PV BUR. 03.07.2017 PE-8/BUR/PV/2017-7
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
B U R E A U
MINUTES
of the meeting of
03-07-2017
Louise Weiss Building - Room R1.1.
- - -
Strasbourg
PV\1134305EN.docx PE 605.796/BUR/rev2
EN United in diversity EN PV BUR. 03.07.2017
BUREAU
MINUTES
of the meeting of Monday, 3 July 2017 from 19:00 to 21:00 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 12 June 2017...... 8 3. Communications by the President ...... 9 3.1. European Ceremony of Honour for Helmut Kohl...... 9 3.2. Tribute to Simone VEIL...... 10 3.3. President's visit to Luxembourg ...... 10 3.4. Birthday of the Secretary-General ...... 11 4. European Youth Event 2018 - new date and first draft programme - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 12 5. Progress of work on Parliament's seminar rooms for visitors' groups in the Atrium Building, Stage Two - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 14 6. Paris - Information Office - Results of the property market survey and selection of a building. Authorisation to negotiate the terms of the lease - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 17 7.1. Defects discovered in the Louise Weiss Building in Strasbourg - Negotiating procedure - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 20 7.2. Event held on the Esplanade ...... 22 8. 2018 Open Days of the European Parliament and Europe Day festivities in Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 24 9. Improved Bicycle Service for Members and staff - Proposal for a new Bureau Decision - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 25 10. Closure of accounts of the political groups for 2016 - Note from the Secretary- General ...... 26 11. Statement of assurance (DAS) 2016 – Parliament's replies to the observations of the Court of Auditors - Note from the Secretary-General...... 27 12. Request from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) for authorisation to send a mission to Croatia, from 19 to 21 September 2017 - Letter
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from Mr SIEKIERSKI, Chair of the Committee concerned...... 28 13. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) for authorisation to send a fact-finding mission to Ljubljana, Slovenia and to Zagreb, Croatia, from 19 to 21 September 2017 - Letter from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee concerned...... 29 14. Request for authorisation of a mission for the STOA Chair to attend the award ceremony of the STARTS Prize in Linz, Austria on 8 September 2017 - Letter from Ms KAILI, Chair of the STOA panel ...... 30 15. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) for authorisation to hold a public hearing on the ‘Protection of workers from carcinogens or mutagens’ to be held on 13 July 2017 in Brussels - Letter from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee concerned - Letter from Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs ...... 31 16. Request from the Committee on Development (DEVE) and the Committee on International Trade (INTA) for authorisation to hold a joint public hearing on ‘The revision of the EU Strategy on Aid for Trade’ to be held on 31 August 2017 in Brussels - Letter from Ms McAVAN and Mr LANGE, Chairs of the respective Committees concerned ...... 33 17. Request from the Business School ESCP Europe (in partnership with the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA)) to use the Chamber of the European Parliament in Brussels as well as several other meeting rooms on 30 and 31 October 2017 for the organisation of the seminar Start@europe - Letter from Mr BOURNOIS, Director General of the ESCP Europe ...... 34 18. Urgent matters and any other business...... 37 18.1. Recent global cyber-attack ...... 37 18.2. Events organised by Members inside the European Parliament ...... 37 19. Items for information ...... 38 20. Date and place of next meeting ...... 39
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BUREAU
MINUTES
of the meeting of Monday, 3 July 2017
Strasbourg
Mr Antonio TAJANI, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 19.01 hours. Present
Antonio TAJANI, President*
Vice-Presidents Excused Ms McGUINNESS* Ms GÁLL-PELCZ Mr LIBERADZKI Mr LAMBSDORFF Mr SASSOLI* Mr WIELAND* Ms GUILLAUME* Mr CZARNECKI* Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO* Ms GEBHARDT* Mr PAŞCU* Mr TELIČKA* Mr PAPADIMOULIS* Ms LUNACEK*
Quaestors Excused Ms MORIN-CHARTIER* Ms BEARDER Mr KOVATCHEV* Mr MAŇKA* Mr KARSKI
Also Present Mr WELLE, Secretary-General* Mr WINKLER, Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General DG PRES*
* present for Items 7.1 and 7.2 in camera
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List of officials present at the meeting:
Private Office of the President Mr CHIOCCHETTI* Mr CAPOGROSSO* Mr DE MENDOZA ASENSI*
Private Office of the Secretary-General Mr MANGOLD* Mr SORENSEN Mr DEBIÉ Ms ALTENBERG** Mr MARTINELLI
Private Office of the Deputy Secretary-General Mr JAVELLE
