pv 2017-10-02-draft en - european parliament...pv bur. 02.10.2017 pe 610.419/bur/rev 2/35...

PV BUR. 02.10.2017

PV\1139181EN.docx PE 610.419/BUR/rev

EN United in diversity EN

PE-8/BUR/PV/2017-9

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

B U R E A U

MINUTES

of the meeting of

02-10-2017

Louise Weiss Building - Room R1.1.

- - -

Strasbourg

PV BUR. 02.10.2017

PE 610.419/BUR/rev 2/35 PV\1139181EN.docx

EN

BUREAU

MINUTES

of the meeting of Monday, 2 October 2017

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 11 September 2017 ........................... 8

3. Communications by the President ......................................................................... 9

3.1. Official visit to France .......................................................................................... 9

3.2. European Council in Tallinn ................................................................................. 9

3.3. Presence of Ms KHALED of the PFLP in the Parliament .................................. 10

3.4. Deactivation of the long-term badges held by representatives of the company Monsanto ............................................................................................................. 10

3.5. Inauguration of the Schirmeck Memorial ........................................................... 11

4. The Internal Auditor’s Annual Report for 2016 - in presence of Mr GALVIN,

Internal Auditor ................................................................................................... 12

5. Progress report on the implementation of additional security measures in the European Parliament - Note from the Secretary-General ................................... 16

6. Review of the flat rate amounts for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in respect of duty travel between Parliament’s three places of work for Accredited

Parliamentary Assistants - Implementing measures for Title VII of the conditions

of employment of other servants of the European Union, Bureau Decision of 14

April 2014 - Note from the Secretary-General ................................................... 18

7. Draft Programme of the Seminar on ‘The External Policies of the EU’ to take place in the European Parliament in Brussels from 15.00 - 18.00 on 6 December

2017 - Letter from Ms McGUINNESS, Vice-President responsible for

Parliament’s dialogue with churches, religions and philosophical organisations,

foreseen under Article 17 TFEU ......................................................................... 20

8. Request for authorisation of STOA's Annual lecture 2017 taking place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 21 November 2017 - Letter from Ms KAILI,

Chair of the STOA Panel .................................................................................... 21

9. Closure of accounts of the European political parties and foundations for 2016 -

Note from the Secretary-General ........................................................................ 22

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10. Report on the use of the interpretation services in 2015 and 2016 - Note from the Secretary-General ................................................................................................ 23

11. Request for authorisation of a two-Member STOA mission to attend INNOVEIT,

16-17 October 2017 in Budapest......................................................................... 27

12. Request from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) for

authorisation to hold a joint public hearing on ‘The European Protection Order’ to

be held on 12 October 2017 in Brussels - Letter from Mr MORAES and Ms

BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Chairs of the respective Committees concerned ................ 28

13. Request for the use of the Esplanade “Solidarność” from 4 to 8 December 2017 to install a wooden cottage to celebrate 100 years of independence of Finland - Letter

from Mr TORVALDS, Vice-Chair of the ALDE Group .................................... 30

14. Urgent matters and any other business................................................................ 32

14.1. Sanitary facilities on Parliaments’ premises in Brussels .................................... 32

14.2. Date for European Parliament elections 2019 ..................................................... 32

14.3. Guide on Parliaments’ architecture and art exhibition ........................................ 32

15. Items for information .......................................................................................... 34

16. Date and place of next meeting ........................................................................... 35

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EN

BUREAU

MINUTES

of the meeting of Monday, 2 October 2017

Strasbourg

Mr Antonio TAJANI, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 18.37

hours.

Present

Antonio TAJANI, President*

Vice-Presidents

Excused

Ms McGUINNESS* Ms LUNACEK

Mr LIBERADZKI* Mr LAMBSDORFF

Mr SASSOLI*

Mr WIELAND*

Ms GUILLAUME

Mr CZARNECKI*

Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO*

Ms GEBHARDT

Mr PAŞCU*

Mr TELIČKA*

Mr PAPADIMOULIS*

Quaestors Excused

Ms MORIN-CHARTIER*

Mr KOVATCHEV*

Mr MAŇKA*

Ms BEARDER

Mr KARSKI*

Also Present

Mr WELLE, Secretary-General*

Mr WINKLER, Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General DG PRES*

* present for Item 5 in camera

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Invited for item 4

Mr GALVIN, Internal Auditor

List of officials present at the meeting:

