Minutes 11&13-12-2006

PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

PE-6/BUR/PV/2006-19

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

B U R E A U

MINUTES

of the meeting of

11&13-12-2006

Louise Weiss Building - Room R 1.1

- - -

Strasbourg

PE-6/BUR/PV/2006-19

PE 380.280/BUR

EN EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

BUREAU

MINUTES

of the meeting of Monday, 11 December 2006 from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. and Wednesday, 13 December 2006 from 5.00 to 7.00 p.m.

Louise Weiss Building – Room R 1.1 Strasbourg

CONTENTS Page

PART I - Items taken on 11 Monday, 11 December 2006 from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m...... 8

1. Adoption of draft agenda ...... 8

2. Adoption of minutes of meetings of 13 November 2006 and 29 November 2006 ...... 9

3. Statements by the President ...... 10

4. 2007 programme for travel by the committee delegations away from the three places of work - Letter from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen Invited: Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen ...... 11

5. Equipping Members of the European Parliament with a personal digital assistant (PDA) - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement...... 14

6. Annual adjustment of Members' expenses and allowances for 2007 - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors...... 15

7. In camera, from 8.15 p.m., Staff policy ...... 16

7.1 Appointment to the post of Deputy Secretary-General - Director-General - DG PRES: drawing up of a shortlist - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 16

7.2 Report submitted by OLAF on misuse of funds from parliamentary allowances by a Member of the European Parliament ...... 17

8. Establishment in Washington DC of a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office - Note from the Secretary-General - Financial statement...... 18

9. Relations with the budgetary and discharge authorities: action to be taken on the 26 September 2006 resolution accompanying the discharge decision for the 2004

PE 380.280/BUR 2/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

financial year and assignment of tasks to the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets - Note from the Secretary-General...... 19

10. New official languages with effect from January 2007 and translation of the verbatim record of proceedings - Note from the Secretary-General...... 20

11. Purchase of works of art in the 10 new Member States - Letter from the Chairman-in- Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement ...... 21

12. Request from the Committee of the Regions for authorisation to use the Brussels Chamber for its 13-14 February 2007 plenary sitting - Opinion of Mr ONESTA (Vice- President responsible) ...... 22

13. Proposed amendment to the rules governing visits by the delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee - Letter from the chairmen of the delegations to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee ...... 23

14. Urgent matters and any other business...... 24

14.1 Parliament's sports centre in Brussels: planned refurbishment and improvements to the facilities available - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement...... 24

15. Items for information ...... 25

PART II - Items taken on Wednesday, 13 December 2006 from 5pm to 7pm ...... 26

1. Statements by the President ...... 26

1.1 Situation of the 'long-standing' session auxiliaries in the European Parliament...... 26

2. Possible revision of the rules governing the use of Parliament's premises by outside bodies - Legal opinion...... 28

3. Establishment in Washington DC of a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office - Note from the Secretary-General - Financial statement...... 29

4. Multilingualism: proposed dispensations from Rule 138 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure - Note from the Secretary-General...... 30

5. Possibly, relations with the budgetary and discharge authorities: action to be taken on the 26 September 2006 resolution accompanying the discharge decision for the 2004 financial year and assignment of tasks to the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets - Note from the Secretary-General...... 31

6. From 6.30 p.m. in camera - Staff policy ...... 32

6.1 Appointment to the post of Deputy Secretary-General - Director-General - DG PRES: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 32

3/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6.2 Appointment to the post of Director-General - DG TRED: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General...... 33

6.3 Appointment to the post of Director - DG EXPO - Directorate A: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 34

6.4 Complaint pursuant to Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations - Note from the Secretary- General - to be taken without debate...... 35

7. Interim report by the 'Members' Statute' working party chaired by Mr MOSCOVICI (Vice-President)...... 36

8. Rules governing smoking on Parliament's premises ...... 37

9. Parliament's sports centre in Brussels: planned refurbishment and improvements to the facilities available - Note from Mr ONESTA (Vice-President) and letter from the Chairman-in-office of the Quaestors - Financial statement ...... 38

10. Amendment to Article 14 of the Rules governing the Payment of Expenses and Allowances to Members (PEAM) following the entry into force of CODEX - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors...... 40

11. Proposed adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the European Parliamentary Association (EPA) for 2007 - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 42

12. Proposed adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the Former Members' Association for 2007 - Note from the Secretary-General...... 43

13. Environmental certification of the construction site for the extension of the KAD Building in Luxembourg - Note from the Secretary-General...... 44

14. Extension of the KAD Building in Luxembourg : organisational plan - Note from the Secretary-General ...... 45

15. Urgent matters and any other business...... 46

15.1 Request for authorisation to hold a meeting of the EMPA Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights on 25 January 2007 instead of 27 November 2006 on the EP premises...... 46

16. Items for information ...... 47

17. Date and place of next meeting...... 48

PE 380.280/BUR 4/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

BUREAU

MINUTES of the meeting of Monday, 11 December 2006 and Wednesday, 13 December 2006

Strasbourg

Mr Josep BORRELL FONTELLES, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting on Monday, 11 December at 6.40 p.m. and adjourned the meeting at 9.00 p.m. the same day.