Secretariat DG Internal Policies (IPOL) Mr RIBERA d’ALCALA DG External Policies (EXPO) Mr AGUIRIANO DG Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) Mr TEASDALE DG Information (COMM) Mr DUCH-GUILLOT*/ Ms VAN DEN BROEKE DG Personnel (PERS) Mr KNUDSEN DG Infrastructure and Logistics (INLO) Ms LINNUS** / Mr LA CROIX** / Mr PESESSE** 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 CAROZZA Legal Service Mr DREXLER, Juriconsult* Conference of President's Secretariat Ms WOLLNY
* present for Items 7.1 and 7.2 in camera ** present for Item 7.1 in camera
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Political group secretariats Mr ROIG LINANA (EPP) Mr HORNAK (S&D) Mr SMITH (ECR) Ms BOVEINGTON-FAURAN (ALDE) Mr KONTONIS (GUE/NGL) Mr PITTARELLO (EFDD) Mr CAMPOMENOSI (ENF) Mr GLASER (Non-attached Members)
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 Mr LEMANCZYK Ms GEBHARDT Mr KYRIAKAKI Mr TELIČKA Mr VINTILA Mr PAŞCU Mr ALATOPOULOS Mr PAPADIMOULIS Ms ROSENBERG Ms LUNACEK Mr KLEEMANN Mr LAMBSDORFF Mr RICHARD Ms MORIN-CHARTIER Mr IVANOV Mr KOVATCHEV Ms KUCHTIKOVA Mr MAŇKA Ms KONTÁR Ms BEARDER Mr SKOCZEK Mr KARSKI
Mr TZIORKAS*, Ms MORGADO, Mr ADLER and Mr PETERS acted as secretary to the meeting.
* present for Items 7.1 and 7.2 in camera
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1. Adoption of draft agenda
The Bureau,
- noted the draft agenda and adopted it as shown in these minutes (PE 605.794/BUR).
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2. Adoption of the Minutes of the meeting of 12 June 2017
The Bureau,
- approved the Minutes of the Bureau meeting of 12 June 2017 held in Strasbourg (PE 602.273/BUR).
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3. Communications by the President
3.1. European Ceremony of Honour for Helmut Kohl
The Bureau,
- heard the President underline that Helmut Kohl who passed away on 16 June at the age of 87 had been a great figure in the European history; further highlight the key role of the European Parliament as host to the European Ceremony of Honour on Saturday 1 July 2017 in Strasbourg, which had been attended by leaders and other representatives of the political, intellectual and cultural life from all over the world; emphasise that despite a noticeable eurosceptism and without denying the need for changes to the European Union this occasion had shown once again that Europe was the only way forward;
- heard the President express his heartfelt thanks to all members of the Bureau, to the Secretary-General, to the Deputy Secretary-General and to all staff involved from all Directorates-General for their excellent work in preparing such a challenging event at such a short notice; stress that the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation had demonstrated the capability of the European public service; report that he had received a lot of positive feedback for the ceremony from participants from all over Europe and the world;
- heard Ms McGUINNESS, Vice-President, concur with the comments made by the President and thank him for his leadership in ensuring the success of such an important and moving event;
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President, praise the work done by the Parliament and the other institutions in organising the ceremony at such short notice and without any blueprint; emphasise the important symbolism of the participation of soldiers of the Eurocorps and the Strasbourg University Orchestra; point out that the ceremony had successfully created a European public; suggest that arrangements be drawn up for future similar events that regulated attendance by Members and Parliament office-holders at such events;
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- heard Ms GEBHARDT, Vice-President, praise the successful, dignified and well-organised ceremony which had served as a symbol for the European idea.
3.2. Tribute to Simone VEIL
The Bureau,
- heard the President inform the meeting of the sad news that Simone VEIL, President of the first directly-elected European Parliament and the first woman President of any EU institution, passed away on 30 June 2017; a tribute was planned for the day after, Tuesday 4 July 2017, at 12.00, in the hemicycle; the tribute would start with his own speech in honour of Simone VEIL, followed by a short video showing some of the important moments of her life and work; Mr VERHOFSTADT, leader of the Liberal group, of which she was a leader, would then take the floor; the European anthem would conclude the tribute;
- heard the President also inform the meeting that, for the occasion of her funeral, scheduled to take place in Paris on Wednesday 5 July 2017, at 10.30, the Members who would like to attend the service would have their absence from the Plenary on that day excused;
- heard the President further propose that the Parlamentarium in Strasbourg, just inaugurated, be named after Simone VEIL and that the “Equality and Diversity Award”, granted to European Parliament staff, bear her name;
- agreed unanimously with the proposals from the President.