Private Office of the President

Mr CANGA FANO*

Mr CHIOCCHETTI*

Mr CAPOGROSSO*

Ms BOLYA*

Private Office of the Secretary-General

Mr MANGOLD*

Mr SORENSEN

Ms

Mr

ALTENBERG*

MARTINELLI*

Private Office of the Deputy Secretary-General

Mr SCHWARZ

Secretariat

DG Internal Policies (IPOL) Mr RIBERA d’ALCALA

DG External Policies (EXPO) Mr AGUIRIANO NALDA

DG Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) Mr TEASDALE

DG Information (COMM) Mr

Ms

DUCH-GUILLOT* /

VAN DEN BROEKE

DG Personnel (PERS) Mr KNUDSEN

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

DG Innovation, Technical Support (ITEC) Mr VILELLA

DG Security and Safety (SAFE) Mr

Ms

CAROZZA* / Mr MOLS*

LEMAIRE*

Legal Service Mr DREXLER*, Jurisconsult

Conference of President's Secretariat Ms SCHADE


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Political group secretariats

Ms ROIG LINANA (EPP)

Mr HORNAK (S&D)

Mr DANECKI (ECR)

Ms BOVEINGTON-FAURAN (ALDE)

Ms PANTAZIDOU (GUE/NGL)

Mr BROUWER (GREENS/EFA)

Mr PITTARELLO (EFDD)

Mr HOLZFEIND (ENF)

Mr GLASER (Non-attached Members)

Mr TZIORKAS*, Mr ADLER, Mr CORLETT, Ms GIPPERT and Mr PETERS acted as

secretary to the meeting.


Vice-Presidents' and Quaestors' assistants

Ms O'HEA Ms McGUINNESS

Mr VOGT Mr LIBERADZKI

Mr COBUCCI Mr SASSOLI

Ms KRONTAL Mr WIELAND

Ms BARREIRA Ms GUILLAUME

Ms SOBKIEWICZ Mr CZARNECKI

Mr RODRIGUEZ GUILLEN Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO

Ms PAPENBERG Ms GEBHARDT

Ms KYRIAKAKI Mr TELIČKA

Mr VINTILA Mr PAŞCU

Mr ALATOPOULOS Mr PAPADIMOULIS

Ms ROSENBERG Ms LUNACEK

Mr RICHARD Ms MORIN-CHARTIER

Mr IVANOV Mr KOVATCHEV

Ms KUCHTIKOVA Mr MAŇKA

Ms KONTÁR Ms BEARDER

Mr SKOCZEK Mr KARSKI

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1. Adoption of draft agenda

The Bureau,

- noted the draft agenda and adopted it as shown in these minutes

(PE 610.417/BUR).

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2. Adoption of the Minutes of the meeting of 11 September 2017

The Bureau,

- approved the Minutes of the Bureau meeting of 11 September 2017 held in

Strasbourg (PE 605.879/BUR).

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3. Communications by the President

3.1. Official visit to France

The Bureau,

- heard the President inform the meeting that on 21, 22 September 2017 he made

an official visit to France, during which he met, inter alias, Mr MACRON,

President of the Republic, Mr PHILIPPE, Prime Minister and Mr de RUGY,

Speaker of the National Assembly, noting that the former informed him that he

would be able to address the European Parliament during the October II or

November part-sessions of 2017; explain that the reform of the Dublin

Regulation, European defence, anti-terrorism co-ordination and a growth

strategy for Africa were among the themes discussed; announce that he had

participated in a meeting of the Regional Assembly of the Ile de France region

and had met with students of the “École Ferrandi”, a school for the restaurant

sector, and with a group of entrepreneurs in the field of green businesses; thank

Ms GUILLAUME, Vice-President, and Ms MORIN-CHARTIER, Quaestor for

their participation.

3.2. European Council in Tallinn

The Bureau,

- heard the President inform members that he had participated in the meeting of

the European Council in Tallinn, which had followed up on the timetable set in

Bratislava one year earlier, debating the high unemployment rates among young

people, terrorism, illegal immigration and climate change, which are Europe’s

primary challenges today; further noting that, in order to solve these problems,

the European Institutions and Member States must work closely with the

citizens, recalling that this was one of the themes to be discussed at the Bureau’s

Away-Days the following week; explain that, in Tallinn, he had met, inter alias,

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the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Ms MAY, whom he had reminded

that real progress is needed in the negotiations preparing her country’s departure

from the European Union; recall that the theme of the European Council meeting

was the further development of Europe’s digital economy and that he had

presented the Parliament’s position in this area.

