish referendum on the justice and home affairs opt-out amounted to an act
of political interference;
the relevant Members should be invited to provide further information and
therefore the decision by the Bureau should at least be postponed to the next
meeting;
- heard the President remind that the matter at hand was a normal administrative
procedure, for which the Bureau was responsible, pertaining to the correct use of
Parliament funding by a European political party; that the President of MELD had
been informed in writing about the verifications made by the services and had
replied; that, as a result, Parliament‟s services had concluded that the funds had
not been used according to the relevant rules and it was consequently the Bureau's
duty to decide whether funds should be recovered or not;
- heard Ms LUNACEK, Vice-President, express her support for the Secretary-
General's note, noting that Members should always ensure that they were aware of
the contents of the documents which they sign;
- decided, with one vote against, that the cost for the 2013 boat trip shall be
declared as non-eligible expenditure and the corresponding part of the grant
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equivalent to DKK 120,700 in total (i.e. 85 % of the eligible expenditure) for both
MELD and FELD shall be recovered and to instruct the Secretary General to
recover this amount;
- decided to terminate the grant for the budgetary year 2015 and initiate the
termination procedure against MELD and FELD pursuant to Art. II.9.2 and II.9.3
of the grant award decision.
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From 19.52 hours in camera
5.1. Security matters
The Bureau, meeting in camera,
- heard the President outline the state of security following the recent terrorist
attacks in Paris and the raising of the alert level in Belgium to 3 (out of 4) and
then in Brussels to 4 and inform members, in liaison with Vice-President
TAJANI, of the security measures already taken and the necessary medium and
long term security measures to be taken;
- heard Mr TAJANI, Vice-President responsible for security, provide additional
information, in liaison with the President, and elaborate on the medium and long-
term measures already foreseen with a view to further enhancing Parliament‟s
security;
- held a wide ranging exchange of views with the participation of Mr WIELAND,
Ms GÁLL-PELCZ, Mr SASSOLI, Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Mr CZARNECKI, Ms
LUNACEK, Ms GUILLAUME, Vice-Presidents, Mr KARSKI, Mr
KOVATCHEV, Mr LIBERADZKI, Ms MORIN-CHARTIER, Quaestors, who
expressed their overall support for the proposed security-related measures
described by the President and Mr TAJANI, and thanked the services, and in
particular DG SAFE, for its quick and efficient response to this complex
situation, while enquiring on individual matters and providing further input;
- heard Mr TAJANI, Vice-President responsible for security, reply to individual
enquiries and comments;
- heard the President wind-up the debate by establishing overall agreement on the
proposed short and medium term security-related measures and instructing the
responsible Vice-President, in close cooperation with the responsible services, in
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particular DG SAFE, to proceed with their implementation and to report regularly
to the Bureau.