3.3. President's visit to Luxembourg
The Bureau,
- heard the President report that during his official visit to Luxembourg on 27 June he had met with the Grand Duke and with Mr BETTEL, Prime Minister, had
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given a speech in Luxembourg’s parliament, in which he stressed the essential role of Luxembourg in the creation of the European Union and the forthcoming challenges in areas such as integration, the fight against terrorism, employment and Brexit; report, further, that he had visited the European Investment Bank (EIB) and attended the ceremony for Parliament’s officials in Luxembourg celebrating 25 years of service, presenting the medals and diplomas to them.
3.4. Birthday of the Secretary-General
The Bureau,
- heard the President extend his best wishes to the Secretary-General on the occasion of his birthday;
- presented a warm applause to the Secretary-General.
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A. DECISIONS/EXCHANGE OF VIEWS
4. European Youth Event 2018 - new date and first draft programme - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, with debate,
- took note of the note dated 23 June 2017 from the Secretary-General, entitled "European Youth Event 2018 - First draft programme" (PE 605.833/BUR and annexes);
- heard the President recall that the Working Group on Information and Communication, at its meeting of 7 June 2017, had endorsed the proposal for the concept and draft programme of the next edition of the European Youth Event (EYE);
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO and Ms GUILLAUME, Vice-Presidents with primary and secondary responsibility, respectively, for Information and Communication, Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Ms McGUINNESS, Mr CZARNECKI and Ms LUNACEK, Vice-Presidents, Mr MAŇKA, Quaestor, and the President, who:
welcomed the holding of the 2018 edition of the EYE event, just one year ahead of the next European elections, and congratulated the EP services for the efficient planning and preparation of the event, endorsing the change of the dates to 1 and 2 June 2018, in order to avoid a clash with major external events;
stressed the importance of taking rigorous measures in order to ensure the security of participants while at the same time avoiding excessive waiting times for registration and security checks at the entrance;
noted that increased awareness raising efforts should be made in order to obtain a better participation among Members than during the 2016 EYE edition;
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emphasised the need for diversity among the participants by making sure that they represented not only organisations with a strong involvement in European politics but also young people from backgrounds where the interest in the European Union was low or were even sceptical about the EU, suggesting that the possibility for Members to invite young participants, inter alia from their constituencies, as part of their yearly quota of official visitors was a way to ensure better diversity;
enquired about the possibility of providing interpretation in at least three instead of one language in order to allow for a larger involvement in the debates from the participating young people;
requested information about the cost of holding the event;
- heard the Secretary-General note that the 2018 would be the third edition of the EYE and further
explain that in order to ensure a large and diversified participation of young people Parliament was working together with the European youth organisations, which had found in Parliament a new interesting partner;
recall that security arrangements had been very strict at the 2016 EYE, as the event had been authorised by the Bureau only after an intensive discussion and despite an initial negative security recommendation;
inform the meeting that the extra budget for the last edition had been approximately EUR 1.5 million, largely due to interpretation costs, and that a similar cost was expected for the 2018 edition;
- approved the recommendation of the Working Party on Information and Communication regarding the date and draft programme of the European Youth Event 2018.