3.3. Presence of Ms KHALED of the PFLP in the Parliament

The Bureau,

- heard the President inform the meeting that, on 26 September 2017,

Ms Leila KHALED of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

had participated in a conference in Parliament, at the invitation of two Members;

recall that the PFLP had been included in the Council’s list of persons, groups

and entities involved in terrorist acts and subject to restrictive measures, which

made the presence of Ms KHALED in the Parliament unacceptable, noting that

he had expressed the view, in the Conference of Presidents, that such an incident

must not be repeated in future; suggest, therefore, that the Directorate-General

for Security and Safety take measures to systematically deny access to the

Parliament’s premises to representatives of organisations or persons included in

the aforementioned list;

- agreed with the President’s suggestion.

3.4. Deactivation of the long-term badges held by representatives of the company

Monsanto

The Bureau,

- heard the President inform members that the Conference of Presidents, at its

meeting of 28 September 2017, had requested the suspension of the access

badges for the accredited representatives of the agrochemical company,

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Monsanto, who had refused to participate in a joint hearing of the Committee of

Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Committee on

Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), stating, inter alia, in their letter,

that: “It is not the role of the European Parliament to question the credibility of

the scientific output of either the independent EU agencies or those in third

countries”; recall the relevant provision of Rule 116a of the Rules of Procedure1,

which entitles the Secretary-General, with the authorisation of the Quaestors, to

withdraw or temporarily deactivate their long-term access badges, informing

members that the matter would be examined by the Quaestors at their meeting

the next day.

3.5. Inauguration of the Schirmeck Memorial

The Bureau,

- heard the President announce that he would inaugurate, on 24 October 2017,

together with Mr RICHET, President of the Grand-Est Region, and Mr MARX,

Prefect of the Bas-Rhin Department, the newly enlarged Schirmeck Memorial,

close to the former concentration camp of Natzweiler-Struthof, originally

opened in 1995 by then French President Jacques CHIRAC, noting that the

Members of the Bureau were cordially invited to attend the ceremony, and that

further information would be circulated shortly.

1 Rule 116a, paragraph 3, second subparagraph: “Without prejudice to the applicability of the general rules

governing the withdrawal or temporary deactivation of long-term access badges, and unless there are

significant arguments to the contrary, the Secretary-General shall, with the authorisation of the Quaestors,

withdraw or deactivate a long-term access badge where its holder has been disbarred from the transparency

register for a breach of the Code of Conduct for Registrants, has been guilty of a serious breach of the

obligations laid down in this paragraph, or has refused, without offering a sufficient justification, to comply

with a formal summons to attend a hearing or committee meeting or to cooperate with a committee of inquiry.

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A. DECISIONS/EXCHANGE OF VIEWS

4. The Internal Auditor’s Annual Report for 2016 - in presence of Mr GALVIN, Internal

Auditor

The Bureau, with debate,

- noted a note dated 19 July 2017 from Mr GALVIN, Internal Auditor, to the

President, forwarding to the Bureau the “Internal Auditor’s Annual Report for

2016” (PE 610.436/BUR and annex);

- heard Mr GALVIN, Internal Auditor, note in general that the aim of the internal

audit is through proposed actions and with dialogue and consultation with the

services to reach agreement with the audited entities and present in detail his

Report for 2016, noting inter alia that:

Section 2 of the Report describes the mission of the Internal Audit Service

("IAS"), the nature and scope of its activity, the professional standards to

which it adheres, and how it is organised;

Section 3 of the Report refers to the audit work carried out in 2016 and the

reports resulting therefrom, focusing on providing assurance on the

effectiveness and efficiency of governance, risk management and control

processes in key operational areas, including the Institution's Activity

Reporting Process; the recruitment process (for officials, temporary staff and

contract staff); the audio-visual sector in DG Communication; external

expertise on building works’ projects in DG INLO; the central IT

infrastructure and operations (inventory and management of external

expertise in the Data Centre); and a major project for the introduction of a

new Financial Management System;

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Section 4 on corporate governance in 2016, describes the role of the Audit

Panel in providing oversight of the risk and control processes administered

by management;

Section 5 contains the report's conclusion, which explains that in its 2016

assignments, Internal Audit continued to prioritise the assessment of the level

of overall compliance with the principle of sound financial management. It

also draws attention to the progressive lowering of the risk profile of the open

actions resulting from the 2016 transversal follow-up;