The meeting was resumed on Wednesday, 13 December at 5.09 p.m. with Mr Josep BORRELL FONTELLES, President of the European Parliament, in the chair. The President closed the meeting at 8.13 p.m.

Present

Mr Josep BORRELL FONTELLES, President

Vice-Presidents

Mr VIDAL-QUADRAS ROCA Mr TRAKATELLIS Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT Mr FRIEDRICH Mr MAURO 1 Mr dos SANTOS Mr COCILOVO Mr SARYUSZ-WOLSKI 2 Mr MOSCOVICI Mr OUZKÝ 1 Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ Mr ONESTA Mrs KAUFMANN

Quaestors

Mr NICHOLSON 2 Mrs GRABOWSKA Mrs DE VITS Mrs QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL

1 Present on 13 December 2006 only 2 Present on 11 December 2006 only

5/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

Mrs LULLING

Also present

Mr PRIESTLEY 3, 4, Secretary-General

Present on 11 December for Item 4:

Mr DAUL 5

List of officials present at the meeting:

Office of the President

Mrs VERGER 3, 4 Mr AGUIRIANO NALDA 3 Mrs OBERHAUSER 4 Mr DRAGONI 1 Mr COSTELLO 2 Mr SAMPER

Office of the Secretary-General

Mr STRATIGAKIS Mrs MORMINO Mr CLARK Mr MASUR

Secretariat

DG Presidency Mr RØMER 3, 4 /Mr CZAPLICKI 2 /Mr MANNELLI 6/ Mr BARTHELEMY 2 DG Internal Policies Mr WELLE /Mr RIBERA D'ALCALA 5/ Mme VANDENBOSCH 5 DG External Policies Mr NICKEL 4 DG Information Mrs RATTI/Mr DUCH GUILLOT DG Personnel Mr WILSON 3, 4 DG Infrastructure and Interpretation Mr RIEFFEL DG Translation and Publishing Mr BOKANOWSKI/Mr LAFOREST 1 Mrs WELLS-SHADDAD 2 DG Finance Mr VANHAEREN/Mr KLETHI 1

3 Present for the in camera items on 11 December. 4 Present for the in camera items on 13 December. 5 Present on for Item 4 on 11 December. 6 Present for Item 7 on 13 December.

PE 380.280/BUR 6/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

Legal Service Mr PENNERA, Jurisconsult 3, 4 / Mr SCHOO 2/Mr KRUECK 1

Mrs O. RATTI, Director for relations with the political groups

Political group secretariats

Mrs RUHRMANN (EPP-ED) Mr VALLI (PES) Mr PAULI (ALDE) Mrs BEUGELINK (Greens/EFA) M. RAECK (GUE/NGL) (IND) (UEN) (NI)

Vice-Presidents' and Quaestors' assistants

Mr FUERTES FERRAGUT 1 Mr VIDAL-QUADRAS ROCA's assistant Mrs LAGOU Mr TRAKATELLIS' assistant Mr MANZ Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT's assistant Mrs FORREST 2 Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT's assistant Mr HAMMERBACHER Mr FRIEDRICH's assistant Mr RAMOS dos DANTOS Mr dos SANTOS' assistant Mr ALAGNA 2 Mr COCILOVO's assistant Mr GERLICZ Mr SARYUSZ-WOLSKI's assistant Mrs ZANELLA Mr MOSCOVICI's assistant Mrs FRISCHOVA Mr OUZKÝ's assistant Mr LASKOWSKI 1/Mr DYMEK 2 Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ's assistants Mr MAYET Mr ONESTA's assistant Mr WOLFRAM Mrs KAUFMANN's assistant Mr BOYD 2 Mr NICHOLSON's assistant Mrs PIŁKA Mrs GRABOWSKA's assistant Mr LAMESCH Mrs LULLING's assistant

Mr KYST 3,4 , Mrs LINNUS, Mr MANGOLD 2 and Mr WILKINSON 2 acted as secretary to the meeting.

7/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

PART I - Items taken on 11 Monday, 11 December 2006 from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

1. Adoption of draft agenda

The Bureau

- noted and adopted the draft agenda (PE 380.276/BUR) as shown in these minutes.

