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Doc. 9014
3 April 2001
Expenditure of the Assembly for the financial year 2002
Report
Committee on Economic Affairs and Development
Rapporteur: Mr Björn von der Esch, Sweden, Group of the European People’s Party
I. Draft opinion
1. The adoption of Resolution 1220 (2000) on the reform of the Assembly’s working methods and its committee structure bore witness to the Assembly’s ongoing effort to achieve rationalisation and better use of its limited resources. It is therefore all the more regrettable that the Committee of Ministers did not meet the Assembly’s budgetary requests for 2001, as set out in its Opinion No. 219 (2000), in particular as regards its modest staffing proposals. In addition, the principle of zero real budgetary growth, which it is now suggested should again be applied in 2002, offers the prospect of reducing even more seriously its capacity to function efficiently in the medium term and pursue its main political objectives, which are the consolidation of democratic institutions, respect for human rights and freedoms and the rule of law in all member states.
2. The Assembly regards it as essential that the Council of Europe, which is the broadest-based European organisation, should be able fully to perform its role as guarantor of democratic security and stability on the continent, and believes that this mission justifies a weightier financial commitment from its member states.
3. The Assembly encourages the Committee of Ministers to study measures that would make it possible, where necessary, to provide assistance to the most disadvantaged countries whose own financial resources alone do not enable them to play an active part in the work of the Organisation. It therefore does not believe that the Committee of Ministers should use new accessions in order to reduce further the contributions of states which are already members.
4. The Assembly’s total budget estimates for 2002 represent an increase of some € 138.500 (less than 1%) in real terms over its 2001 appropriations. In view of the modesty of these estimates in comparison with the Council of Europe’s general budget, the Assembly is convinced that they can easily be met by the Committee of Ministers. If, however, the eventual allocations were insufficient, the Assembly would be obliged to present additional budgetary proposals to the Committee of Ministers in 2002, a possibility envisaged in Article 38d of the Council of Europe Statute.
5. The Assembly, given its major responsibility of completing the enlargement process in the years to come, needs to be given human and financial resources tailored to a future defined by the needs of its enlarging membership and by the goals set by the Second Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government.
6. Fully sharing the Committee of Ministers’ renewed emphasis on the need for a higher profile in the Organisation’s work, the Assembly wishes to develop further its interparliamentary co-operation and other external relations, as well as its communication policy, by making the fullest use of new possibilities opened up in the media field through technological developments. This would make the Assembly’s activities, public documents and information material more accessible to the general public, governments, parliaments and other institutions.
7. The enlargement process has also greatly affected the functioning of the Assembly’s five political groups. In view of the growth in membership of each political group as a result of enlargement, and considering also their increased role in the Assembly’s life, their secretarial and financial resources, which have not been raised since 1997, should now be increased in a way that also fully covers the financial deficit so far incurred.
Appended to this opinion are :
i. a table of requested increases for 2002 compared with the appropriations for 2001;
ii. brief explanations for the proposed changes.
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VOTE III of the ordinary budget – Expenditure of the Assembly TITRE III du budget ordinaire – Dépenses relatives à l’Assemblée |
Appropriations for 2001 Crédits ouverts au budget de 2001 EUROS |
Changes in real terms proposed for 2002 Modifications en termes réels proposées pour 2002 EUROS |
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HEAD 3.1 – Staff CHAPITRE 3.1 – Dépenses de personnel Sub-heads/Articles 30101 – Salary, allowances and social charges of the Secretary General of the Assembly Rémunération, indemnités et charges sociales du Secrétaire Général de l'Assemblée 30102 – Remuneration of staff recruited on established posts Rémunération du personnel recruté sur le cadre des emplois permanents 30103 – Recruitment, arrival and departure expenses – Home leave Frais de recrutement à l’arrivée et au départ – congé dans le pays d’origine 30104 – Overtime – statutory and other allowances Heures supplémentaires – indemnités statutaires et autres 30105 – Remuneration and accessory charges of temporary staff Rémunération et charges accessoires du personnel temporaire 30106 – Provision for adjustment to remuneration Provision pour ajustements de la rémunération 30107 – Secondment of national civil servants to the Assembly Fonctionnaires nationaux mis à disposition de l’Assemblée TOTAL HEAD 3.1 TOTAL DU CHAPITRE 3.1 |