- heard Mr GALVIN, Internal Auditor, note that throughout 2016 his

independence was neither impaired nor compromised and thank the members of

the Audit Panel and the Secretary-General for their support and advice in 2016

and express his appreciation for the excellent cooperation afforded to the Internal

Audit by all authorising departments;

- heard Mr SASSOLI, Vice-President and member of the Audit Panel:

stress the reduction of 48 open actions from the beginning of 2016, out of

which 21 represented a significant risk, to currently 26 open actions, out of

which only 10 have a significant risk attached to them;

welcome the valuable, high quality and professional work done by the

Internal Audit;

point out that the synergy between Parliament’s Secretariat-General and the

Internal Auditor’s office has made it possible to achieve good results;

state that the Bureau has always been attentive to the Internal Audit’s

recommendations, such as, for instance, the reform of the reimbursement for

sponsored visitor groups from cash payments to bank transfer, and recall that

the new procedure is more accountable and transparent;

comment on the audit of the recruitment process for contract staff and suggest

to better inform the political groups about actions to be adopted and

implemented by them in the future;

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- heard Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO, Vice-President and member of the Audit Panel,

fully support Mr SASSOLI’s remarks, which largely reflected his own remark,

congratulate Mr GALVIN on the splendid report and thank Parliament’s

departments for the work;

- heard the Secretary-General point out the excellent services offered to the

Institution from Mr GALVIN from the crucial position of Internal Auditor and

recall that the Bureau had therefore decided last year to appoint him as Director

ad personam; further stress that the constant dialogue and the preparation of

action plans with the different Directorates-Generals have led to virtually no

comments by the Court of Auditors this year, as various problems have been

previously identified and cleared out by the Bureau before they turned up into

real problems;

- heard Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President, underline the need for quicker

recruitment procedures for contract staff, while at the same time respecting the

relevant rules, and suggest that political groups are involved in the consultation

process about the points contained in the relevant audit as most recruitment

procedures for contract staff concern the political groups;

- heard Mr MAŇKA, Quaestor, thank Mr GALVIN and his team for contributing

to that the whole administration works less costly and more efficient and

transparent, helping to make the right decisions and to push the administration

to make specific changes and improvements, and further suggest that the Internal

Auditor provides feedback on how the administration implements resolutions

adopted by the Plenary;

- heard Mr GALVIN, Internal Auditor,

thank the members of the Bureau for their generous appraisal of the work of

the Internal Audit;

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acknowledge that in the area of reducing the overall level of risk important

work was done by the departments after having agreed to action plans

proposed by the Internal Audit;

agree with Mr SASSOLI and Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-Presidents, on the

need to involve the political groups concerning the recruitment process for

contract staff, while pointing out that the audit in question was not directly

about the recruitment by political groups other than as a proposing entity; in

the course of this audit a specific issue was identified and it was agreed with

the two responsible services, DG FINS and DG PERS, to consult directly with

the political groups in order to arrive at an appropriate solution;

note that the political groups are outside of the scope of Parliament’s internal

rules and the Audit Charter, but nevertheless, as political groups are key

operational initiators of the recruitment of contract staff, there is an agreement

that the two DGs concerned should arrive at a solution in cooperation with

the political groups;

- heard the President thank the Internal Auditor for his Report;

- invited the President to forward the Report to the Committee on Budgetary

Control.

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From 20.02 hours in camera

5. Progress report on the implementation of additional security measures in the European

Parliament - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau, in camera,

- took note of a note from the Secretary-General entitled “Progress report on

security measures approved by the Bureau - Achievements and outlook”;

- heard the President introduce the matter at hand thanking Mr LIBERADZKI,

Vice-President responsible for security and Chair of the ad hoc working group

on security as well as all members of this working group and the responsible

Parliament services (DG SAFE) for their good work and continuous efforts,

further noting that security standards in the European Parliament had improved

significantly, nevertheless the alert level should remain high as danger was still

out there as was evident from recent incidents in Europe;

- heard Mr LIBERADZKI, Vice-President responsible for security and Chair of

the ad hoc working group on security, list in detail the security improvements

that have taken place on the Parliament premises in all its working places over

the last years, with special emphasis on the positive effects of the recent

internalisation of Parliament’s security service with the recruitment of well

trained, experienced and committed staff;

- held a wide ranging exchange of views with the participation of Mr WIELAND

and Mr SASSOLI, Vice-Presidents, and Mr MAŇKA, Quaestor, who

acknowledged the security improvements that have already taken place, while

noting the need for a more holistic approach to include cybersecurity,

Parliament’s premises outside its three working places, such as its Information

Offices, and to take account of any risks associated with recent building projects

in Parliament’s vicinity in Brussels and Strasbourg;

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- heard the Secretary-General note the important improvements regarding

Parliament’s security over the last years, while referring to some specific

outstanding issues, and stress that Parliament should not allow itself to become

complacent;

- heard the President wind-up the debate by noting overall agreement on the

significant security improvements over the last years, the need to remain vigilant

also in the future, and inviting Mr LIBERADZKI, Vice-President responsible,

to hold a special meeting on cybersecurity with Ms GEBHARDT and Mr

TELIČKA, Vice-Presidents and co-chairs of the working group on ICT.