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5. Progress of work on Parliament's seminar rooms for visitors' groups in the Atrium Building, Stage Two - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, with debate,
- took note of the note dated 21 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "Progress of work on Parliament's seminar rooms for visitors' groups in the Atrium Building, Stage Two" (PE 605.755/BUR and financial statement);
- heard the President recall that:
in 2015, the Bureau approved a “global visitors’ strategy” to improve the facilities for visitors and the interactivity of communications tools, including a seminar centre for visitors to be installed in the ATRIUM building;
stage One of the project, approved by the Bureau in 2013, consisted of the creation of a reception area for visitors’ groups arriving at Parliament’s ATRIUM building in Brussels; work began in January 2014 and since November 2016 the reception and collection area for visitors has been operational in the ATRIUM building;
as stage Two, the Bureau decision proposed the creation of seminar rooms for visitors’ groups, which would enable that activities involving visitors’ groups could continue while the SPAAK building was being refurbished;
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr SASSOLI, Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO, Ms GUILLAUME, Mr LIBERADZKI, Mr CZARNECKI and Mr TELIČKA, Vice-Presidents, and Mr MAŇKA and Ms MORIN-CHARTIER, Quaestors, noting, inter alia, that:
the decision to proceed with the creation of seminar rooms for visitors’ groups in the ATRIUM building had been taken earlier already and was independent from any future Bureau decision concerning the SPAAK building (renovation or reconstruction), since these seminar rooms in
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ATRIUM will be needed in any case; the relevant budget was estimated at EUR 10.6 million;
the creation of seminar rooms for visitors in the ATRIUM building was not only a question of buildings but also, and foremost, a question of the visitors’ strategy and had to be considered in this context, based on the political choice of improving the proximity link with the citizens;
the structure of the seminar rooms had to be modular and adjustable, so that the rooms could fit different number of visitors invited by Members, in particular in the case of larger groups including up to 60 visitors;
- heard the Secretary-General explain that:
there was an insufficient capacity of seminar rooms for visitors at the moment, thus the seminar rooms in the ATRIUM building would be kept functioning also after the conclusion of any works in the SPAAK building to be decided by the Bureau;
the construction concerned tailor-made meeting rooms for seminars with visitors, with all appropriate technical facilities built in;
the sizes currently proposed were deemed adequate at the moment, but could be reconsidered, if needed; an important aspect was the modular character of the meeting rooms allowing them to be adjusted to the specific needs of each visitors’ group;
in security terms, the ATRIUM building, which also hosted offices for political groups staff, would have two clearly distinguished circuits: the visitors’ circuit and the offices’ circuit;
during the works, noise reduction measures would be implemented; nevertheless, the staff in the offices located on the first floor of the ATRIUM building, would be relocated to other premises during the works to avoid the noise nuisance;
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- took note of the second stage of the implementation of the Bureau decision of 2015;
- endorsed the proposal by the Secretary-General as outlined in his note;
- invited the Secretary-General to transmit the project to the Committee on Budgets according to Article 203 (5) of the Financial Regulation.
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6. Paris - Information Office - Results of the property market survey and selection of a building. Authorisation to negotiate the terms of the lease - Note from the Secretary- General
The Bureau, with debate,
- took note of the note dated 26 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "FR - PARIS - Political visit of 27-28 April 2017 in connection with the property market survey. Assessment of buildings’ suitability for a House of the European Union" (PE 605.834/BUR);
- heard the President point out that the current building hosting the House of Europe in Paris no longer met the criteria required, emphasising in particular the importance of location, footfall and visibility of such a building; report that after an in-depth analysis of a large number of potential buildings and two political visits, the two Bureau working groups, on Information and Communication, on the one hand, and on Buildings, Transport and a Green Parliament, on the other, had endorsed the building located at 51, Boulevard Hausmann, as the best available option in terms of the afore mentioned criteria;
- held a wide ranging exchange of views with the participation of Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO, Ms GUILLAUME, Mr SASSOLI, Mr WIELAND, Ms LUNACEK, Mr CZARNECKI Vice-Presidents, and Mr MAŇKA and Ms MORIN-CHARTIER, Quaestors, who stated inter alia that:
the matter had been considered extensively in the two relevant Bureau working groups, both of which had issued a clear recommendation in favour of the building located at 51, Boulevard Hausmann, which was a very attractive building, particularly in terms of pedestrian footfall with a rate of 18 000 passers-by per hour;
although this building was not the cheapest option, the less costly alternatives did not fulfil all relevant criteria, particularly as regards the visibility, accessibility and pedestrian footfall; moreover, the owner of the
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building at 51, Boulevard Hausmann had shown a keen interest to work with the European institutions and had already reduced the rent;
as the building was quite large, it was desirable to win the French authorities to become subtenant thus contributing to the lease payments;
the planned installation of the interactive “Europa Experience”, for which visibility and footfall were of high importance, was an excellent way to reach out to citizens;
the area surrounding the building was ideal as it brought together people not just from Paris, but from all over France and the rest of Europe;
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President and Chair of the working group on Buildings, Transport and a Green Parliament, note that although in the beginning he had not considered this building as the first choice he had nevertheless been persuaded by the strong support shown from the other members of the two relevant Bureau working groups not to oppose the majority view, further stressing that he expected the same consensual approach to be shown by the Bureau members also in other important buildings projects, such as for instance concerning the SPAAK building;
- heard the Secretary-General underline that the House of Europe was an important symbol and should therefore be neither an embassy nor an administrative building, but rather targeting the citizens with the aim to bring them closer to Europe, which was also one of the stated priorities of the President; note that the chosen building presented the best option in terms of visibility and accessibility for citizens, visitors and tourists; remark that, concerning the communication of the decision to Members and the public, once the decision in principle had been taken by the Bureau, it could indeed be communicated, although certain details which were still subject to negotiations should be kept internal;
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- heard Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Vice-President, state that after the debate he had still not been convinced that the proposed building presented the best option in terms of price and location and would therefore vote against;
- decided, by majority, to
instruct the Secretary-General to proceed with technical, economic and legal negotiations with the owner of the 51, Blvd Haussmann building with the aim of preparing all the preliminary steps necessary for the signature of a lease contract;
instruct the administration to conclude a lease agreement for a temporary building;
notify the Committee on Budgets of this decision in line with Article 203 of the Financial Regulation.