166 800 6 311 500 61 000 21 300 1 502 200 p.m. 61 000 8 123 800 |
35 000 35 000 |
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HEAD 3.2 – Allocation to the Assembly’s political groups CHAPITRE 3.2 – Dotation des groupes politiques de l’Assemblée 30201 – Allocation to the Assembly’s political groups Dotation des groupes politiques de l’Assemblée TOTAL HEAD 3.2 TOTAL DU CHAPITRE 3.2 |
614 400 614 400 |
53 500 53 500 |
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HEAD 3.3 – Supplies, services and other operational expenditure CHAPITRE 3.3 – Dépenses de matériel et autres dépenses de fonctionnement Sub-heads/Articles 30301 – Publishing and printing Publications et impressions………………………………………………. 30302 – Interpretation Interprétation…..……………….………………………………………. 30303 – Translation Traduction………………..……………………………………………. 30304 – Official expenses of the President of the Assembly Frais de fonction du Président de l’Assemblée…………………………... 30305 – Expenditure pertaining to the Private Office of the President of the Assembly / Dépenses du Cabinet du Président de l’Assemblée………… 30306 – Representational expenditure, other official expenditure and travelling expenses of members of the Assembly / Dépenses de représentation, frais de fonction et de déplacement des Membres de l’Assemblée…… 30307 – Official journeys Frais de missions…………………………………………………………. 30308 – Expenses for inviting guests of the Parliamentary Assembly Dépenses d’accueil des invites de l’Assemblée parlementaire…………... 30309 – Consultation of experts Consultation d’experts…………………………………………………... 30310 – Organisation of ad hoc conferences Organisation de conférences ad hoc……………………………………... 30311 – Grant to the International Institute for Democracy Dotation à l’Institut International pour la Démocratie…………………… 30312 – Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this vote Autres dépenses non spécialement prévues au présent titre……………... 30313 – Modernisation of the Assembly’s equipment Modernisation de l’équipement de l’Assemblée………………………… 30314 – European prizes Prix européens……………………………………………………………. 30315 – Operating and maintenance costs of the electronic voting system Coûts de maintenance et d’exploitation du vote électronique…………… 30316 – Co-operation and monitoring programme Programme de coopération et du suivi des engagements ……………….. TOTAL HEAD 3.3 TOTAL DU CHAPITRE 3.3……………………………………………. TOTAL VOTE III TOTAL DU TITRE III……...…………………………………………………. |
990 400
1 848 700 1 028 200 84 500 78 900 205 100 268 300 189 900 76 200 137 200 38 100 50 300 p.m. 61 000 36 300 762 200 5 855 300 14 593 500 |
50 000 50 000 138 500 |
VOTE III — EXPENDITURE OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
HEAD 3.1 — STAFF
Sub-head 30101 — Salary, allowances and social charges of the Secretary General of the Assembly
The 2002 appropriations under this sub-head should be maintained at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
Sub-head 30102 — Remuneration of staff recruited on established posts
This appropriation covers the basic salaries, allowances (both non-recurring and periodic) and social insurance of the permanent staff of the Secretariat of the Assembly, which comprises 75 posts.
Following the adoption of its Resolution 1220 (2000) on the reform of the Assembly’s working methods and committee structure, the Assembly in January 2001 completed its reform process, thereby modifying both its internal functioning and the structure of its Secretariat. The restructuring has increased the tasks and responsibilities of several staff members of the Secretariat, as a result of wider terms of reference of the new Assembly committees they serve. Against this background the Rapporteur believes it would be sensible to harmonise the internal administrative structure and to upgrade the posts which are directly concerned by the restructuring.
In this context, the Rapporteur wishes to point out that in 2001 the Assembly asked for 1 upgrading from B5 to B6, 3 upgradings from B3 to B4 and 2 upgradings from B2 to B3. At the time of writing, no final decision on these proposed staffing changes has been taken.
The staffing changes for 2002 would be limited to three A-4 grade staff members. One upgrading from A4 to A5 could become available with the departure of one member of the Assembly Secretariat expected in late 2001, while the other two could be financed within the Assembly’s budget by internal transfer of appropriations, thereby making these upgradings budgetarily neutral.