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B. DECISIONS WITHOUT DEBATE

6. Review of the flat rate amounts for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in respect

of duty travel between Parliament’s three places of work for Accredited Parliamentary

Assistants - Implementing measures for Title VII of the conditions of employment of

other servants of the European Union, Bureau Decision of 14 April 2014 - Note from

the Secretary-General


- took note of the note dated 22 September 2017 from the Secretary-General,

entitled “Accredited parliamentary assistants - Review of the flat-rate amounts

for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in respect of duty travel between

Parliament’s three places of work” (PE 602.127/BUR, annexes and financial

statement);

- heard Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President, refer to an email sent before the

meeting from the APA Committee to all Bureau members and noting that all

staff categories have the same expenses while on mission, request an explanation

why the increase could not be adopted with retroactive effect from

September 2016 as demanded in plenary resolutions;

- heard the Secretary-General explain that a retroactive effect was not possible due

to budgetary constraints as these expenses were linked to the Members’

budgetary envelope and there was no room for manoeuvre for the year 2017 for

a lot of Members who already planned their budget;

- heard Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President, thank the Secretary-General for his

explanation and suggest that in this case maybe the Bureau could hold in a few

months’ time, based on a proposal from the Secretary-General, a more general

discussion on a number of issues linked with the APAs Statute (e.g. pensions)

considering that all staff categories were faced with the same expenses, for

instance, in Strasbourg;

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- heard Mr SASSOLI, Vice-President, express his full support for the proposal as

presented by the Secretary-General, agree with the indexation as from next year

and suggest to examine, if appropriate, further changes for the next legislative

period;

- heard Mr LIBERADZKI, Vice-President, note that the current proposal foresaw

a quite generous increase and such increases were often viewed skeptically in

the public;

- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, criticise the constant efforts to align the

rules for accredited parliamentary assistants to officials noting that the former

constituted a special category of the Staff Regulations; point out that a

retroactive implementation was not possible; underline that a further increase of

the ceilings would become possible only if the expenses for parliamentary

assistance were increased;

- heard Mr MAŇKA, Quaestor, point out that the proposal would currently not

lead to an increase in the overall spending of Parliament and underline his

support for the proposal of the Secretary-General; note that further

improvements in the statute of APAs would necessitate an increase in the budget

and that such a question was something to be possibly debated at a future point

in time;

- adopted the proposal on the review of the flat-rate amounts for the

reimbursement of all expenses, except travel expenses, incurred by accredited

parliamentary assistants in respect of their duty travel between Parliament’s

three places of work according to the linear approach;

- decided to set the flat-rate amounts as follows: EUR 137, EUR 160 and

EUR 183 with effect from 1 January 2018.

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7. Draft Programme of the Seminar on ‘The External Policies of the EU’ to take place in

the European Parliament in Brussels from 15.00 - 18.00 on 6 December 2017 - Letter

from Ms McGUINNESS, Vice-President responsible for Parliament’s dialogue with

churches, religions and philosophical organisations, foreseen under Article 17 TFEU

The Bureau, without debate,

- took note of the letter dated 25 September 2017 from Ms McGUINNESS, Vice-

President responsible for Parliament’s dialogue with churches, religions and

philosophical organisations, foreseen under Article 17 TFEU, submitting the

draft programme of the seminar on ‘The External Policies of the EU’, scheduled

to take place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 6 December 2017 from

15.00 - 18.00 (PE 610.438/BUR, annex and financial statement);

- took note of the draft programme for the planned seminar with representatives

of the religious and philosophical organisations;

- took note that a maximum of seven external guests from Europe will require

reimbursement of costs, in accordance with Article 4 of the Bureau rules on

public hearings, and that interpretation and reception costs are also included;

- approved the seminar and authorise the estimated budget of EUR 25 650 set

aside for it.