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5.2. Staff matters
The Bureau, meeting in camera,
- took note of eight recommendations dated 20 November 2015 from the Secretary-
General, to the President and to the members of the Bureau, forwarded to the
members of the Bureau under a separate confidential cover, concerning the results
of the interviews conducted by the Advisory Committee on the Appointment of
Senior Officials:
Vacancy Notice AD/158655 - post of Director-General in the Directorate-
General for Infrastructure and Logistics (PE 571.204/BUR and annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158650, Transfer Notice PE/AD/158650 and Recruitment
Notice PE/188/S - post of Director of the Office of the Secretary-General (PE
571.197/BUR and annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158651 - post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Parliamentary Research Service, Directorate for Library (PE 571.198/BUR and
annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158652 - post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Parliamentary Research Service, Directorate for Impact assessment and
European added value (PE 571.199/BUR and annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158653 - post of Director in the Directorate-General for
External Policies of the Union, Directorate for Democracy Support (PE
571.202/BUR and annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158654, Transfer Notice PE/AD/158654 and Recruitment
Notice PE/187/S - post of Director in the Directorate-General for External
Policies of the Union, Directorate for Committees (PE 571.203/BUR and
annexes);
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Vacancy Notice AD/158656 - post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Innovation and Technological Support, Directorate for Infrastructure and
Logistics (PE 571.205/BUR and annex);
Vacancy Notice AD/158658 - post of Director in the Directorate-General for
the Presidency, Directorate for Legislative Acts (PE 571.206/BUR and annex);
- heard the Secretary-General refer in detail to the proceedings in the Advisory
Committee and inform members that his recommendations to the Bureau fully
reflected the opinion of the Advisory Committee and were done in agreement with
the President;
- heard the Secretary-General present his recommendations for each of the above
mentioned posts of senior management in the EP administration, while outlining
the profile and professional career of the proposed candidate:
Ms Leena Maria LINNUS, for the post of Director-General in the Directorate-
General for Infrastructure and Logistics;
Mr Christian MANGOLD, for the post of Director of the Office of the
Secretary-General;
Mr Joseph DUNNE, for the post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Parliamentary Research Service, Directorate for Library;
Mr Wolfgang HILLER, for the post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Parliamentary Research Service, Directorate for Impact assessment and
European added value;
Mr Pietro DUCCI, for the post of Director in the Directorate-General for
External Policies of the Union, Directorate for Democracy Support;
Mr Alexandre STUTZMANN, for the post of Director in the Directorate-
General for External Policies of the Union, Directorate for Committees;
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Mr Pascal PARIDANS, for the post of Director in the Directorate-General for
Innovation and Technological Support, Directorate for Infrastructure and
Logistics;
Ms Ellen ROBSON, for the post of Director in the Directorate-General for the
Presidency, Directorate for Legislative Acts;
- heard the President express his full support for the presentation and
recommendations from the Secretary-General;
- held a short exchange of views with the participation of Mr CZARNECKI, Vice-
President, and Mr KARSKI, Quaestor;
- endorsed the recommendations from the Secretary-General.
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B. DECISIONS WITHOUT DEBATE
6. Financial contribution for the Association of Former Members in 2016 - Note from the
Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of a note dated 12 November 2015 from the Secretary-General,
regarding financial contribution for the Association of Former Members in 2016
(PE 571.178/BUR);
- set the amount of the financial contribution to be granted to the Association of
Former Members for 2016 at EUR 210,000, subject to the final adoption of the
budget;
- instructed the authorising officer to grant the amount so decided to the beneficiary
in accordance with Article 3(3) of the abovementioned rules.
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7. Financial contribution for the European Parliamentary Association in 2016 - Note from
the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the note from the Secretary-General regarding financial contribution
for the European Parliamentary Association in 2016 (PE 571.179/BUR);
- set the amount of the financial contribution to be granted to the European
Parliamentary Association for 2016 at EUR 210,000, subject to the final adoption
of the budget;
- instructed the authorising officer to grant the amount so decided to the beneficiary
in accordance with Article 3(3) of the abovementioned rules.
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8. Report on the use of the translation services in 2014, within the framework of the Code
of Conduct on Multilingualism - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the note from the Secretary-General on the report on the use of the
translation services in 2014, within the framework of the Code of Conduct on
Multilingualism (PE 571.180/BUR and annexes);
- mandated the Secretary General to seek continuous efforts in resource-efficient
translation workflow;
- mandated the Secretary General to seek further improvements of the Code of
Conduct on Multilingualism in line with resource-efficient translation.
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9. Report on the use of the interpretation services in 2014, within the framework of the
Code of Conduct on Multilingualism - Note by the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the note from the Secretary-General on the report on the use of the
interpretation services in 2014, within the framework of the Code of Conduct on
Multilingualism (PE 571.181/BUR);
- requested the Secretary-General to seek continuous efforts in resource-efficient
interpretation services;
- requested the Secretary-General to seek further improvements of the Code of
Conduct on Multilingualism in line with resource-efficient interpretation.