Sub-head 30103 — Recruitment, arrival and departure expenses — Home leave
Sub-head 30104 — Overtime — Statutory and other allowances
The 2002 appropriations under sub-heads 30103 and 30104 should be kept at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
Sub-head 30105 — Remuneration and accessory charges of temporary staff
In recent years, the workload of the English verbatim team has increased significantly. Statistics show that English is the predominant language in a wide range of debates, representing more than 70 percent of the Assembly’s total proceedings. Along with the steady rise of the verbatim duties in spoken English there has come an increase in the number of English speeches to be recorded in full and printed. Furthermore, the number of undelivered speeches handed in for reproduction has risen, involving considerable editing. This has placed an additional strain on the verbatim editor and the latter’s limited and over-stretched team. The recruitment of two additional staff members is therefore requested.
Similarly, the French summary team, working hand in hand with the English verbatim one, has to prepare an increasing number of summaries for speeches delivered in English and in other languages. Moreover, the French summary team provides journalists with a complete French summary of all speeches delivered. It would therefore be desirable to recruit two additional staff members for the French summary team.
The total cost of this proposed additional recruitment of temporary staff during sessions would be
€ 35.000.
Sub-head 30106 — Provision for adjustments to remuneration - p.m.
Sub-head 30107 — Secondment of national civil servants to the Assembly
The 2002 appropriation under sub-head 30107 should be kept at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
HEAD 3.2 - ALLOCATION TO THE ASSEMBLY’S POLITICAL GROUPS
Sub-head 30201 — Allocation to the Assembly's political groups
The Assembly’s political groups play an increasingly important role in the life of the Assembly. This role has been crucial in enabling the Assembly to maintain its operational capacity and organisational efficiency following enlargement. However, if political groups are to be able to play their full role, they need to be adequately staffed in terms of both level and number. In the medium term, a gradual increase over several financial years should be aimed for, allowing each group to recruit one administrative officer and one secretarial assistant. It is therefore imperative to increase the financial resources of the five political groups.
The allocation to the political groups is calculated on the basis of a lump sum for secretarial assistance to each of the existing groups and an additional per capita allocation according to membership. Appropriations for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 amounted to 614.400 euros. Each group received a fixed allowance of some 27.440 euros and an additional per capita allowance (some 820 euros per member).
In its Opinions No. 206 (1998), No. 212 (1999) and No. 219 (2000), the Assembly asked for a modest increase of around 10.700 euros per group (53.500 euros in all) to cover the cost of one half-time administrative officer. However, this request was not granted. For 2002, an increase of 10.700 euros in the fixed allowance of each group is once again requested. The total increase requested is therefore € 53.500 (5 x 10.700 euros), the intention being to have this lump-sum allocation for secretarial services gradually built up over the coming years.
It should also be borne in mind that, along with the increased Assembly membership (Georgia 25 April 1999, Armenia and Azerbaijan 25 January 2001) there has been a parallel increase in the number of members that are not affiliated to any existing political group. Proposals for the possible creation of new political groups cannot therefore be ruled out. It is obvious that the existing appropriations under this sub-head would need to be revised accordingly were this to happen.
HEAD 3.3 — SUPPLIES, SERVICES AND OTHER OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE
Since 1975 the appropriations under this head have been voted as a lump sum (budgetary package). The various sub-amounts may subsequently be altered in accordance with Article 31 of the Financial Regulations. Head 3.3. includes all operational expenditure of the Assembly, i.e. co-operation and monitoring programmes, publications, interpretation, translation, official journeys, experts, conferences, European prizes, etc.
In the light of the Committee of Ministers’ renewed emphasis on raising the profile of the Organisation, the Assembly has decided to ask for an additional € 50.000 to enhance the Assembly’s public image through the launching of new initiatives aimed at developing further its interparliamentary co-operation, external relations and communication. This set of activities will focus on three elements: firstly, to further deepen cooperation with national parliaments and other European and international institutions; secondly, to ensure more efficient follow-up to the Assembly’s decisions, essential for increasing its credibility in member states; and, thirdly, to make the Assembly’s work more visible and accessible to the public at large. These tasks include furthering contacts with journalists and the media as well as working in close co-operation with the Media and Press Division of the Communications and Research Directorate. One future project of the Assembly’s communication unit consists in launching its magazine “The Europeans” not only on its website but also on parliamentary TV channels. Other direct expenditure includes subscriptions to news and media monitoring agencies, invitations to journalists, press conferences and briefings, improvements to the Assembly’s website and the updating of Assembly publications.