PE 380.280/BUR 8/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

2. Adoption of minutes of meetings of 13 November 2006 and 29 November 2006

The Bureau

- noted and approved the minutes of the meetings of 13 November 2006 (PE 380.129/BUR) and of 29 November 2006 (PE 380.209/BUR).

9/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

3. Statements by the President

There were no statements by the President.

PE 380.280/BUR 10/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

The Bureau

- noted the following documents:

• a letter of 15 November 2006 from Mr DAUL on the draft 2007 programme for travel by the committee delegations away from the three places of work (PE 380.216/BUR and annexes - financial statement);

• a table dated 5 December 2006 indicating travel by the committees away from the three EP places of work - Implementation of 2006 programme (PE 380.307/BUR);

• a letter of 5 December 2006 from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO in reply to the letter from President BORRELL of 27 November 2006 (PE 383.242/BUR);

• a letter of 16 November 2006 from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO on the request to send a delegation again to Spain and Portugal (natural disasters) and reply of 27 November 2006 from President BORRELL (PE 380.220/BUR);

• a letter of 9 November 2006 from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO on the request to send a delegation from the REGI Committee to regions affected by natural disasters (PE 380.305/BUR);

• a letter of 12 October 2006 from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO on a request to implement the resolution of 7 September 2006 on forest fires and floods in Europe in 2006 (PE 380.076/BUR);

• a letter of 5 October 2006 from President BORRELL FONTELLES on a request from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO to clarify the position of the REGI Committee on its proposal to send delegations to regions affected by forest fires in Spain and Portugal (PE 380.034/BUR);

• a letter of 12 September 2006 from Mr GALEOTE QUECEDO on the request to authorise the REGI Committee to send a delegation to the regions of Spain affected by forest fires before 5 October 2006 (PE 377.718/BUR and annexes - financial statement);

11/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

• Summary of Conference of Presidents decisions of 7 December 2006, Item 5

• Summary of Bureau decisions of 13 November 2006, Item 10.2;

• Summary of Bureau decisions of 23 October 2006, Item 8;

• Compendium of rules 1.3.2.

- noted the draft programme of missions by parliamentary committee delegations outside the three places of work in 2007, as proposed by the Conference of Committee Chairmen;

- referred to the opinion of the Conference of Presidents of 7 December 2006 recommending to the Bureau to invite the committees concerned to present concrete proposals as soon as possible;

- noted that under the rules in force, delegations out of quota are not allowed; stressed that only a limited number of committees have indicated the wish to make use of the option, provided in Article 7(2) of the rules governing committee delegations, not to use up the maximum travel quota when establishing the annual programme and to set aside part of their quota in order to react to topical events throughout the year;

- held an exchange of views on the draft programme with the participation of the President, Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, Mr VIDAL-QUADRAS, Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT, Mr FRIEDRICH, Mr dos SANTOS and Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ, Vice-Presidents;

- approved the draft programme, subject to comprehensive information being submitted to the President for prior authorisation as regards all individual requests that are not sufficiently complete in terms of timetables and number of Members travelling, with a view to establishing that the proposed missions are consistent with the calendar of parliamentary activities and in accordance with the applicable rules;

- referred to the various letters from the Chairman of the Committee on Regional Development requesting that a Committee delegation to regions worst affected by

PE 380.280/BUR 12/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

forest fires in Europe (Spain, Portugal) be authorised outside the annual quota; and stressed that

• the said delegation was authorised in principle by the Bureau at its meetings of 23 October 2006 and 13 November 2006, in the context of the annual programme for 2007; • the Committee on Regional Development had not included any other requests for delegations programmed for 2007 in accordance with the applicable rules; • in the absence of all relevant information, the Bureau was not in a position to authorise the said delegation prior to receiving a detailed programme of all committee delegation missions of the Committee on Regional Development planned for 2007; • the Rules of Procedure allow for the plenary to make recommendations in resolutions as regards committee activities but confer upon the Bureau the competence and responsibility to authorise such delegation activities within the limits of the rules on committee delegations and the appropriations available;

- decided to invite the Committee on Regional Development to submit the committee's programme for 2007, with a view to allowing the Bureau to take a reasoned and final decision on the requested delegation as well as other delegation requests of the Committee in question.