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10. Draft Rules of Procedure of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee -
Letter from Mr CRISTEA, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary
Association Committee
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 15 October, from Mr CRISTEA, Chair of the
Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, requesting
that the Bureau approve the draft Rules of Procedure of that Committee, (PE
567.429/BUR and financial statement);
- recalled that on 1st September 2014 the EU-Moldova Association Agreement
replaced the EU-Moldova Partnership and Cooperation Agreement as the legal
basis and framework for EU-Moldova relations;
- recalled that the institutional provisions of the Association Agreement foresee the
establishment of a Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC), which replaced
the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) set up within the framework of
the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements;
- noted that the draft Rules of Procedure of the PAC build on the Association
Agreement, and in parts, on the previous PCC Rules;
- noted that the draft Rules of Procedure of the PAC state that "it shall meet, in
principle, twice a year, alternately in one of the workplaces of the European
Parliament and in Moldova", while previously the PCC rules stated that "it shall
meet at least once a year" and that on a proposal from any of the Co-
Chairpersons, a second extraordinary meeting could be convened;
- noted that Article 8 of Parliament's Implementing provisions governing the work
of delegations states that each standing inter-parliamentary delegation may hold
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one inter-parliamentary meeting per year, unless otherwise stipulated in
international agreements;
- took note of the recommendation of the Conference of Presidents, adopted at its
meeting of 29 October 2015, endorsing the draft rules of procedure of the EU-
Moldova PAC on condition that "it should meet a maximum of two times a year";
- in the light of the above, endorsed the recommendation by the Conference of
Presidents.
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11. Request from the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union to display
on the buildings of the European Parliament a banner with the logo of the United
Nations Conference on Climate Change COP21 – Letter from Mr SELLAL, Permanent
Representative of France to the European Union
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 13 November 2015 from Mr Pierre SELLAL,
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the European Union,
proposing to display a banner with the COP21 Climate change conference logo on
the buildings of the European Parliament (PE 571.189/BUR and financial
statement);
- took note that the banner could be installed on 30 November 2015, the day of the
opening of the Conference, and until the 11th December, the day of the its official
ending, in order to coincide with the whole duration of the Conference in Paris,
France;
- took note that the cost of placing this banner is estimated at EUR 2,065.00;
- approved the request.
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Committee missions within the EU, candidate countries and the EEA countries
12. Draft programme for committee missions outside the three places of work (inside the
EU, the candidate and the EEA countries) for the first semester of 2016 - Letter from
Mr BUZEK, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs
The Bureau, without debate,
- noted the letter dated 29 October 2015 from Mr BUZEK, Chair of the Conference
of Committee Chairs, forwarding the draft programme for travel by committees
outside Parliament's three places of work and within the European Union, the
candidate countries and the EEA countries during the first half of 2016
(PE 571.125/CPG, annexes and financial statement);
- recalled the Rules governing committee missions outside Parliament‟s three
places of work within the European Union, the candidate countries and the EEA
countries, as modified by the Bureau at its meeting of 15 December 2014;
- noted the recommendation of the Conference of Presidents, which was issued at
its meeting of 19 November 2015;
Calendar of committee travel for the first half of 2016
- noted that a number of committee missions are planned in periods which include
days without parliamentary activities (Fridays, public holidays, weekends
preceding or following weeks which are set aside for external parliamentary
activities); approved those requests, while recalling that any other derogation from
the rules on travel periods must be subject to individual authorisation on the basis
of a fully detailed request, including a financial statement; in this context, noted,
in particular, that certain visits are foreseen for weeks designated for committee
activities; endorsed these visits while underlining that they shall be subject to a
limited interpretation regime, in line with Article 6(2) of the applicable Rules;
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General principles and budgetary considerations
- noted that the Rules do not oblige committees to use their entire quota for travel