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From 20.34 hours in camera
7.1. Defects discovered in the Louise Weiss Building in Strasbourg - Negotiating procedure - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, in camera,
- took note of the note dated 26 June 2017 from the Secretary-General, entitled "Defects discovered in the Louise Weiss Building in Strasbourg - Negotiating procedure" (PE 605.847/BUR);
- heard the President introduce the item noting that after on 7 August 2008 part of the suspended ceiling in the Chamber in Strasbourg collapsed, the defects discovered led to 15 claims being lodged with the insurance company AXA; after an initial, very low compensation offered by AXA, which Parliament rejected as it was not commensurate with the extent of the damage suffered, and further to a lengthy judicial process before the French courts, AXA was now offering Parliament EUR 20 000 000 as a total compensation in order to secure an amicable settlement;
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr WIELAND and Mr SASSOLI, Vice-Presidents with primary and secondary responsibility for buildings, respectively, Mr TELIČKA, Ms LUNACEK, Mr PAPADIMOULIS, Mr VALCÁRCEL SISO, Ms McGUINNESS, Vice-Presidents, who all spoke in favour of accepting the compensation offered by the insurance company in order to reach an amicable solution and close the case, while recalling the severity of the collapse of the Chamber ceiling as well as the extent of the damages and repair works and enquiring about the communication of this decision to the Members and the wider public;
- heard the Secretary-General outline the administrative measures taken as a follow-up to this severe and potentially deathly incident in order to ensure adequate protection and maintenance of Parliament’s buildings, which had led to the discovery and timely repair of similar problems in the Brussels Chamber;
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further inform the meeting that once the agreement with the insurance company has been finalised and formalised it could indeed be communicated to Members and the wider public;
- decided unanimously to accept the compensation proposed by the insurance company AXA with a view to bringing to an end the legal disputes concerning the defects discovered in the WEISS building following the partial collapse of the suspended ceiling in the Strasbourg Chamber.
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7.2. Event held on the Esplanade
The Bureau, in camera,
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President responsible for relations with authorities concerning the seat and places of work, recall the Bureau decision of 15 May 2015, which granted an authorization to the Greens/EFA Group to hold on the ‘Esplanade Solidarność 1980’ an event on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, under strict security conditions, and further inform the meeting that when the event took place the necessary technical conditions had unfortunately not been respected, thus leading to potential damages to the Esplanade, which were currently subject to an independent technical expertise requested by the Brussels authorities in order to establish their extent;
- heard Mr WIELAND, Vice-President responsible, further note that although the agreement reached with DG SAFE to examine each request individually and at its own merit and issue individualised security assessments was satisfactory, the aforementioned problems were unacceptable; therefore request the Secretary- General to draw up a report in order to establish the precise sequence of events and submit it to the Bureau; inform the meeting that in view of these problems he would not make any recommendations to the Bureau for future events on the Esplanade anymore before he had received that report;
- heard Ms LUNACEK, Vice-President, explain the background to this incident noting that, according to her knowledge, the Greens/EFA Group simply followed the advice and instructions of Parliament’s services, doing their best to avoid any potential problems, which were finally caused by the transport company; agree to the necessity of a report in order to establish the facts and avoid any similar incidents in the future;
- heard the President agree with the proposal to draw-up a report and ask the Secretary-general to investigate the incident, establish the facts and report back to the Bureau in due time with a view to taking any appropriate action;
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- took note of the afore mentioned incident and agreed with the proposal from the President.