13/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

5. Equipping Members of the European Parliament with a personal digital assistant (PDA) - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement

The Bureau :

- noted a letter from Mr NICHOLSON dated 24 November 2006 on providing Members of the European Parliament with Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) (PE 380.243/BUR and financial statement);

- considered the letter from Mr NICHOLSON, Quaestor responsible, regarding the proposal to provide Members with Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

- held a wide-ranging exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT, Mr ONESTA, Mrs KAUFMANN and Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ, Vice-Presidents, and Mr NICHOLSON, Mrs LULLING and Mrs GRABOWSKA, Quaestors;

- highlighted the potential usefulness of PDAs to Members, the need to address the risk of machines becoming obsolete quickly and the proposal to increase the general expenditure allowance for any Member making use of a PDA;

- decided to approve, in principle, the Quaestors' proposal to provide Members with PDAs, subject to the necessary funds being made available by the budgetary authority and to the outcome of the call for tender, to be launched in accordance with provisions laid down in the Financial Regulation.

PE 380.280/BUR 14/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6. Annual adjustment of Members' expenses and allowances for 2007 - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors

The Bureau

- noted a letter of 6 December from Mrs LULLING on annual adjustment of Members' expenses and allowances for 2007 (PE 380.302/BUR and annex);

- considered the letter from the Chair-in-Office of the Quaestors setting out the Quaestors' proposal for parliamentary expenses and allowances for 2007;

- heard Mrs LULLING, Chair-in-Office of the Quaestors, introduce the proposal and request the Bureau to examine in the future the problem of certain allowances that would appear to be insufficient;

- approved an increase in parliamentary allowances and expenses for 2007 of 1.8%, as proposed by the Quaestors;

- took note of the need to examine, in the course of future adjustments, ways of taking further account of the differences in price levels, as regards increases of certain expenses, in the various Member States.

ANNEX

15/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

7. In camera, from 8.15 p.m., Staff policy

7.1 Appointment to the post of Deputy Secretary-General - Director-General - DG PRES: drawing up of a shortlist - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , meeting in camera

- considered a note of 7 December 2006 from the Secretary-General distributed to the Members of the Bureau under confidential and separate cover;

- heard the Secretary-General present his note, submitted in accordance with the Bureau decision of 16 January 2000 laying down the various stages of the selection procedure for the appointment of senior officials;

- heard a statement by several members of the Bureau;

- considered and unanimously approved the Secretary-General's note bearing the name of the sole candidate for this vacancy to be called for an interview with the selection committee.

PE 380.280/BUR 16/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

7.2 Report submitted by OLAF on misuse of funds from parliamentary allowances by a Member of the European Parliament

The Bureau , meeting in camera

- heard the Secretary-General in reply to a request for information from Members of the Bureau refer to the preliminary information he submitted to the Bureau on 11 October 2006 in the context of the OLAF report referred to;

- heard a statement by several members of the Bureau;

- noted the conclusions of the services on the amount of money to be recovered from the Member concerned in accordance with the provisions laid down in the PEAM rules; and that in the meantime the Secretary-General had written to the Member informing him of these conclusions as well as of the recovery procedure to be initiated.

17/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

8. Establishment in Washington DC of a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office - Note from the Secretary-General - Financial statement

The Bureau

- considered a note of 21 November 2006 from the Secretary-General on the establishment in Washington DC of a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office (PE 380.222/BUR - financial statement).

- held an exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mrs ROTH- BEHRENDT, Mr FRIEDRICH, Mr dos SANTOS, Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ, Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT and Mr COCILOVO, Vice-Presidents, Mr NICHOLSON, Quaestor and the Secretary-General on different options for establishing a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office in Washington DC taking account of the fact that the Budgets Committee had on previous occasions rejected the proposed creation of a new post in the establishment plan based in Washington DC in the premises of the European Commission's Delegation;

- stressed the need to base a Parliament official in Washington DC in view of the growing legislative powers of Parliament and the early warning mechanism required on topical legislative issues affecting both the European Union and the United States;

- decided unanimously, as a first measure pending agreement by the Budgets Committee to create a permanent post on Parliament's establishment plan, to instruct the Secretary General to redeploy an existing post for this purpose, subject to the post being filled by a staff member having experience in the field of Parliament's legislative work and on a rotating basis with assignments limited to 2-3 years.

PE 380.280/BUR 18/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

9. Relations with the budgetary and discharge authorities: action to be taken on the 26 September 2006 resolution accompanying the discharge decision for the 2004 financial year and assignment of tasks to the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets - Note from the Secretary-General

This item was postponed to Wednesday 13 December 2006.

19/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

10. New official languages with effect from January 2007 and translation of the verbatim record of proceedings - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- took note of a note of 29 November 2006 from the Secretary-General on the new official languages with effect from January 2007 and translation of the verbatim record of proceedings (PE 380.268/BUR);

- decided , in line with the prior decision applying to the languages which gained official status in 2004, and in view of the decision to discontinue full translation of the Verbatim records of proceedings from September 2007 in all languages, not to carry out full translation of the Verbatim records of proceedings into languages which will become official languages of the EU on 1 January 2007.

