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___________________________________________________________________________ INFORMATION ON THE BUDGETARY AND THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN 2016 AND REPLIES TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE IN PREPARATION FOR THE EP DISCHARGE FOR 2016 Page 1 of 143 Table of contents Introduction..........................................................................................................................3 A. Enhancing the security of Parliament .........................................................................4 A.1. Stepping up cooperation with national authorities and the other institutions......4 A.2. iPACS project ......................................................................................................5 A.3. Measures to make Parliament’s buildings more secure.......................................5 A.4. Internalisation of drivers......................................................................................5 B. Enhancing the work of Parliament and its Members in order to complete the legislative cycle......................................................................................................................6 B.1. Searching for and managing knowledge..............................................................6 B.2. Supporting political priorities ..............................................................................6 B.3. Internal policies....................................................................................................7 B.4. External policies...................................................................................................8 B.5. Improving plenary sitting services and provision of ICT to Members in their constituency offices ...........................................................................................................9 C. Communication and visitor reception.........................................................................9 C.1 Media and Stakeholder dialogue .............................................................................9 C.2 EP Ambassador School programme ......................................................................10 C.3 Visitors projects.....................................................................................................10 C.4 Events and exhibitions...........................................................................................11 C.5 Lux Prize, Shakarov Prize and European Citizen’s Prize .....................................11 C.6 AskEP ....................................................................................................................12 C.7 Other activities.......................................................................................................12 D. Continuing to implement the multiannual programmes to rationalise and modernise key parts of Parliament’s Administration ............................................................................13 D.1 Buildings policy.....................................................................................................13 D.2 Environmental policy ............................................................................................15 D.3 Catering policy ......................................................................................................17 D.4 Modernisation of information technologies ..........................................................17 E. Other modernisation measures..................................................................................19 E.1. Financial and budgetary management ...................................................................19 E.2. Improving services to Members: Members' Portal and e-Portal ...........................19 E.3. Human resources management..............................................................................19 E.4. Parliamentary assistance........................................................................................20 F. Impact of the Brexit vote ..........................................................................................21 PARLIAMENT'S GENERAL CONTEXT .........................................................................22 COMMUNICATION...........................................................................................................34 TRAINING ..........................................................................................................................45 ACCREDITED PARLIAMENTARY ASSISTANTS (APA).............................................50 HARASSEMENT................................................................................................................56 STAFF..................................................................................................................................60 INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOGISTICS ...........................................................................73 INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION.....................................................................93 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION.............................................................................108 INNOVATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..............................................................129 SECURITY AND SAFETY ..............................................................................................134 GREEN PARLIAMENT ...................................................................................................137 Page 2 of 143 Introduction This document presents the answers by the Secretary General to the questions tabled by Members of the Committee on Budgetary Control in the preparation to the decision on the European Parliament’s discharge for budgetary and financial management of the year 2016. In this context, the following introduction gives an overview of the main characteristics of the year 2016, Parliament’s use made of financial resources and important events as well as the fulfilment of the objectives for that year as they were formulated in Parliament’s budget as adopted by the budgetary institutions and by its Bureau’s decisions. BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN 2016 Parliament's final appropriations for 2016 totalled EUR 1 838 613 983, or 19.39 % of heading V of the Multiannual Financial Framework1. In 2016, 99.2% of the final budget was committed and only 0.8% (EUR 14 769 811) had to be cancelled. This excellent result could be achieved thanks to a combination of a very high degree of implementation of the budget as requested by the financial authorities on the one hand and an end of the year transfer of EUR 53.5 Mio of unspent funds on the request of the Joint Working Group of the Bureau and Committee on Budgets and following a positive opinion by the Committee on Budgets, so as to help fund the extension and modernisation of the Konrad Adenauer Building (KAD), which is the main construction project in Luxembourg. As a result of this an estimated EUR 13.8 Mio in financing charges will be saved over the construction period and loan amortisation period. Without this end of the year transfer, 96.3% of the final budget had been committed. In 2016 four chapters accounted for 70% of total commitments. Those chapters were Chapter 10 ‘Members of the institution’, Chapter 12 ‘Officials and temporary staff’, Chapter 20 ‘Buildings and associated costs’ and Chapter 42 ‘Expenditure relating to parliamentary assistance’. 1 Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884). Page 3 of 143 COMPLIANCE OF BUDGETARY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WITH POLITICAL DECISIONS The objectives pursued and outcomes achieved in 2016, which are set out below, stem from the priorities and decisions adopted by the Bureau in 2016, the guidelines adopted by Parliament in its budget resolutions, and the goals and achievements of the Parliamentary Project Portfolio2. A. Enhancing the security of Parliament A.1. Stepping up cooperation with national authorities and the other institutions In response to increased security threats, cooperation in this area was stepped up between Parliament and the national authorities of the host countries, in particular the Belgian authorities. A high-level working group on security issues was set up, with a very small number of members. Two key issues were discussed: the need for a clear and formally established definition of the European district and the designation of a single body within the Belgian authorities to consider, track and take action on all security issues that arise in the district. Other more general issues were also discussed, such as CCTV coverage, specific security measures for events held in public places, the conclusion of a formal agreement on a police and military presence, even when the state of alert is at its lowest, and security screening of external service 2 Set of strategic projects adopted by Parliament’s administration and to be implemented over a period of 3 years. Page 4 of 143 providers employed by the European institutions. Agreements were reached with national authorities on these matters. A.2. iPACS project The integrated Physical Access Control System (iPACS) project was adopted by the Bureau on 9 March 2015 with a view to acquiring new security techniques to step up security in Parliament by giving it modern, integrated, non-invasive technological tools capable of assimilating future technological developments. In accordance with the Bureau decision, a schedule