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B. DECISIONS WITHOUT DEBATE
8. 2018 Open Days of the European Parliament and Europe Day festivities in Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the note dated 21 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "2018 Europe Day festivities in Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg" (PE 605.835/BUR);
- approved the dates for the Europe Day events in Brussels on Saturday, 5 May 2018, and in Strasbourg on Sunday, 10 June 2018.
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9. Improved Bicycle Service for Members and staff - Proposal for a new Bureau Decision - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, with debate,
- took note of the note dated 21 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "Improved Bicycles Service for Members and staff - proposal for a new Bureau Decision" (PE 605.836/BUR and annexes);
- heard Ms LUNACEK, Vice-President, emphasise her full support for the new rules on Parliament’s bicycle service and particularly for the online-tool allowing to book bikes for Strasbourg in advance;
- adopted the Bureau Decision on new Rules governing the Bicycles Service;
- invited the Secretary-General to implement the new procedures.
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10. Closure of accounts of the political groups for 2016 - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of a note dated 23 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "Closure of the accounts for the financial year 2016 for the political groups of the European Parliament" (PE 605.837/BUR and annexes);
- noted and approved the seven audit reports forwarded by the political groups entailing an unqualified opinion issued by their auditors;
- noted that one political group registered unspent 2016 appropriations exceeding 50% of the annual appropriations received from the European Parliament’s budget, which, therefore, cannot be carried over to 2017 and have to be repaid to Parliament’s budget;
- noted that one political group (Europe of Nations and Freedoms - ENF) provided an audit report with a qualified opinion;
- asked ENF to request its auditor to deliver directly to the by the end of July a quantified and detailed analysis on the items that were not spent in accordance with the Rules on the use of appropriations from budget item 400 as set out in the qualified opinion.
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11. Statement of assurance (DAS) 2016 – Parliament's replies to the observations of the Court of Auditors - Note from the Secretary-General
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of a note dated 26 June 2017 from the Secretary-General entitled "Statement of assurance (DAS) 2016 – Parliament’s replies to the observations of the Court of Auditors" (PE 605.838/BUR and annexes);
- took note of the Court of Auditors' observations concerning Parliament;
- approved the draft replies to the Court, pursuant to Article 25 of the Internal Rules;
- instructed the President to forward Parliament’s approved replies to the Court of Auditors, and, for information, to the Commission.
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Committee missions within the EU, Candidate countries and the EEA countries
12. Request from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) for authorisation to send a mission to Croatia, from 19 to 21 September 2017 - Letter from Mr SIEKIERSKI, Chair of the Committee concerned
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 31 May 2017 from Mr SIEKIERSKI, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), requesting authorisation for sending a twelve-Member mission to Croatia (Zagreb and Porec regions), including the Chair travelling out of quota, from 19 to 21 September, including travel time, during a period set aside for external parliamentary activities, including the final programme and the provisional list of participants (PE 605.727/CPG, annexes and financial statement);
- recalled that the request had been included in the draft six-month programme of committee missions outside the three places of work and within the EU, the candidate countries and the EEA, for the second half of 2017;
- further recalled that, at its meeting 15 May 2017, in line with the Conference of Presidents’ recommendation, the Bureau had withheld authorisation for this mission pending the submission of a detailed programme with a consistent planning for the different venues;
- noted that no derogation to the applicable rules was requested;
- noted the positive recommendation issued by the Conference of Presidents on 8 June 2017;
- granted the request, in line with the recommendation from the Conference of Presidents.
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13. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) for authorisation to send a fact-finding mission to Ljubljana, Slovenia and to Zagreb, Croatia, from 19 to 21 September 2017 - Letter from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee concerned
The Bureau, without debate,
- noted the letter dated 24 May 2017 from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee of Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), requesting authorisation to send a fact-finding mission to Ljubljana (Slovenia) and to Zagreb (Croatia), from 19 to 21 September 2017 (PE 605.721/CPG, annex and financial statement);
- noted that the mission had not been included in the draft programme of committee missions outside Parliament's three places of work, within the European Union, the candidate and the EEA countries, for the second half of 2017, approved by the Bureau on 15 May 2017;
- noted the draft progamme and the provisional list of participants of the mission;
- noted that the dates proposed coincide with three days set aside for external parliamentary activities and that the visit is calculated within the Committee’s remaining quota for 2017;
- noted that the three day fact-finding mission including travel time is to be composed of up to eight Members, all using the remaining available annual committee quota, during a week set aside for external parliamentary activities, in line with the applicable rules;
- noted the positive recommendation issued by the Conference of Presidents on 29 June 2017,
- granted the request, in accordance with the recommendation from the Conference of Presidents.