PE 380.280/BUR 20/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

11. Purchase of works of art in the 10 new Member States - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement

The Bureau, taking a decision without debate

- noted a letter of 6 December 2006 from Mrs LULLING on the purchase of works of art in the 10 new Member States (PE 380.265/BUR and annex - financial statement);

- considered the letter from the Chair-in-Office of the Quaestors setting out the Quaestors' proposal for the budget and timetable for acquisitions of works of art from the 10 new Member States;

- decided to approve the budget and timetable for acquisitions of works of art from the 10 new Member States, as proposed by the Quaestors, to ensure that sufficient financial resources are made available in the 2007 budget by way of a request for a transfer of appropriations and to include the project in the preparations for the 2008 budget.

21/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

12. Request from the Committee of the Regions for authorisation to use the Brussels Chamber for its 13-14 February 2007 plenary sitting - Opinion of Mr ONESTA (Vice-President responsible)

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- noted a letter of 15 November 2006 from Mr DELEBARRE on the request from the Committee of the Regions for authorisation to use the Brussels Chamber for its 13-14 February 2007 plenary sitting (PE 380.238/BUR and opinion of Mr ONESTA (PE 380.238/ANN.BUR);

- decided , given the solemn nature of the event, to authorise the Committee of the Regions to hold its plenary session on 13 and 14 February 2007 in the Brussels Chamber; and noted that following this authorisation the Committee of the Regions had one possibility left to have Parliament's Chamber available for its plenary session, in accordance with the rules applied to ‘other institutions’ of the Union.

PE 380.280/BUR 22/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- noted a letter of 22 November 2006 from Mr SIWIEC and Mr VERCHERKO on the Proposed amendment to the rules governing visits by the delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PE 380.294/BUR).

- approved , with a view to setting the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in equal footing with other such organs and subject to linguistic and technical verification, a rule change governing the work of the said Parliamentary Cooperation Committee stipulating that " the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee shall normally meet twice a year, alternately in one of the workplaces of the European Parliament and in Ukraine ".

23/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

14. Urgent matters and any other business

14.1 Parliament's sports centre in Brussels: planned refurbishment and improvements to the facilities available - Letter from the Chairman-in-Office of the Quaestors - Financial statement

The Bureau ,

- considered the letter from the Chair-in-Office of the Quaestors proposing, together with the Vice-President responsible for the use of Parliament's Infrastructure, that the current Sports Centre in the Spinelli-building in Brussels be renovated and that an additional sports area be constructed in the car park underneath, with direct access from the current Sports Centre;

- held an exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr ONESTA, Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT and Mr FRIEDRICH, Vice-Presidents, and Mrs LULLING, Chair- in-office of the Quaestors, on the proposal stressing that the number of users of the Sports Centre had doubled over the last 10 years but that the sports facilities had not been renovated since the opening of the Sports Centre; underlined that under Article 179 of the Financial Regulations, all buildings projects having significant financial consequences must be referred to the Committee on Budgets before approval;

- agreed to revert to the issue at the following meeting with a view to taking a decision on the matter.

PE 380.280/BUR 24/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

15. Items for information

The Bureau

- noted the following documents • a note of 27 November 2006 from the Secretary-General on welcoming the new Romanian and Bulgarian Members-designate (PE 380.260/BUR); • a letter of 30 November 2006 from Mr SCHULZ on the Commission legislative and work programme 2007 and, in particular, the priorities as regards communication with European citizens in 2007 (PE 380.308/BUR).

* * *

The meeting was adjourned at 9 p.m.

25/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

PART II - Items taken on Wednesday, 13 December 2006 from 5pm to 7pm

1. Statements by the President

1.1 Situation of the 'long-standing' session auxiliaries in the European Parliament

The Bureau

- referred to the staff action organised by the session auxiliaries relating to the disappearance of the legal basis for the current employment scheme as from 1 January 2007 and of the established media services contracts for the provision of audiovisual services;

- heard the Secretary-General clarify the legal and factual situation of the audiovisual part- session auxiliaries currently employed by the European Parliament and refer to the numerous consultations with this category of staff and the Administration which have taken place since the Bureau decision on 22 March 2006 and the meetings organised with the Chairs of political groups, or their representatives;

- held a comprehensive exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr ONESTA, Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT, Mr ONYSZKIEWICZ, Mr FRIEDRICH, Mr COCILOVO, Mr VIDAL-QUADRAS and Mr MOSCOVICI, Vice-Presidents, and Mrs QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL, Mrs GRABOWSKA, Mrs LULLING and Mrs DE VITS, Quaestors, and the Secretary-General emphasising that

