2019/2214(BUD) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the latest Winter Forecast of the European Commission foresees an annual growth rate of 1,2% of euro area gross domestic product (GDP) for 2021 and whereas the recent COVID-19 outbreak is likely to worsen the economic outlook significantly;

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes the explanation given in the Committee on Budgets that an increasing number of Members has taken the decision to hire a fourth assistant to cope with the increasing level of parliamentary work; notes that after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom less members have to handle the same level of legislative work; notes that the decision to provide a second office at Parliament's workplace in Strasburg has led Members to take more assistants on missions; notes the explanation that Members have undertaken more travels in recent years and will most likely continue to do so in 2021;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)

35 b. Strongly supports the results of a meeting of 10 December 2018, where the Bureau decided to modify the rules applicable to the pension scheme by increasing the retirement age from 63 to 65 years and introducing a levy of 5% to pension payments for future pensioners with a view to improve its sustainability; notes that it is estimated these rule changes adopted by the Bureau reduced the actuarial deficit by EUR 13,3 million, endorses the Bureau’s decision as a positive step;

Amendment 101 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. ~~Recalls Article 27(1) and (2) of the Statute for Members which states that “~~Notes the possible exhaustion of the vVoluntary pPension fFund set up by Parliament shall be maintained after the entry into force of this Statute for Members or former Members who have already acquired rights or future entitlements in that fund” and that “acquired rights and future entitlements shall be maintained in full”; calls upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau to fully respect the Statute for Members; and to establish with the pension fund a clear plan for Parliament assuming and and refuses the idea to use European taxpayers’ money to improve the sustakin~~g over its obligations and responsibilities for its Members’ voluntary pension scheme; supports the request from the Bureau to~~ability of the fund; stresses the need for instructing the Secretary-General to ~~investigate ways to ensure a sustainable financing of the Voluntary Pension Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Statute for Members while ensuring full transparency~~seek solutions which do not impose a further financial burden on European taxpayers;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. ~~Recalls~~Points out that this raises concerns about the possible exhaustion of the Voluntary Pension Fund; notes that Article 27(1) and (2) of the Statute for Members which states that “the voluntary pension fund set up by Parliament shall be maintained after the entry into force of this Statute for Members or former Members who have already acquired rights or future entitlements in that fund” and that “acquired rights and future entitlements shall be maintained in full”; calls upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau to ~~fully respect the Statute for Members; and to establish with the pension fund a clear plan for Parliament assuming and taking over~~exhaust all possible avenues to find a fair solution to the problem while keeping Parliament’s liability to a minimum, as taxpayers’ money its obligations and responsibilities for its Members’ voluntary pension scheme; supports the request from the Bureau to instruct the Secretary-General to investigate ways to ensure a sustainable financing of the Voluntary Pension Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Statute foinvolved; appeals on the ethical and economic conscience and the common sense of the board of directors, the Bureau and the members of the fund; explicitly invites all members of the fund to cancel their Mmembers ~~while ensuring full transparency~~hip and have their individual contributions refunded;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Recalls Article 27(1) and (2) of the Statute for Members which states that “the voluntary pension fund set up by Parliament shall be maintained after the entry into force of this Statute for Members or former Members who have already acquired rights or future entitlements in that fund” and that “acquired rights and future entitlements shall be maintained in full”; calls upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau to ~~fully respect the Statute for Members; and to~~ establish with the pension fund a clear plan for Parliament assuming and taking over its obligations and responsibilities for its Members’ voluntary pension scheme, evaluating savings where possible; supports the request from the Bureau to instruct the Secretary-General to investigate ways to ensure a sustainable financing of the Voluntary Pension Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Statute for Members while ensuring full transparency; stresses the importance to find a solution which does not impose a further financial burden on European taxpayers; stresses the need of a revision on the Statute for Members, in order to bring the pension entitlements of Members into line with the social security systems for ordinary citizens of individual Member States, as regards both the calculation of the amount and the age- and contribution-related requirements which entitle them to a pension;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36 a. Recalls that the fund was set up in 1990 to provide Members with an additional pension scheme on a voluntary basis; recalls that before the Members statute, which was introduced in 2009, Members were already eligible for a pension equivalent to those of their colleagues in the national parliaments, with the exception of Italian, French and Luxemburgish Members, who could therefore contribute to a special pension scheme of the European Parliament, which was created in 1981 solely for the needs of the aforementioned three nationalities; recalls therefore that the Voluntary Pension Fund has always constituted a purely supplementary pension;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Reiterates ~~its appeal for~~ the urge to introduce additional transparency and control regarding the General Expenditure Allowance for Members in line with the repeated calls from the Plenary; urges the Bureau to immediately resume discussions about the GEA and to come up with an agreement as soon as possible; believes that such agreement should include common rules for greater transparency and financial accountability, requiring: - Members to keep all receipts pertaining to the GEA; - the admission of an independent auditor in charge of the annual check of the accounts and the publication of an auditor's opinion; - Members to return the unspent amount of the GEA at the end of their mandate;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Reiterates its appeal for transparency and control regarding the General Expenditure Allowance for Members; stresses that any new measures should not create more bureaucracy for Members and their offices, and no additional staff costs in the administration;