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14. Request for authorisation of a mission for the STOA Chair to attend the award ceremony of the STARTS Prize in Linz, Austria on 8 September 2017 - Letter from Ms KAILI, Chair of the STOA panel
The Bureau, without debate,
- noted the letter dated 26 June 2017 from Ms KAILI, Chair of the STOA Panel, requesting authorisation of a mission to attend herself, as an opening speaker, the award ceremony of the STARTS Prize, which will take place at the opening gala of the Ars Electronica Festival 2017, at Brucknerhaus in Linz, Austria, on 8 September 2017 (PE 605.839/BUR, annex and financial statement);
- noted that the STOA panel does not have an annual quota for missions as committees do and does not submit a 6 month programme but requests individual authorisations, which need to be considered by the Bureau on an ad hoc basis and at their own merit;
- noted that according to the STOA rules, approved by the Bureau, STOA shall "for the purpose of technology option assessments carry out [...] visits to scientific and technical institutions";
- noted that the requested one member mission did not serve the purpose of visiting a scientific and technical institution, but resulted from a personal invitation to the STOA Chair to attend, as an opening speaker, the opening gala and award ceremony of the STARTS Prize;
- noted that the relevant criteria for visits of the STOA panel were thus in this case not fulfilled and that the potential added value of such a visit for the STOA activities and objectives appeared rather doubtful;
- in view of the afore mentioned considerations, declined authorisation for this visit.
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Public Hearings
15. Request from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) for authorisation to hold a public hearing on the ‘Protection of workers from carcinogens or mutagens’ to be held on 13 July 2017 in Brussels - Letter from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee concerned - Letter from Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 8 June 2017 from Mr HÄNDEL, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), requesting authorisation to hold a public hearing on the "Protection of workers from carcinogens or mutagens", on 13 July 2017, in Brussels (PE 605.773/BUR, annex and financial statement);
- took note of the letter dated 15 June 2017 from Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs, providing a competence clearance for this hearing (PE 605.773/BUR/ANN.1.);
- 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 EMPL Committee and that reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses for a maximum of one invited guest will take place within EMPL's 2017 quota;
- granted the authorisation requested, on the understanding that the EMPL Committee will remain within its 2017 quota of sixteen paid guests, as, beyond this ceiling, guests cannot be reimbursed;
- invited the EMPL Committee, pursuant to Article 5 of the applicable Rules, to notify the President, prior to the hearing, of the final programme and, if
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applicable, 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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16. Request from the Committee on Development (DEVE) and the Committee on International Trade (INTA) for authorisation to hold a joint public hearing on ‘The revision of the EU Strategy on Aid for Trade’ to be held on 31 August 2017 in Brussels - Letter from Ms McAVAN and Mr LANGE, Chairs of the respective Committees concerned
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 22 June 2017, co-signed by Ms McAVAN, Chair of the Committee on Development (DEVE), and Mr LANGE, Chair of the Committee on International Trade (INTA), requesting authorisation to hold a joint hearing on "The revision of the EU Strategy on Aid for Trade (AfT)", on 31 August 2017, in Brussels (PE 605.840/BUR and financial statement);
- 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 DEVE Committee and that reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses for any invited guests will take place within DEVE and INTA’s respective 2017 quotas;
- granted the authorisation requested, subject to a competence clearance from the Conference of Committee Chairs and on the understanding that the DEVE and INTA Committees will remain within their 2017 quota of sixteen paid guests each, as, beyond this ceiling, guests cannot be reimbursed;
- invited the DEVE and INTA Committees, pursuant to Article 5 of the applicable Rules, to notify the President, prior to the hearing, of the final programme and, if applicable, how many of the invited guests will be reimbursed from which Committee’s quota, as well as 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 Hemicycle
17. Request from the Business School ESCP Europe (in partnership with the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA)) to use the Chamber of the European Parliament in Brussels as well as several other meeting rooms on 30 and 31 October 2017 for the organisation of the seminar Start@europe - Letter from Mr BOURNOIS, Director General of the ESCP Europe
The Bureau, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 11 April 2017 from Mr BOURNOIS, Director- General of the Business School ESCP Europe, requesting the use of the Chamber of the European Parliament, several other meeting rooms and facilities, in Brussels, on 30 and 31 October 2017 for the organisation of the seminar "Start@europe", in partnership with the "École Nationale d’Administration" (ENA) (PE 605.841/BUR and financial statement);