• the disappearance of the legal basis in the Staff Regulation following the reform of 2004 gives the Bureau no leeway whatsoever to reconsider the previous decisions on the matter; • the right to strike is a basic labour right but one which should be limited to suspension of labour; • cutting off Parliament's audiovisual signal at the time of awarding the Sakharov prize was an exaggerated action causing unnecessary harm to the very cause for which this Prize is awarded;

PE 380.280/BUR 26/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

• Parliament's Security service had taken the necessary steps, under difficult conditions; • it was fully committed to the social responsibility of the Institution towards all its staff members;

- instructed the Secretary-General to insist in the negotiations with the audiovisual service-providers giving priority to ensuring that a maximum number of current staff members having gained working experience within Parliament should be offered employment on socially acceptable terms and preferably before the 1st January 2007;

- mandated the Vice-Presidents responsible for staff policy to convey this message without delay to the staff concerned.

27/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

2. Possible revision of the rules governing the use of Parliament's premises by outside bodies - Legal opinion

This item was postponed to a subsequent meeting.

PE 380.280/BUR 28/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

3. Establishment in Washington DC of a US Congress-European Parliament liaison office - Note from the Secretary-General - Financial statement

This item was taken on Monday 11 December 2006.

29/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

4. Multilingualism: proposed dispensations from Rule 138 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau

- noted a note from the Secretary-General dated 7 December 2006 (PE 380.312/BUR) and a report by Mr FRIEDRICH, adopted in plenary on 30 November 2006;

- noted the amendments adopted by Parliament on 30 November 2006 to Rule 138 of the Rules of Procedure concerning transitional Rules on Languages;

- heard the Secretary-General introduce the matter;

- noted that in the case of the Maltese, Bulgarian and Romanian languages the most urgent co-decision proposals have been translated by Parliament's translation services but that translations into Irish still remain to be carried out due to a lack of qualified translators;

- decided to grant the derogations referred to under Rule 139 in respect of use of the Maltese, Romanian, Bulgarian and Irish languages.

PE 380.280/BUR 30/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

The Bureau

- noted the following documents

• a note of 10 November 2006 from the Secretary-General on relations with the budgetary and discharge authorities: action to be taken on the 26 September 2006 resolution (discharge for the 2004 financial year) and assignment of tasks to the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets (PE 380.177/BUR and annexes);

• a note of 23 June 2003 from the Secretary-General on the respective powers of the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets (PE 332.352/BUR);

- took note of the Secretary-General's note on the current situation regarding issues having given rise to comments from the Committee on Budgetary Control in the resolution of 26 September 2006, accompanying the discharge decision for the financial year 2004, and which call for action to be taken within the Bureau's sphere of competence;

- held an exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr COCILOVO, Vice- President and the Secretary-General, emphasising the need for the Bureau to thoroughly reflect on a variety of issues regarding the respective roles of the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets, with full regard to its own prerogatives, whilst at the same time reaffirming the need for ongoing dialogue and close cooperation with the Committee on Budgets;

- invited the future Bureau to pursue these reflections to in order to strike an appropriate and tenable balance between the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets as regards Parliament's establishment plan and to improve consultation between the two bodies throughout the budgetary process

31/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6. From 6.30 p.m. in camera - Staff policy

6.1 Appointment to the post of Deputy Secretary-General - Director-General - DG PRES: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , meeting in camera

- considered the note from the Secretary-General dated 12 December 2006, distributed to the Members of the Bureau under confidential and separate cover;

- heard the Secretary-General introducing the conclusions of the Selection Committee set up in accordance with the Bureau decision of 16 January 2000 laying down the selection procedure for the appointment of senior officials, as well as this recommendation to the Bureau;

- heard a statement by several members of the Bureau;

- decided , unanimously, to appoint Mr David HARLEY to the post of Deputy Secretary- General, Director-General of the Presidency (AD 16) in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 29 (1)(a)(iii) of the Staff Regulations, with effect from 1 March 2007.

PE 380.280/BUR 32/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6.2 Appointment to the post of Director-General - DG TRED: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , meeting in camera

- considered the notes from the Secretary-General dated 29 November 2006 and 7 December 2006 respectively, distributed to the Members of the Bureau under confidential and separate cover;

- heard a statement by several members of the Bureau;

- decided , unanimously, to appoint Mrs Juana LAHOUSSE to the post of Director-General of DG TRED (AD 16) in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 29 (1)(a)(iii) of the Staff Regulations, with effect from 31 January 2007.