Amendment 107 #

37. Reiterates its appeal for transparency ~~and control~~ regarding the General Expenditure Allowance for Members;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)

37 a. Calls in addition on the Bureau to make the following, additional changes concerning the GEA on top of those already adopted by the plenary: – a 5 % sample checks of the GEA spending by the European Parliament's internal auditing; the final results and the findings should be part of the annual internal audit report published by the European Parliament; – the need for Members to publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category(communication costs, office rental, office supplies, etc.); – the admission of an independent auditor in charge of the annual check of the accounts and the publication of an auditor’s opinion;

Amendment 109 #

38. Reminds its call to the Bureau to work on a technical solution to allow Members to exercise their right to vote while benefiting from their maternity, or paternity ~~or sickness leave~~leave; asks the Bureau to clarify which legal, financial, and technical limits such a solution entails;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. regrets that the 2021 preliminary draft estimates have therefore been set at EUR 2.110.467.628, a 3,52% increase over the 2020 budget; deplores the fact that Parliament's budget has increased steadily year on year during the last parliamentary term and calls, therefore, for Parliament to set as the main objective for its own budget that of curbing its own costs as much as possible and seeking significant savings, in order to send out a message of solidarity with EU citizens;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Reminds its call to the Bureau to work on a technical solution to allow Members to exercise their right to vote while benefiting from their maternity, paternity or sickness leave; is of the opinion that electronic voting is not a suitable option in this context;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Reminds its call to the Bureau to work on a technical solution to allow Members to exercise their right to vote while benefiting from their maternity, paternity or, sickness leave; or cases of force majeure;

Amendment 112 #

Angelika WINZIG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Reminds its call to the Bureau to work on a technical solution to allow Members to exercise their right to vote while benefiting from their maternity, paternity or ~~sickness leave~~long-term illness;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)

38 a. Calls upon the Bureau to prepare detailed contingency plans for the continued fulfilment of the Parliament’s legislative function in case the orderly functioning cannot be upheld, such as in the case of force majeure events (e.g. epidemics, natural disaster, security threats);

Amendment 114 #

Jens GEIER

39. Recalls its request regarding the amount of the allowances paid to the APAs for the missions they carry out between the three places of work of the Parliament with a view to ensuring that the Bureau ~~intervenes to fully harmonise~~harmonises it at the level of the allowance systems for civil servants, and other agents ~~and APAs~~; considers that any rise of the Members’ envelope for parliamentary assistance in the course of the mandate should have this purpose as a primary justification, as well as the reinforcement of their staffing dedicated to parliamentary work in the 3 places of work;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)