II. Explanatory memorandum by the Rapporteur
1. The purpose of this report is to analyse Vote III of the Council of Europe’s ordinary budget, in particular the appropriations allocated to the Assembly to cover staff expenditure, the costs associated with the functioning of political groups, supplies, services and other operational outlays, as well as the financing of the Organisation's interparliamentary co-operation programme. This focussing inevitably means that the common services of the Council of Europe, which form an integral part of the Assembly’s operations, are not discussed.
2. The Rapporteur therefore concentrates on proposals for the Assembly’s appropriations for the year 2002, in compliance with existing budgetary procedures. The requests, once approved by the Assembly, will be transmitted in the form of an Opinion to the Committee of Ministers.
3. The Rapporteur emphasises that, in formulating his requests, he has paid careful consideration to the economic, social and budgetary situation in Council of Europe member states. Although several European countries are currently going through periods of austerity, it is nevertheless important that the Assembly should be in a position to fulfil its new and growing tasks and responsibilities without undue financial limitations.
4. In order to reach a compromise between these two conflicting factors, the Rapporteur considers it necessary to identify the Assembly’s priorities, viz:
a. to consolidate and increase the resources the Assembly needs in order to contribute more effectively - through monitoring, dialogue, co-operation, training and legislative assistance - to fostering pluralist democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and freedoms throughout the member states; and
b. to adjust the staffing and administrative structure of the Secretariat of the Assembly in order to meet the growing demands arising from the Organisation’s wider geographical scope and from the increase in the Assembly’s responsibilities in terms both of quality and of quantity.
5. The Assembly, being aware of the budgetary difficulties facing several member states, has put forward budgetary proposals which are very modest when compared with the Council of Europe's general budget. The budgetary difficulties, though real and tangible, should not be allowed to jeopardise the functioning of the Organisation’s parliamentary organ acting in the interests of all member states, especially when it comes to fostering parliamentary democracy, political pluralism and respect for human rights.
6. The Assembly’s requests for the year 2002 represent a limited increase of around € 138.500 over the appropriations allocated to the Assembly in 2001. The Rapporteur believes the increase to be well within the capacity of the Organisation’s budgetary authorities. His opinion has been drawn up in a spirit of realism and in the expectation that the Assembly’s point of view will be fully shared by the Committee of Ministers.
Reporting committee: Committee on Economic Affairs and Development.
Reference to committee: standing mandate
Draft opinion unanimously adopted by the committee on 28 March 2001.
Members of the committee: Mrs Zapfl-Helbing (Chairperson), Stepova, Kirilov, Blaauw (Alternate: Duivesteijn) (Vice-Chairpersons), Adam, Agius, Agramunt (Alternate: Yanez-Barnuevo), Akgönenç, Aleffi (Alternate: Lauricella), Aliyev, Andersen, Anusz, Arnau, Aylward (Alternate: Higgins), Berceanu, Billing, Blattmann, Bojars, Bonet Casas, Braun, Brunhart, Budisa (Alternate: Bulic), Burbiené, Calner, Cerrahoglu, Clinton-Davis, Cunliffe (Alternate: Etherington), Cusimano (Alternate: Turini), Dokle, Elo, Eyskens (Alternate: Annemans), Freyberg, Gryzlov (Alternate: Slutsky), Gülek, Gusenbauer, Haupert, Hoffmann, Hrebenciuc, Jung, Kacin, Kestelijn-Sierens, Kittis, Kosakivsky, Leers, Liapis, Lopes Cardona, Lotz, Makhachev, Mateju, Mitterrand, Naumov (Alternate: Kolesnikov), Patarkalishvili, Pereira Coelho (Alternate: Cesário), Ponsonby, Popa, Popescu (Alternate: Poroshenko), Popovski, Prokes, Puche, Ragnarsdottir, Reimann (Alternate: Marty), Riccardi, Rigo, Schmitz, Schoettel-Delacher, Schreiner, Schütz, Seyidov, Squarcialupi, Stoyanova, Suslov, Tallo, Townend, Tsekouras, Ustiugov, Valleix; Wielowieyski.
N.B. The names of those members present at the meeting are printed in italics.
Secretaries of the committee: MM. Torbiörn, Bertozzi, Ms Ramanauskaite.