33/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6.3 Appointment to the post of Director - DG EXPO - Directorate A: filling the post - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , meeting in camera

- considered the notes from the Secretary-General dated 7 December 2006, distributed to the Members of the Bureau under confidential and separate cover;

- heard a statement by several members of the Bureau;

- decided , unanimously, to appoint Mr Marco AGUIRIANO to the post of Director of DG EXPO - Directorate A (AD 14) in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 29 (2) of the Staff Regulations, with effect from 16 January 2007;

PE 380.280/BUR 34/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

6.4 Complaint pursuant to Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations - Note from the Secretary-General - to be taken without debate

The Bureau , meeting in camera and taking a decision without debate

- considered a note from the Secretary-General dated 7 December 2006 (PE 380.289/BUR and annexes);

- decided to reject the complaint in question as inadmissible and unfounded and to instruct the President to inform the complainant of the Bureau’s decision by the draft letter attached to the note.

35/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

7. Interim report by the 'Members' Statute' working party chaired by Mr MOSCOVICI (Vice- President)

The Bureau

- noted a letter of 12 December 2006 from Mr MOSCOVICI to President BORRELL on the Interim Report by the Working Party on implementation of the Members' Statute (PE 383.235/BUR and annexes).

- noted the Interim report by the Bureau Working Party on the Members' Statute, chaired by Vice-President MOSCOVICI, with a mandate to prepare the internal rules for the implementation of the Members' Statute;

- held an exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr MOSCOVICI, Mr VIDAL-QUADRAS and Mr FRIEDRICH, Vice-Presidents, Mrs LULLING and Mrs DE VITS, Quaestors, on the report emphasising the need to proceed swiftly with the preparation and adoption of internal rules in view of the major importance of the Members' Statute for the Institution;

- heard Mr MOSCOVICI, Vice-President, emphasise the importance of inviting the future Bureau to pursue with the same mandate and method at the earliest possible with a view to adopting the internal rules in due time before the end of the current legislative term;

- endorsed the conclusions in the Interim report by the Working Party and invited the future Bureau to renew the Working Party's mandate promptly.

PE 380.280/BUR 36/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

8. Rules governing smoking on Parliament's premises

This item was postponed.

37/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

The Bureau

- noted the following documents:

• a letter of 6 December 2006 from Mrs LULLING on the planned refurbishment of the sports centre in Brussels (PE 380.303/BUR);

• a note of 22 November 2006 from Mr ONESTA: EP sports centre in Brussels (PE 379.310 and financial statement);

- referred to its deliberations on 11 December 2006 on the proposal by the Quaestors and the Vice-President responsible for the use of Parliament's Infrastructure to modernize the current Sports Centre in the Spinelli building in Brussels, in accordance with the recommendations expressed by the Committee on Budgets and the plenary;

- held a thorough exchange of views with the participation of the President, Mr ONESTA, Mr FRIEDRICH, Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT, Mr TRAKATELLIS, Mrs KAUFMANN, Mr OUZKÝ, Mr COCILOVO, Mr dos SANTOS, Mr MAURO and Mr McMILLAN- SCOTT, Vice-Presidents, and Mrs LULLING, Chair-in-office of the Quaestors, and the Secretary-General on the various aspects of the proposal emphasising the necessity to provide Members and staff with correct sports facilities as a social and health related service;

- heard Mr ONESTA, Vice-President, who emphasized the need to modernize and extend the current Sports Centre in view of the significant increase in users over the last years, in order to provide Members and staff with correct sports facilities from both a social and health-related perspective, and noted that this service is not free of charge;

PE 380.280/BUR 38/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

- approved the proposal in principle to carry out the modernisation works envisaged in conformity with the wishes of the political instances and decided to transmit it, accompanied by financial and technical supporting documentation to be provided by the services, to the Committee on Budgets for consideration, under the provisions of Article 179 of the Financial Regulation, before taking a final decision on the matter.