39 a. Insists that appropriate budgetary means in the Parliament’s budget shall be ensured, including necessary modifications of staff rules, to allow for Accredited Parliamentary Assistants to assist Members when in parliamentary delegation travelling to third countries, in order for Members to fairly fulfil their parliamentary duties;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Asks the Bureau to propose extending the status of APAs to local assistants in the interests of administrative simplification; asks for clarification on the criteria taken into account to establish the table of remuneration for local assistants and requests a thorough analysis of these to assess their up to date character;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Asks the Bureau to ~~propose extending~~assess the impacts of an extension of the status of APAs to local assistants in the interests of administrative simplification, while paying attention to ensure commensurate tasks and salaries in the Member States;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Asks the Bureau to ~~propose~~examine if extending the status of APAs to local assistants i~~n the interests of administrative simplificat~~s possible and to provide a financial impact assessment for such a decision;

Amendment 12 #

Angelika WINZIG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Highlights the fact that after Brexit, the same level of legislative work has to be handled by fewer Members and the same amount of committee seats have to be covered by fewer Members; asks the Parliament to provide the necessary means to Members and their offices to cope with the increased workload;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)

40 a. Calls again on the Conference of Presidents to revise the Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations and missions outside the European Union; underlines that such a revision should consider the possibility for APAs, subject to certain conditions, to accompany Members on official Parliament Delegations and Missions;

Amendment 121 #

40 a. calls on the Bureau to scrutinise the current system of budget allocation to the committees to assess its advantages and disadvantages and to increase the committees` flexibility and autonomy in the planning and allocation of funding for tasks and assignments;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)

40 b. asks the Bureau to establish full flexibility of presence for Members during Green Weeks to facilitate their working arrangements;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)

41 a. Deplores the recent price increases in the Parliament’s canteens, especially the self-service restaurant in the Altiero Spinelli building in Brussels; considers this increase has not been accompanied by food quality improvement; asks the Bureau to assess the possibility of relying on a new service provider for the Altiero Spinelli building’s self-service restaurant and to revise its subvention policy to make the meals more affordable;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

42. Recalls the recommendations of Parliament’s resolutions of 26 October 2017, 11 September 2018 and 15 January 2019 on combating sexual harassment and abuse in the Union as well as measures to prevent and combat mobbing and sexual harassment; demands that the Secretary- General provide all information on the work and that has been done in that regard and the programme for the near future; asks the Secretary-General to provide an assessment of the new harassment procedures before ~~the 2022 budgetary procedure~~presenting the 2022 estimates to the Bureau; is of the opinion that staff as well as Members should be encouraged to participate in trainings to minimise the occurrence of such events inside the Parliament;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)

42 a. Notes that Parliament’s new travel agency started operating on 1 January 2019; notes that Members experienced difficulties reaching the travel service’s call centre during and outside working hours, calls for an improvement of availability; presses for a simple and user- friendly complaints mechanism, which allows for speedy resolution of any problems; deplores that tickets proposed by the agency are not always the most cost effective ones and that Members experience considerable delays in the reimbursement of their travel costs; calls on DG FINS to launch a satisfaction survey on the services of the travel agency, and requests an evaluation of their work during the ongoing contract;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)

42 a. regrets the proposed increase of 5,3 % of the expenditure of the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations and the Committee of Independent Eminent Persons; calls for all expenditure relating to European political parties and political foundations to be discontinued and stresses the fact that they should become totally reliant on own resources, ceasing to be financially dependent on Parliament's budget;

Amendment 127 #

43 a. Emphasises that the Parliament should be a safe place to work in, both physically and psychologically; is concerned with the effect on workers of the new contracts for cleaning in the Parliament; urges the Secretary-General to verify that the highest standards of labour law are being upheld by external contractors, in particular as regards psychological pressure and working conditions;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)

43 b. Calls upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau to review the fact that spending on ‘other staff in the Secretariat and political groups’ follows a long-term growth trend (8 % per year increases since 2017), which is significantly higher than the growth in spending on parliamentary assistance (0,7 % per year over the same time period) and inflation;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that Parliament’s key functions are to co-legislate with Council, to decide on the Union budget, to represent citizens and to scrutinise the work of other Union institutions; considers as well that newly decided special committees or sub- committees should not have as a consequence the decrease of staff in the other committees;

Amendment 14 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

~~6. Highlights Parliament's role in building European political awareness and promoting Union values;~~deleted