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8. Request for authorisation of STOA's Annual lecture 2017 taking place in the European

Parliament in Brussels on 21 November 2017 - Letter from Ms KAILI, Chair of the

STOA Panel


- took note of the letter dated 25 September 2017 from Ms KAILI, Chair of the

STOA Panel, requesting authorisation to hold its annual lecture 2017 in the

European Parliament in Brussels on 21 November 2017 (PE 610.469/BUR,

annex and financial statement);

- took note of the draft programme and speakers invited to STOA's 16th Annual

Lecture;

- took note that the cost of this event is estimated at EUR 23 925, including

interpretation, an official lunch and travel and accommodation costs of invited

speakers;

- authorised the holding of STOA's 16th Annual Lecture on the premises of the

European Parliament in Brussels on 21 November 2017, subject to the availability

of the room, and the related budget thereof.

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9. Closure of accounts of the European political parties and foundations for 2016 - Note from

the Secretary-General


- took note of the note dated 22 September 2017 from the Secretary-General on

the “Closure of accounts of the European political parties and foundations for

2016” (PE 610.470/BUR and annexes);

- took note of the analysis and remarks made by the authorising officer by

delegation;

- approved the final reports and the financial statements of the 28 beneficiaries,

taking into account the adjustments proposed;

- determined the amount of the final grants as indicated in Annex 1 to this note

and require the authorising officer by delegation to pay or recover the relevant

amounts;

- corrected the amount of the final grant for the financial year 2015 in case of one

political party at European level;

- decided the initiation of the termination procedure of the grants to ADDE and

IDDE for the financial year 2016 pursuant to Article II.9.2(c) of the grant award

decision;

- instructed the Secretary-General to inform the political parties and political

foundations at European level of these decisions.

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10. Report on the use of the interpretation services in 2015 and 2016 - Note from the

Secretary-General


- took note of the note from the Secretary-General on the report on the use of the

interpretation services in 2015 and 2016, within the framework of the Code of

Conduct on Multilingualism (PE 610.471/BUR);

- heard Ms GEBHARDT, Vice-President, enquire about the consultation of the

Staff Committee on the new working conditions for interpreters and stress that

working conditions should not be changed without a consensus with the staff

concerned; enquire whether it was possible to simply change them now with a

decision by the Secretary-General; demand that such decisions be made in

consensus with the staff concerned;

- heard the President state that he had himself met the representatives of the

interpreters, listened to their arguments and offered them a transitional phase of

three months during which there would be an assessment of the new system and

its possible health impact, with the involvement of the medical service; inform

the members of the Bureau that the compromise suggested by him had been

rejected by the representatives of the interpreters; note that there was a difference

between interpreters who were EP officials and external interpreters (free

lancers);

- heard the Secretary-General inform the meeting that the working conditions of

interpreters were being discussed already since 2013 and explain that a

multilingual international institution like the European Parliament, with 24

official languages, was a very ambitious project, which necessitated a very

efficient organisation if it was to work properly; inform members of the Bureau

that a screening conducted two years ago showed that there was a wide gap

between interpreters, with some working 6 and others up to 16 hours in the booth

per week; state that some of the inefficiencies and wrong incentives in the system

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had already been corrected by management decisions; point out that the system

of two slots of 3,5 hours per day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, did

not reflect working reality for Members anymore as meetings had become

shorter and more meetings (such as trilogues or coordinators meetings) were

scheduled during lunch-time or later in the evening; point out that the maximum

number of hours in the booth per day had been increased from 7 to 7,5 hours a

day with a maximum of 8 hours six time a month. The comparable figure in the

European Commission was 10 hours. The average weekly working time in the

booth still would reach only 14 to 15 hours per week on average, with three

interpreters staying in each booth and effectively sharing the work; underline

that there had been a continuous social dialogue with the representatives of the

interpreters for more than three years who had not delegated this dialogue to the

Staff Committee and that three proposals to find an agreement with the

interpreters had been refused by them as well as the proposal of the President.

The responsible Vice-President PAŞCU was permanently informed. The

Secretary-General is the responsible Appointing Authority for decisions on

working time. A consent of the interpreters is legally not necessary and proved

impossible to achieve in practice. The former working conditions of 2006 were

also decided by the Secretary-General, the Bureau received the decision for

information. The Medical Service has no information that interpreter’s health

represents a special risk.