and encouraged them to set aside part of it in order to be able to add one or more
missions if necessary, in line with Article 8(3) of these Rules;
- underlined that committee missions outside the three places of work must be duly
justified and have a direct link with topics dealing with the current work of the
committees concerned;
- recalled Parliament‟s resolution of 22 October 2014 on the Council position on
the draft general budget of the EU for the financial year 2015 (paragraph 93) in
which Parliament “welcomes the decision of the Joint Working Group
[Committee on Budgets – Bureau] to recommend to Members to use economy
class flights for short journeys”;
- insisted that committee visits to the Agencies for which they are responsible
should, in line with Article 2(4) of the applicable Rules, be restricted to a
maximum of three Members, and should be scheduled during the weeks set aside
for external parliamentary activities; further recalled that the chair of the
committee concerned can only join the mission subject to the provisions of Article
22(3) of the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members governing
additional travel expenses;
- recalled that the provisions set out in Article 4 of the applicable Rules allow
accompanying Members to travel with committees only on missions inside the
European Union; accompanying Members cannot travel on missions outside the
European Union or to candidate countries, or join any ad hoc delegations or visits
to Agencies; any authorisation for accompanying Members to travel under Article
4(1)(b) and (c) of these Rules is subject to approval of the committee concerned,
the availability of appropriations for the Members concerned under Article 22(1)
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of the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members and prior authorisation
by the Bureau;
- requested the various committees, in application of Article 10 of the applicable
Rules, to forward to the President, in good time prior to the visits, the respective
programmes, indicating their total duration (including journey times) and
providing full information concerning the number of Members participating in the
mission (both official and accompanying) and of secretariat and group staff;
- underlined that, should committees decide to cancel one of their missions and
replace it with another, they should address a new request to the President,
providing all necessary information on the mission, as well as a new financial
statement and information on the available quota at the time of travel;
- emphasised the consistent position of both the Conference of Presidents and the
Bureau, that the duration of missions is calculated on the basis of calendar days,
and that no long-haul visit may last longer than five days, including journey times,
as stipulated in Article 7 (2) of the applicable Rules;
- noted that a number of committee missions are scheduled to take place during
weeks set aside for external parliamentary activities, without specifying the exact
dates of travel and/or the number of Members participating; agreed that, unless
there are other specific remarks made under “Specific comments” with respect to
these missions, once the exact dates and the number of Members as well as the
mission programme are provided by the respective committee to the President in
good time prior to the mission, and under the condition that each request fully
complies with the Rules in force, i.e. duration of the mission, etc., the President
may authorise those requests by letter; recalled that all other requests require
individual authorisation in line with the Rules in force;
- noted that a number of Committees plan Agency missions (EMPL to CEDEFOP
in Thessaloniki, Greece, ENVI to FVO in Dunsany, Ireland, and to EEA in
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Copenhagen, Denmark, LIBE to EASO in Valetta, Malta, to EMCDDA in Lisbon,
Portugal, and to FRA in Vienna, Austria) in conformity with Article 2(4) of the
applicable Rules;
- invited Committees to consider whether it would be preferable to invite
representatives from Agencies to one of their Committee meetings to allow all
Members to participate, and in any case to avoid requesting authorisation to visit
Agencies within a short time of such discussions in committee;
- approved the requested missions to Agencies, which will allow the Committees
concerned to get acquainted with a wide range of issues such as the current and
planned activities as well as the staff and budget situation of the respective
Agencies;
- welcomed the fact that the following Committees have shown a willingness to
coordinate, where possible, the programmes of their missions, which are planned
in the same time period and to the same destination:
BUDG and LIBE to Turkey (week 6);
ECON and EMPL to Bratislava, Slovakia (week 20);
- noted that ENVI and ITRE plan to send missions to Finland during the same
period (week 20) and invited them to explore the possibility of coordinating their
programmes to avoid possible overlap;
Specific comments
Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)
- welcomed DROI‟s intention to coordinate as much as possible the programme of
its mission to Turkey scheduled for week 20 with that of the 77th
EU-Turkey Joint