Amendment 15 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that significant savings as compared to the proposal of the Secretary- General are required ~~to bring closer the rise of this proposal to the expected general inflation rate for 2021~~ and that all efforts to strive for the more efficient and transparent use of public money are strongly encouraged; regrets that the proposal of the Secretary-General would set the Parliament's 2021 budget at EUR 2 110 467 628, representing an overall increase of 3,52 % on the 2020 budget; deplores the fact that Parliament's budget has increased steadily year on year and calls, therefore, for Parliament to seek significant savings, in order to send out a message of solidarity with EU citizens;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that significant savings as compared to the proposal of the Secretary- General are required to bring closer the rise of this proposal to the expected general inflation rate for 2021 and that all efforts to strive for the more efficient and transparent use of public money are strongly encouraged; recommends for that purpose that adequate attention should be paid to the cost of projects, not only by the members of Committee on Budgets at the time of deciding the annual budget with the Parliament’s Bureau, but also by the latest, at the time of deciding on the launch of projects;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that ~~significant~~ savings as compared to the proposal of the ~~Secretary- General are required to bring closer the rise of this proposal to the expected general inflation rate for 2021~~Bureau are required and that all efforts to strive for the morest efficient and transparent use of public money are strongly encouraged;

Amendment 18 #

Angelika WINZIG, Olivier CHASTEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that significant savings as compared to the proposal of the Secretary- General are required to bring closer the rise of this proposal to the expected general inflation rate for 2021 and that ~~all efforts to strive~~significant steps need to be implemented for the more efficient and transparent use of public money ~~are strongly encouraged~~;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Draws the attention to the high amount of extraordinary committee meetings in Strasbourg and the growing number of staff missions between the three places of work; urges the Parliament to reduce those extraordinary meetings to a minimum so that Members can concentrate on the plenary agenda, tax payers money is saved and the CO2 footprint reduced by lowering the number of staff missions;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas a budget of EUR 2 110 467 628 has been proposed by the Secretary-General for Parliament's preliminary draft estimates for 2021, representing an overall increase of 3,52 % on the 2020 budget; whereas the estimates adopted by Parliament represented an increase of of 2,30 % (EUR 1. 953 million) for 20198, an increase of 2,48% (EUR 1 999 million) for 2019 and an increase of 2,68 % (EUR 2 050 million) for 2020;

Amendment 20 #

7 a. Highlights in this respect that requests voted by the plenary of the Parliament should be implemented as a matter of principle, without delay;

Amendment 21 #

Robert BIEDROŃ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Considers that Parliament should ensure high quality and social responsible procurement so that contracts are awarded to companies respecting environmental and core labour standards; calls for more robust scrutiny of working conditions of the Parliament's external staff;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that the Parliament is the only Union institution that is subject to universal suffrage, whose decisions have a real impact on Union citizens;, considers it of utmost importance to provide citizens with a better understanding of Parliament’s activities; , therefore welcomes the Parliament’s commitment to promote the Union not only during the electoral year but throughout the entire legislature;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the new mission statement for the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs) and the emphasis on a pro-active engagement in two-way communication with citizens and stakeholders at the local level; notes the mainstreaming of “Europa Experiences” in all Members States; considers it of outermost importance for the Parliament to continuously engage with the European citizens through various communicative channels, in the spirit ofa multifaceted political dialogue, well rooted in the European tradition of democracy, tolerance and mutual respect;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the new mission statement for the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs) and the emphasis on a pro-active engagement in two-way communication with citizens and stakeholders at the local level, by growing their network and engaging more with citizens; notes the mainstreaming of “Europa Experiences” in all Members States;

Amendment 25 #

Robert BIEDROŃ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Notes that Europa Experience centres have already been inaugurated in Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Strasbourg and in 2020 in Tallinn and that, in 2021, it is planned to set up Europa Experience centres in the new ADENAUER building in Luxembourg, in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm and Prague; calls for a continuous evaluation of the results achieved; calls for a detailed breakdown of expenditure for the establishment of the new "Europa Experiences" centres for 2021 before the Parliament’s reading of budget in Autumn 2020 as well as a detailed multi-annual budgetary planning, that factors in the running cost of each of the centers already opened; calls for stopping all new investment unless a clear and prudent budgetary plan underpins it (taking into account the closing margin of the Parliament under the administrative heading);