- heard Mr PAŞCU, Vice-President with responsibility for multilingualism, fully

support the Secretary-General’s approach; inform the meeting that he was fully

involved in the dialogue with the interpreters and point out that repeated attempts

to find an agreement with them during the last 3.5 years had failed due to the

lack of any constructive approach from the interpreters; stress in particular that

actually an agreement had been found with the negotiators of the interpreters,

which, however, was then rejected by the latters’ general assembly, which also

dismissed the negotiators, and enquire how it was possible to agree with

somebody who disagreed with everything without making any constructive

proposals; finally stating that rapid technological change in this area will have a

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considerable impact in the mid-term and could even replace interpretation

services in their current form;

- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, express his great empathy for

multilingualism but note that work in Parliament had become more intense and

flexible for everyone in Parliament in the last years and all staff had to adapt

accordingly; deplores the misuse of leave arrangements by some interpreters in

the past; declare his full support for the proposal of the Secretary-General;

- heard Mr KARSKI, Quaestor, state that it was always preferable to have an

agreement but if such an agreement was not possible it was up to the employer

to decide about more efficient working conditions, not the Bureau as a political

organ; express his full support for the decision of the Secretary-General; point

out that working at the European Parliament is not forced labour. Also, the

European Parliament does not employ all interpreters operating in Europe.

Therefore, if any of the current European Parliament interpreters are not happy

with the conditions of work it will result in inevitable personnel movements.

Some interpreters will leave voluntarily, and others will come to work;

- heard Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President, underline the importance of social

dialogue and express his disagreement with a sort of “decide and order”

approach; request to support the proposal from the President for a three-month

health assessment period in order to keep the window open for a possible

solution;

- heard Mr CZARNECKI, Vice-President, state that the positions were not

converging; underline that the situation was not ideal, but that he was in favor of

dialogue;

- heard Mr TELIČKA, Vice-President, declare his full support to the proposal

presented by the President and the Secretary-General;

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- heard the President underline that he had the highest respect for interpreters as

his father had worked as an interpreter for the Italian military; point out that his

offer for a transitional phase with the cooperation of the medical service

concerning the health aspects was still on the table; state his highest respect for

the work of the Secretary-General and Mr PAŞCU, Vice-President responsible;

- requested the Secretary-General to seek continuous efforts in the implementation

of the Resource Efficient Full Multilingualism in Interpretation.

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Committee missions within the EU, Candidate countries and the EEA countries

11. Request for authorisation of a two-Member STOA mission to attend INNOVEIT, 16-17

October 2017 in Budapest


- took note of the letter dated 5 September 2017 from Ms KAILI, Chair of the

STOA Panel, requesting authorisation to send a two-Member STOA mission,

composed of herself and Mr RÜBIG, Member and first STOA Vice-President,

to attend INNOVEIT on 16-17 October 2017 in Budapest (PE 610.439/BUR,

annex and financial statement);

- noted that the dates concerned, which have been fixed by the organisers of the

event, coincide with two days set aside for committee/group activities;

- noted that no interpretation will be needed and that the estimated cost for the two

Members concerned will amount to EUR 4 399;

- authorised the STOA mission to Budapest on 16-17 October 2017, including

journey times.

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Public Hearings

12. Request from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) for authorisation to hold a

joint public hearing on ‘The European Protection Order’ to be held on 12 October 2017 in

Brussels - Letter from Mr MORAES and Ms BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Chairs of the respective

Committees concerned


- took note of the letter dated 7 September 2017, co-signed by Mr MORAES,

Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and

Ms BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender

Equality (FEMM), requesting authorisation to hold a joint public hearing on

‘The European Protection Order’ to be held on 12 October 2017 in Brussels

(PE 610.440/BUR and financial statement);

- took note of the letter dated 13 September 2017 from Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair

of the Conference of Committee Chairs, providing a competence clearance for

this hearing (PE 610.440/BUR/ANN);

- took note that, as the requested hearing is not included in the programme of

committees’ public hearings for the second half of 2017, approved by the Bureau

on 15 May 2017, it requires a specific individual authorisation under Article 3(3)

of the applicable Rules;

- took note that the requested hearing is expected to take place on a date and time

set aside for meetings of the LIBE Committee and that reimbursement of travel

and subsistence expenses for two invited guests will take place within LIBE’s

and FEMM’s respective 2017 quotas (one guest per committee);

- granted the authorisation on the understanding that the LIBE and FEMM

Committees will remain within their 2017 quota of sixteen paid guests each, as,

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beyond this ceiling, guests cannot be reimbursed;

- invited the LIBE and FEMM Committees, pursuant to Article 5 of the applicable

Rules, to notify the President, prior to the hearing, of the final programme and

whether the invited guests comply with the registration requirements of the

Transparency Register, as required by Article 7 of the applicable Rules.