Parliamentary Committee meeting to be held the same week in that country;
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Committee on Development (DEVE)
- endorsed the proposed mission to the 1st World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in
Istanbul, Turkey, from 22 to 25 May 2016, including journey times, it being
understood that participating Members will be back in Brussels in time for the
opening of the part-session;
- endorsed the proposed one-Member mission to the European Development Days
(EDDs) in Brussels on 15-16 June 2016 (a period set aside for committee
activities), noting however that, although the EDDs are considered as “Europe‟s
leading forum on development and international cooperation” and that “DEVE
organises one of the few high-level panels (HLPs) at the EDDs”, DEVE's
participation in this Brussels-based event is reduced to just one Member, as
against eight Members (including the Chair) foreseen for the WHS in Istanbul;
invited DEVE to ensure an appropriate level of participation in the EDDs ;
Committee on Budgets (BUDG)
- noted the reasons advanced by BUDG to justify its proposed four-day visit to
Berlin and Paris and deferred its decision pending clarification as to why the
revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (scheduled for the end of 2016)
and a discussion on the budgetary dimension of the European Semester
necessitate an eight-Member mission lasting four days, including journey times;
Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
- noted CULT‟s intention to send a mission to Cologne, Germany “and its
surroundings” from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 May 2016, the objective of the
mission being to hold “meetings on topics such as dual careers in sports, sports
science and schools, or the role of sports for social inclusion policies”; questioned
the timing proposed for the mission, in particular the need to arrange it during a
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weekend; therefore withheld its decision and invited CULT to consider instead
holding a hearing on the various aspects covered by the proposed mission;
Committee on Women‟s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
- endorsed the mission to Warsaw, Poland, for the Global Summit of Women, to be
held from 9 to 11 June 2016, on the condition that participating Members leave
Strasbourg after the end of the part-session;
* * *
- encouraged committee missions to restrict the number of accompanying staff to
the minimum and emphasised that, notwithstanding the provisions of Art. 15(1) of
the applicable Rules, the number of accompanying staff should not exceed the
number of Members travelling;
- recalled that Members' assistants (accredited and/or local) may neither participate
in nor accompany a mission nor accompany a Member participating in such a
mission as stated in Article 15(1) of the Rules in force and as reiterated in the
Bureau decision of 7 October 2013;
- noted that the overall cost for travel by committees outside Parliament's three
places of work within the European Union, the candidate countries and the EEA
countries for the period from January to June 2016 has been calculated at EUR
1,515,546;
- endorsed the draft programme of committee missions within the European Union,
the candidate countries and the EEA countries for the period from January to
June 2016 under the conditions set out above.
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13. Request from the Committee on Regional Development to send a mission to the Joint
Research Centre in Seville, Spain, from 3 to 5 December 2015 - Letter from Ms
MIHAYLOVA, Chair of the Committee concerned
The Bureau, without debate,
- noted the letter dated 3 November 2015 from Ms MIHAYLOVA, Chair of the
Committee on Regional Development (REGI), requesting authorisation to send a
delegation to the Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain, from 3 to 5 December
2015 (PE 571.129/CPG, annexes and financial statement);
- noted that the mission was not included in the draft programme for committee
travel outside Parliament‟s three places of work within the European Union, the
candidate and the EEA countries for the second half of 2015;
- noted that the REGI mission to Croatia in week 45, included in the draft
programme for committee travel and authorised by the Bureau at its meeting of 8
June 2015, had to be cancelled due to the parliamentary elections in Croatia, held
on 8 November 2015, “ … which has freed enough places within the annual quota
to make a delegation to Seville possible”;
- pointed out that each mission needs to be adequately justified and that the
availability of quota for travel is not in itself a sufficient justification;
- noted that the requested mission coincides with one day set aside for
parliamentary committee activities (Thursday), and two days without
parliamentary activities (Friday and Saturday);
- recalled that, under Article 6(1) of the applicable Rules, committees shall
undertake missions during weeks set aside for external parliamentary activities;
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- noted, nevertheless, the positive recommendation issued by the Conference of
Presidents at its meeting of 19 November 2015;
- granted the requested authorisation.