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Notes that Europa Experience centres have already been inaugurated in Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Strasbourg and in 2020 in Tallinn and that, in 2021, it is planned to set up Europa Experience centres in the new ADENAUER building in Luxembourg, in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm and Prague; calls for a continuous evaluation of the results achieved; calls for a detailed breakdown of expenditure for the establishment of the new "Europa Experiences" centres for 2021 before the Parliament’s reading of budget in Autumn 2020; nevertheless, Europa Experience centres across all Member States shall inform the European public, particularly within the working of various educative stages and systems, on the key legislative powers of the Parliament, while ensuring cost efficiency as a guiding budgetary principle;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Notes that Europa Experience centres have already been inaugurated in Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Strasbourg and in 2020 in Tallinn and that, in 2021, it is planned to set up Europa Experience centres in the new ADENAUER building in Luxembourg, in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm and Prague; calls for a continuous evaluation of the results achieved; calls for a detailed breakdown of expenditure for the establishment of the new "Europa Experiences" centres for 2021 before the Parliament’s reading of budget in Autumn 2020; calls for the planning of future "Europa Experiences" centres in Central and Eastern Europe, in order to contribute to reducing the divide between East and West and bring the Union closer to its citizens;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Notes that the Europa Experience centrers have already been inaugurated in Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Strasbourg and in 2020 in Tallinn and that, in 2021, it is planned to set up Europa Experience centrers in the new ADENAUER building in Luxembourg, in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm and Prague; calls for a continuous evaluation of the results achieved; calls for a detailed breakdown of expenditure for the establishment of the new "“Europa Experiences"” centrers for 2021 before the Parliament’s reading of budget in Autumn 2020; calls also for a better representation of the Union in all the capital cities of the Member States especially where there is no agency, body, or institution of the Union;

Amendment 3 #

F a. Whereas the budget of the Parliament shall ensure its regulated legislative powers and safeguard its legitimate functioning;

Amendment 30 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Note~~Regrets that Europa Experience centres have already been inaugurated in Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Strasbourg and in 2020 in Tallinn and that, in 2021, it is planned to set up Europa Experience centres in the new ADENAUER building in Luxembourg, in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm and Prague; calls for a continuous evaluation of the results achieved; calls for a detailed breakdown of expenditure for the establishment of the new "Europa Experiences" centres for 2021 before the Parliament’s reading of budget in Autumn 2020; questions the added value of the Europa Experience centres;

Amendment 31 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Requests more information on the arrangements for and cost of the creation of a series of mobile versions of the Parlamentarium, which would tour Member States to provide citizens with information on Parliament and the Union; stresses that this type of initiative must be decentralised and be carried out from the “Europa Experience” centres to make savings and to be rational; takes note that the project includes a mobile application which contains the best of existing Parlamentarium content and condemns the waste of taxpayers’ money in a propaganda campaign for the exclusive benefit of the Union system;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Requests more information on the arrangements for and cost of the creation of a series of mobile versions of the Parlamentarium, which would tour Member States to provide citizens with information on how the European Parliament and the ~~Union~~European Union work, enhancing their belonging to the European citizenship; stresses that this type of initiative must be decentralised and be carried out from the “Europa Experience” centres to make savings and to be rational; takes note that the project includes a mobile application which contains the best of existing Parlamentarium content;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Is concerned by~~Notes Parliament'’s intention to expand its activity and its diplomatic presence beyond the borders of the Union in Indonesia (Jakarta), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the United States (New York) ~~and questions the value added of it~~; requests that a detailed and thorough analysis of the representation costs and costs inherent in such expansion, namely accommodation, secretariats, staff, residence, transport, be carried out; ~~requests that an analysis be provided on the added value of the current representation of Parliament in Washingt~~calls also for a better collaboration between the European External Action Service and the European Parliament regarding the nature of the work and the status of the Parliament’s employees during their external mission;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Is concerned by~~Underlines Parliament's intention and the Bureau`s decision to expand its activity and its diplomatic presence beyond the borders of the Union in Indonesia (Jakarta), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the United States (New York) ~~and questions the value added of it~~; requests that a detailed and thorough analysis of the representation costs and costs inherent in such expansion, namely accommodation, secretariats, staff, residence, transport, be carried out~~; requests that an analysis be provided on the added value of the current representation of Parliament in Washington~~ and shared with the budgetary authority;