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Requests for authorisation to use the Esplanade Solidarność 1980

13. Request for the use of the Esplanade “Solidarność” from 4 to 8 December 2017 to install

a wooden cottage to celebrate 100 years of independence of Finland - Letter from Mr

TORVALDS, Vice-Chair of the ALDE Group


- took note of the request dated 13 July 2017 from Mr TORVALDS, Vice-Chair

of the ALDE Group, requesting authorisation to use the Esplanade ‘Solidarność

1980’ from 4 to 8 December 2017 to install a wooden cottage to celebrate 100

years of independence of Finland;

- took note that the aim of the event is to celebrate the 100 years of independence

by highlighting the value of log, a typical Finnish construction material, as one

of the best solutions in terms of atmospheric carbon balance, and to showcase

sustainable handicraft from Finland;

- took note that the ALDE Group has supplied information about the dimensions

and other specifications of the cottage, as well as the logistical needs;

- took note that the request emanates from a political group, thus fulfilling the

requirements of the applicable rules for the use of the Esplanade Solidarność

1980;

- recalled that, in accordance with Article 5 of the applicable rules, any such

request must be submitted for approval at least four months in advance, and that

the request at hand has been submitted approximately five months prior to the

event;

- took note that the Esplanade ‘Solidarność 1980’ is available on the requested

dates;

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- took note of a recommendation from Mr WIELAND, Vice-President responsible

for relations with the Belgian authorities, dated 28 September 2017, in which he

recommends to grant the request, on condition that:

all parties concerned, and especially the organisers, pay particular attention

to the prevention and mitigation measures that have been proposed by DG

SAFE to reduce the security risk;

Parliament’s services shall follow up appropriately in order to facilitate the

event and its security. This includes liaising with the organisers and the

relevant public authorities. They shall also closely monitor the set-up,

dismantling and the event itself, in order to be able to react if necessary;

the organisers understand and accept that changes to the event might be

requested and that the opinion of the Parliament and final authorisation by

the Borough of Ixelles may be revoked if justified by changes to the

security context, or if the organisers fail to implement the necessary

security measures;

- took note of the fact that a favourable recommendation has been issued by

DG SAFE.

- in the light of the favourable recommendations, granted the authorisation as

requested, on the understanding that the conditions suggested by Mr WIELAND,

Vice-President responsible, are met by the organisers and all parties involved in

the event.

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14. Urgent matters and any other business

14.1. Sanitary facilities on Parliaments’ premises in Brussels

The Bureau,

- heard Mr CZARNECKI ask for an update on the supply of hot water on

Parliament’s premises in Brussels;

- heard the Secretary-General explain that as, agreed previously in the Bureau and

the Quaestors, the supply of hot water had been cut-off due to health concerns

as the rare use of showers in the Members’ offices facilitated the creation of

legionella bacteria; inform the meeting of a proposal to be submitted shortly to

the Quaestors, including the possibility to set up separate showers with hot water

close to the Members’ offices;

- took note of the information provided.

14.2. Date for European Parliament elections 2019

The Bureau,

- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, reiterate his request that the date of the

European elections in 2019 be decided by the European Council as soon as

possible, in order to allow Parliament to adapt its own calendar accordingly;

- heard the President agree with this request and inform the meeting that the Head

of his Private Office would take up this matter with the Office of the President

of the European Council.

14.3. Guide on Parliaments’ architecture and art exhibition

The Bureau,

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- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, present a proposal from Mr FERBER,

Member, to find partners, without Parliament incurring significant costs, for

publishing a guide on the architecture of, and works of art in, various Parliament

buildings; the guide could, for instance, be sold in the souvenir shops of

Parliament and the House of European History;

- took note of the proposal and agreed to ask the responsible services to examine

its feasibility.

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15. Items for information

The Bureau,

- noted the following documents:

Interinstitutional mail

External mail

Internal mail

- European Parliament Resolution of 5 April 2017 on Parliament’s estimates of

revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018, Section I - Parliament

(2017/2022(BUD)) - Note from the Secretary-General (PE 610.484/BUR).

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16. Date and place of next meeting

The Bureau,

- decided to hold its next extraordinary meeting on 9 and 10 October 2017 in

the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches, France.

*

* *

The meeting closed at 20.30 hours.

*

* *

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