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14. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs to send a mission to
Athens, Greece, on 30 November and 1 December 2015 - Letter from Mr HÄNDEL,
Chair of the Committee concerned
The Bureau, without debate,
- noted the letter dated 12 November 2015 from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), requesting authorisation
to send a seven-Member mission (including himself travelling out-of-quota
pursuant to Article 2(3) of the applicable Rules) to Athens, Greece, from 30
November to 1 December 2015, including journey times (PE 571.172/CPG,
annexes and financial statement);
- noted that the mission was not included in the draft programme for committee
missions outside Parliament‟s three places of work within the European Union,
the candidate and the EEA countries for the second half of 2015;
- pointed out that each mission needs to be adequately justified and that the
availability of quota for travel is not in itself a sufficient justification;
- noted that Mr KATROUGALOS, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social
Solidarity of the Hellenic Republic, has invited the EMPL Committee to Athens,
to explore possibilities for the Committee's involvement in the Greek reform
process, with regard to social security and the labour market;
- noted that the requested mission coincides with two days set aside for
parliamentary committee activities (Monday and Tuesday);
- recalled that, under Article 6(1) of the applicable Rules, committees shall
undertake missions during weeks set aside for external parliamentary activities;
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- noted, nevertheless, the positive recommendation issued, on an exceptional basis,
by the Conference of Presidents at its meeting of 19 November 2015, on the
understanding that the mission does not interfere with Members‟ attendance at
Parliament's December-I 2015 part-session in Brussels and on the condition that a
limited language regime with interpretation into one language only applies, as
required under Article 6(2) of the applicable Rules;
- granted the requested authorisation under the conditions set out by the Conference
of Presidents.
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Public Hearings
15. Draft programme for committee hearings for the first semester of 2016 - Letter from Mr
BUZEK, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of a letter dated 13 November 2015 from Mr BUZEK, Chair of the
Conference of Committee Chairs, submitting the draft programme of public
hearings in parliamentary committees for the first half of 2016 (PE 571.175/BUR,
annex and financial statement);
- recalled that the rules governing public hearings in parliamentary committees and
subcommittees (hereafter „committees‟) were last revised by the Bureau in June
2014 and entered into force on 1 September 2014;
- recalled the main elements to be complied with by committees, according to the
rules in force:
all committee hearings – and not only those entailing expenditure for
Parliament – require prior authorisation by the Bureau, irrespective of the
specific title chosen (hearing, mini-hearing, roundtable, etc.);
hearings must take place on Parliament‟s premises during the ordinary meeting
time of the organising committee(s);
the Conference of Committee Chairs is requested to submit by 31 October (for
the first half of the following year) and by 30 April (for the second half of the
year) a draft 6-month programme of hearings envisaged, accompanied by
appropriate supporting documents, a financial statement and any available
information (topic, justification, dates, number of guests);
specific individual authorisation by the Bureau must be requested at the latest
four weeks prior to the scheduled date for hearings not included in the 6-month
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programme, considering that such hearings can generate additional costs (e.g.
interpretation, use of meeting rooms);
in exceptional and urgent cases the President may grant authorisation without
submitting the request to the Bureau;
each committee may hear a maximum of 16 guests each year and each
subcommittee a maximum of 12 guests each year, whose travel and subsistence
expenses will be covered by Parliament;
committees are required to submit to the President prior to the hearing the full
programme, including the names and capacities of any invited experts/guests,
and control the compliance of such experts/guests and the organisations they
represent with the Transparency Register, in accordance with Article 7 of the
applicable rules.