39/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

The Bureau

- noted a letter of 8 December 2006 from Mrs QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL to President BORRELL on amendments to Articles 14 and 16 of the rules governing parliamentary expenses and allowances (PE 383.231/BUR and annex);

- took note of the amendments submitted by the Quaestors to Articles 14 and 16 in the Rules governing parliamentary allowances and expenses, following the adoption by the Bureau of the Codex for parliamentary assistants on 25 September 2006;

- held an exchange of views on the proposal with the participation of the President, Mrs ROTH-BEHRENDT and Mr COCILOVO, Vice-Presidents and Mrs QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL, Quaestor, and the Secretary-General;

- confirmed that existing contracts, thereby excluding the conclusion of new contracts, with service providers who are providing assistance to members without making human resources available, may continue to be reimbursed until the end of the current legislative term, in conformity with the current rules by way of a footnote to Article 14 providing for a transitional period until the end of the current legislative terms or until such activities have been covered under specific rules laid down by the Bureau;

- decided to invite the future Quaestors and the new Bureau, for the sake of maintaining a clear and comprehensible text, to analyse the precise nature of these contracts and to identify specific rules for these services;

- approved , the suggested amendments to Articles 14 and 16 in the Rules governing parliamentary allowances and expenses, subject to the reference to transitional measures with one additional amendment on the minimum period laid down in Article

PE 380.280/BUR 40/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

14 (6)(b) for keeping record of supporting documents after the expiry of the parliamentary mandate for a period of one year.

ANNEX

41/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

11. Proposed adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the European Parliamentary Association (EPA) for 2007 - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- noted a note of 5 December 2006 from the Secretary-General on the adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the European Parliamentary Association (EPA) for 2007 (PE 380.273/BUR and annex);

- agreed to the award to the European Parliamentary Association of an operating grant of € 121 300;

- approved the draft agreement with the European Parliamentary Association concerning the grant for 2007, attached to the Secretary-General's note.

PE 380.280/BUR 42/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

12. Proposed adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the Former Members' Association for 2007 - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- noted a note of 4 December 2006 from the Secretary-General on the adoption of a draft subsidy agreement with the Former Members' Association (PE 380.288/BUR and annex);

- agreed to the award of an operating subsidy of €100 000 to the Former Members' Association;

- decided to authorise the interpreting and translation facilities as provided for in the draft agreement;

- approved the draft agreement with the Former Members' Association relating to the subsidy for 2007, as attached to the Secretary-General's note;

- noted the request for an increase in appropriations for 2008, which will be considered in the context of the 2008 estimates.

43/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

13. Environmental certification of the construction site for the extension of the KAD Building in Luxembourg - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- took note of a note of 5 December 2006 from the Secretary-General on property policy in Luxembourg, environmental certification of the construction site for the extension of the KAD Building in Luxembourg (PE 380.296/BUR and annexes).

- noted the preliminary research carried out by the Administration with a view to achieving an environmental certification relating to the extension of the KAD building in Luxembourg,

- approved the proposed BREEAM ‘Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method’ certification, a scheme developed in the United Kingdom, to the KAD building project;

- instructed the Secretary-General and the Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Interpretation, in cooperation with the EMAS Coordinator, to take the necessary measures to achieve this environmental certification.

PE 380.280/BUR 44/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

14. Extension of the KAD Building in Luxembourg : organisational plan - Note from the Secretary-General

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- took note of a note of 5 December 2006 from the Secretary-General on property policy in Luxembourg, organisational arrangements for the construction of the extension to the KAD Building in Luxembourg (PE 380.301/BUR and annexes);

- approved the overall framework for the operation, which covers the KAD II extension and the KAD I upgrade and is in keeping with the requirements laid down in the framework agreement,

- approved the proposed internal organisational set-up covering both those involved inside the EP and external assistance with technical and financial matters,

- instructed the Secretary-General and the relevant directorates-general to put in place the framework and organisational arrangements at the earliest opportunity, with a view to the results of the studies carried out in connection with the detailed building brief being submitted to the Bureau in due time.

45/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

15. Urgent matters and any other business

15.1 Request for authorisation to hold a meeting of the EMPA Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights on 25 January 2007 instead of 27 November 2006 on the EP premises

The Bureau , taking a decision without debate

- noted a letter from Tokia SAÏFI to the President (PE 383.224/BUR);

- decided to authorise the holding of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly meeting on 25 January 2007 instead of 27 November 2006 on Parliament's premises, in view of availability of Parliament's facilities and Members' time constraints.

PE 380.280/BUR 46/48

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

16. Items for information

The Bureau

- noted a letter of 16 December 2006 from Mr Pierre de Boissieu, Deputy Secretary- General of the Council of the European Union, to Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Parliament on the Council's decision to purchase the Lex Building in Brussels (PE 383.250/BUR).

47/48 PE 380.280/BUR

EN PV BUR 11&13.12.2006

17. Date and place of next meeting

The Bureau

- decided to hold its next meeting on Wednesday, 17 January 2007 in room LOW R 1.1 of the Louise Weiss Building in Strasbourg.

o o o

On Monday, 11 December 2006, the meeting was adjourned at 9 p.m. The meeting closed at 8.13 pm on Wednesday, 13 December 2006.

o o o

PE 380.280/BUR 48/48