Amendment 36 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Is concerned by~~Regrets the Parliament's intention to expand its activity and its diplomatic presence beyond the borders of the Union in Indonesia (Jakarta), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the United States (New York) and questions the value added of it; requests that a detailed and thorough analysis of the representation costs and costs inherent in such expansion, namely accommodation, secretariats, staff, residence, transport, be carried out; requests that an analysis be provided on the added value of the current representation of Parliament in Washington; is deeply concerned about this new huge waste of taxpayers' money and recalls that foreign policy and diplomatic representation should remain exclusive competences of Member States;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Is concerned by Parliament's intention to expand its activity and its diplomatic presence beyond the borders of the Union in Indonesia (Jakarta), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the United States (New York) and questions the value added of it, in comparison with the opening of new "Europa Experience" centres in Members States; requests that a detailed and thorough analysis of the representation costs and costs inherent in such expansion, namely accommodation, secretariats, staff, residence, transport, be carried out; requests that an analysis be provided on the added value of the current representation of Parliament in Washington; calls for a study on the possibility to open external EU offices in the countries with important European communities like the United Kingdom or the Republic of Moldova;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Is concerned by Parliament's intention to expand its activity and its diplomatic presence beyond the borders of the Union in Indonesia (Jakarta), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the United States (New York) and ~~questions~~fails to see the value added of it; requests that a detailed and thorough analysis of the representation costs and costs inherent in such expansion, namely accommodation, secretariats, staff, residence, transport, be carried out; requests that an analysis be provided on the added value of the current representation of Parliament in Washington;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Calls on the European Parliament to develop a new communication strategy for the new European diaspora composed of European citizens living in another Member State; the new communication strategy should involve MEPs elected in constituencies that allow the vote of persons outside the country and include specific means, like documents in the mother tongue, for the offices of the European Parliament; calls for the provision of extra-financial resources from the European Parliament's budget to the MEPs elected in constituencies that allow the vote of persons outside the country for the expenses generated by communication with European citizens in other Member States (transport costs, communication expenses, organization costs of events, expenses for the opening of offices of MEP); recommends that the European Parliament develops a specific communication strategy designed for the most significant European communities that do not live in a Member State but that can vote in the European elections;

Amendment 4 #

Jens GEIER

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. Whereas MEPs legislative workload has been extended and complemented strongly by communication activities as citizens are more interested in European affairs than ever before and expect today to be in touch with their representatives through traditional and ever new social media platforms; whereas as a result the implementation rate of the parliamentary assistance allowance has increased in recent years;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that Parliament invests considerable efforts in the services it offers to visitors, especially for young people that will remain a key target group; requests more information on the new visitors strategy and the four-year information campaign before the Parliament’s reading of the budget in autumn 2020; calls for a thorough evaluation of the communication campaign undertaken before and during the European elections 2019; is of the opinion that any new communication measures should be based on an objective and factual analysis of this evaluation;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that Parliament invests considerable efforts in the services it offers to visitors, especially for young people that will remain a key target group and calls on the responsible services to inform about sustainable travel choices and evaluate the possibility to introduce a degressive reimbursement rate according to the sustainability of the travel choice especially for visitors in a 700 km radius of the institutions;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that Parliament invests considerable efforts in the services it offers to visitors, especially for young people that will remain a key target group; calls for a dedicated visitors service for seniors highlighting EU programmes and policies that benefit active ageing;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the fact that Parliament invests considerable efforts in the services it offers to visitors, especially for young people ~~that~~who will remain a key target group;

Amendment 44 #

Hélène LAPORTE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ~~Welcom~~Notes the fact that Parliament invests considerable efforts in the services it offers to visitors, especially for young people that will remain a key target group;