- welcomed the procedure put in place by the Conference of Committee Chairs to
allow committees to voice and resolve any potential contestations of competence
concerning the holding of hearings; call on the Conference of Committee Chairs
to organise these procedures in such time as to allow it to meet the applicable
deadlines for submitting the 6-month draft programme to the Bureau but also for
forwarding any individual requests to the Bureau within the applicable four weeks
deadline;
- took note that the Conference of Committee Chairs has managed to resolve a few
conflicts of competence and that committees envisage other forms of cooperation
related to hearings such as participation or association; invite committees to
indicate clearly in such cases how many and which experts shall be deducted from
each of the cooperating committees' quota;
- welcomed the fact that committees are committed to scheduling their hearings
during committee weeks or on days foreseen for committee meetings;
- stressed that committees, which were not able to submit the necessary information
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at this stage (in particular to indicate the exact title of a hearing or to give a proper
description of the topic tackled), will have to ask for an individual authorisation at
the latest four weeks prior to the date of the hearing; urge committees to comply
with this deadline and not to misuse the urgency procedure by authorisation from
the President;
- invited all committees and subcommittees to ensure that they stay within their
maximum annual quota of sixteen and twelve paid guests respectively;
- approved the draft programme of committee hearings for the second half of 2016
as submitted by the Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs and inform
them thereof.
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16. Urgent matters and other business
16.1 One-Stop-Shop for financial services for Members
The Bureau,
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, explain that the aim of the suggestion he
made at the Bureau meeting of 26 October 2015 (item 8 of the Minutes) concerning
the naming of the one-stop-shop for financial services for Members was to avoid
confusion with the already existing “One-Stop-Shop”, but that he did not intend to
impose the name “Finance Portal”, and therefore any name that would not be
confusing was acceptable.
16.2 Flexibility in the working conditions of staff during the current security situation
The Bureau,
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, suggest that the administration considers the
terms under which Parliament‟s staff should be allowed to work from home and
generally show some flexibility in the working conditions in cases of emergency
such as the current one following the elevated security alert in Brussels.
16.3 Translation of the verbatim reports of the plenary sittings (CRE)
The Bureau,
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President:
express his gratitude to staff of the translation and interpretation services who
often must work long hours and in stressful conditions in order to cope with work
requirements;
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stress, nevertheless, that the current system whereby the verbatim plenary reports
are only available in the various speakers‟ original language („panaché‟ version)
is not satisfactory and request therefore that consideration be given to the
verbatim reports being available in a consolidated version in one language.
16.4 Cancellation of visitors groups to Brussels following the security situation
The Bureau,
- heard Mr KOVATCHEV, Quaestor in charge of visitors‟ groups:
indicate that several visitors groups sponsored by Members have been and will
be cancelled as visitors are afraid to travel to Brussels following the heightened
security alert;
point out that Members concerned had already made advance payments related
to accommodation and travel expenses for these visitors‟ groups;
point out that as the end of the year is approaching several Members may not
be able to use their quota of sponsored visitors groups and therefore any such
unused quota should be transferred to next year instead of simply lapsing as is
normally the rule;
recall the similar problems caused a few years ago as a result of air travel
disturbances following the eruption of a volcano in Iceland;
urge the administrative services concerned to find appropriate solutions in view
of these extraordinary circumstances.
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17. Items for information
The Bureau,
noted the following documents:
Interinstitutional mail
External mail
Internal mail
- a note dated 12 November 2015 from the Secretary-General on the European
Parliament 2015 Environmental Management review covering the year 2014 (PE
567.436/BUR and annex);
- a letter dated 12 November 2015 from Mr JÄÄTTEENMÄKI and Mr
VALCÁRCEL SISO, Vice-Presidents, on the Calendar of Interparliamentary
activities with national Parliaments for the first half of 2016 (PE 571.126/CPG,
annex and financial statement);
- Decision of the Bureau of 26 October 2015 amending the Implementing Measures
for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (PE
422.536/BUR/Amending decision 12).
* * *
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18. Date and place of next meeting
The Bureau,
- decided to hold its next ordinary meeting on 14 December 2015, from 18:30 to
20:30, in Room R1.1 in the Louise WEISS Building in Strasbourg.
*
* *
The meeting closed at 21.15 hours.
*
* *