- took note of the letter received on 9 June 2017 from Ms LOISEAU, former Director of the "École Nationale d’Administration" (ENA) in support of the request and explaining that ENA has been a partner of this event for almost 10 years (PE 605.841/BUR/ANN.);
- took note of the fact that the yearly "Start@Europe" seminars, organised alternately by the ESCP and the ENA, have taken place on Parliament’s premises for almost 10 years;
- took note of the fact that the seminar will gather approximately 850 students of more than 40 nationalities from Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris and Turin and that the seminar will consist, inter alia, of a parliamentary simulation where the participants will negotiate and adopt a legislative text, which will give them an insight into the workings of the European Parliament and the activities of Members;
- recalled the provisions of the Rules governing the use of Parliament premises by outside bodies, adopted by the Bureau on 14 March 2000, last amended on
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24 October 2016, in particular Article 2 thereof, whereby on an entirely exceptional basis, subject to prior authorisation from the Bureau, the Chamber may be made available once every parliamentary term to public bodies for events in which Parliament is closely involved;
- took note of the fact that the ESCP has used the Chamber in Brussels once in the current term, on 8 and 9 February 2016, and that the ENA has used the Chamber in Strasbourg on 19-21 January 2015;
- further recalled the cooperation agreement between the European Parliament and the ENA, signed 8 July 2015, which establishes a close and privileged relationship between the two institutions, and in particular Article 4.1 thereof, whereby, subject to the availability of rooms, Parliament may host certain events organised by the ENA;
- took note that such a request must be supported by at least two parliamentary committees and that to this effect opinions from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and the Committee on Culture and Education have been requested;
- took note of the fact that DG SAFE has issued a favourable security opinion;
- took note that the Chamber in Brussels would be available on the requested dates, which coincide with the Monday and Tuesday of a week set aside for external parliamentary activities;
- took note that according to the applicable rules the organisers must bear all costs arising from the event, which are estimated at EUR 82 345;
- in the light of the above considerations and in view of the cooperation agreement with the ENA, approved the afore-mentioned request, entirely by way of exception and without setting a precedent, on condition that:
favourable opinions are received from parliamentary committees;
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the final number of participants is sufficiently large to justify the use of the Chamber;
the costs arising from this event shall be fully borne by the organisers in line with the rules in force;
the event must have no commercial purpose and any kind of sponsorship is prohibited;
the organisers provide Parliament with the final programme and the list of participants at their earliest convenience.
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18. Urgent matters and any other business
18.1. Recent global cyber-attack
The Bureau,
- heard Ms GEBHARDT, Vice-President with responsibility for ICT and Innovation Strategy extend her thanks to DG ITEC for the efficient IT security measures, which had shielded Parliament effectively during the recent global cyber-attacks and helped to avoid the fishing of any data or damage to Parliament’s systems.
18.2. Events organised by Members inside the European Parliament
The Bureau,
- heard Ms GUILLAUME, Vice-President, raise her concern about several events being organised on the premises of Parliament by Members, working closely with an external organisation, for which in the end the Member sometimes does not even appear at the event and only the external organisation is visible, sending invitations and reminders and asking Members for registration, and ask that Members are reminded that they should bear the responsibilities related to giving their name to an event;
- heard the President acknowledge the problem and agree that Members should accept full responsibility for events sponsored by them and organised on the EP premises and inform that the matter would be examined and any appropriate measures taken.
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19. Items for information
The Bureau,
- noted the following documents:
Interinstitutional mail
External mail
Internal mail
- Bureau Decision following a Complaint by a Member under Art. 72(3) of the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members (IMMS) (distributed to Members prior to the meeting in a separate confidential envelope) (PE 605.753/BUR/Decision).
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20. Date and place of next meeting
The Bureau,
- decided to hold its next ordinary meeting on Monday, 11 September 2017, from 18:30 to 20:30, in Room R1.1 in the Louise WEISS Building in Strasbourg.
* * *
The meeting closed at 20.57 hours.
* * *
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