Amendment 45 #

Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 46 #

Robert BIEDROŃ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the proposal to transform the biennial European Youth Event (EYE) into a coherent process so that the period before and after the EYE are turned into a series of meaningful interactions between Parliament and young people; considers, however, that Parliament should reimburse the travel and accommodation expenses of young people in Strasbourg for reasons of equity and social justice; ~~requests that the arrangements for reimbursement are clearly set out on the Parliament’s website~~calls for this dialogue and interactions not to be limited to university students, as the opportunities should be also offered to students of secondary school or vocational trainings; requests that the arrangements for reimbursement are clearly set out on the Parliament’s website; note that additional financial means should be provided to ensure broad participation of young people from different countries and with different backgrounds;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the proposal to transform the biennial European Youth Event (EYE) into a coherent process so that the period before and after the EYE are turned into a series of meaningful interactions between Parliament and young people; considers, however, that Parliament should reimburse the travel and accommodation expenses of young people participating at the event in Strasbourg for reasons of equity and social justice; requests that the arrangements for reimbursement are clearly set out on the Parliament’s website; invites the European Parliament to develop similar meetings between MEPs and young people at local level through its European Parliament Liaison Offices;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Underlines that the European Parliament should be fully capable of properly participate in the process of the Conference on the Future of Europe, and commits therefore to come up with the potentially needed reinforcements during the annual budgetary procedure for 2021 or in the course of the budget 2021 execution through the transfer procedure;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recommends that the annual budget planning take into account regular renovation of all buildings and that an amount corresponding to 3 % of the total surface area of all buildings be allocated for that purpose, as already reflected in the "Building strategy beyond 2019" adopted by the Bureau on April 16, 201813 ; considers such allocation to be part of a regular and anticipatory building policy and should also focus on deep-retrofitting and should ensure that Parliament strives for a maximum improvement in energy efficiency and hence savings in the energy consumption and cost of the Parliament’s facilities; _________________ 13In line with the minimum energy performance requirements as laid out in Article 5 of the energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU.

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that the largest part of Parliament's budget is fixed by statutory or contractual obligations and is subject to annual indexation and for 2021 those obligations are estimated at EUR 32 million; yet, stresses that the overall 2021 Parliament budget negotiated within the framework of an interinstitutional agreement on the next multiannual framework 2021-2027 shall ensure the institutions' full legislative competence and guarantee its proper functioning;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Takes note that after completion of the works on the east wing of the new Konrad Adenauer building in Luxembourg in 2020 and the gradual move of staff into the new building, the works on the west wing should get underway in 2021; asks for further details regarding the expenditure for the project management of the construction of the west wing and the security surveillance of the construction site; reiterates its wish for the Secretary- General to obtain details of the gradual staff move; calls furthermore for a review of the spaces needed by the Parliament in light of the expected increase in teleworking;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Welcomes the reduction of EUR 11,5 million relating to rent, maintenance and energy costs in 2021 compared to 2020 resulting from the move into the new Adenauer building and the abandonment of Towers A and B in Luxembourg; requests an overview of all other currently rented buildings that will remain occupied in 2021 as well as a detailed projection of the growing energy costs;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Takes note of the ongoing practice of the year-end ‘mopping-up transfer’ to contribute to current building projects; highlights that this ‘mopping-up transfer’ takes place systematically on the same chapters, titles and, often, exactly on the same budgetary lines; considers that such a legal practice risks being perceived as a programmed over- evaluation of these, in order to generate funds for the financing ofexplanation given in the budget committee that Parliament has saved throughout the last years an amount of almost EUR 100 million in interest due to this very favourable practice and stresses that Parliament has thus been able to keep its significant building projects financially under control; highlights that Parliament’`s bu~~ilding policy; calls for a reflection on the financing of key investments in the building policy~~dget implementation rate is at almost 99 %, which limits the possibility of mapping-up transfers to a healthy exercise and does not constitute a programme over-evaluation;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Takes note of the ongoing practice of the year-end ‘mopping-up transfer’ to contribute to current building projects; highlights that this ‘mopping-up transfer’ takes place systematically on the same chapters, titles and, often, exactly on the same budgetary lines; considers that such a legal practice risks being perceived as a programmed over- evaluation of these, in order to generate funds for the financing of Parliament’s building policy; disapproves the practice of using the year-end 'mopping up transfer' to contribute to current building projects considering that it exists contradiction between the transparency of building projects within the Parliament's budget and incentivises over-budgeting in certain areas; calls for a reflection on the financing of key investments in the building policy;

Amendment 54 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Takes note of~~Disapproves the ongoing practice of the year-end ‘mopping-up transfer’ to contribute to current building projects and considers that it exists in tension with the transparency of building projects within the Parliament's budget; highlights that this ‘mopping-up transfer’ takes place systematically on the same chapters, titles and, often, exactly on the same budgetary lines; considers that such a legal practice risks being perceived as a programmed over- evaluation of these, in order to generate funds for the financing of Parliament’s building policy; calls for a reflection on the financing of ~~key~~ investments in the building policy;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 56 #

Fabienne KELLER, Olivier CHASTEL, Valérie HAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Bureau to make known its decision on the future of the Spaak building in Brussels as well as all the supporting documents available within the services; notes that the renovation and redesign process should aim at meeting clearly defined new needs as described in the updated building strategy beyond 2019; takes note of the unavailability during renovation works of the Spaak building for a period of approximately five years; reiterates its request that the Committee on Budgets be provided with an estimate and a detailed breakdown of the costs once the Bureau has made the decision; reminds that the 2021 budget includes items for the preparation of the works in the Spaak building;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Bureau to make known its decision on the future of the Spaak building in Brussels; notes that the renovation ~~and redesign process should aim at meeting clearly defined new needs~~could also present an opportunity to optimize the already available surfaces according to the current needs of the Parliament as described in the updated building strategy beyond 2019; takes note of the unavailability during renovation works of the Spaak building for a period of approximately five years; reiterates its request that the Committee on Budgets be provided with an estimate and a detailed breakdown of the costs once the Bureau has made the decision;

Amendment 58 #

Bogdan RZOŃCA, Johan VAN OVERTVELDT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls upon the Secretary-General to consider an appropriate period to recover recyclable materials such as copper, cladding and others for re-use and repurposing through a specialised company;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls th~~e need to find a solution for a single seat for the Parliament~~ at a vast majority of Parliament expressed in various resolutions support for a single seat to ensure efficient spending o~~rder to optimise parliamentary and institutional work and reduce significant political and financial costs and the carbon footpri~~f Union taxpayers money and to assume its institutional responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint; notes that the Court of Auditors estimated that moving from Strasbourg to Brussels could generate annual savings of EUR 114 million plus a one-off saving of EUR 616 million if the Strasbourg buildings are successfully divested, or a one-off cost of EUR 40 million if they are not; therefore recalls the need to find a solution for a single seat for the Parliament;

Amendment 6 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Hélène LAPORTE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Emphasis~~Notes that the largest part of Parliament's budget is fixed by statutory or contractual obligations and is subject to annual indexation and for 2021 those obligations are estimated at EUR 32 million;

Amendment 60 #

Valérie HAYER, Fabienne KELLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls th~~e need to find a solution for a single seat for the Parliament in order to optimise parliamentary and institutional work and reduce significant political and financial costs and the carbon footprint~~at the geographical dispersion of the Parliament's three seats amounts to 6% of the institution’s overall budget; considers we need to find solutions to optimise related expenditure and diminish the environmental impact due to this dispersion;

Amendment 61 #

Fabienne KELLER, Valérie HAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls the need to find a solution for a single seat for the Parliament in order to optimise parliamentary and institutional work and reduce significant political and financial costs and the carbon footprint; emphasises the annual environmental impact of the geographic dispersion is estimated to be between 11 000 to 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions; underlines the negative public perception caused by this dispersion and calls, therefore, for practical steps to be taken quickly to establish a single seat for Parliament, in order to prevent any further waste of public money; deplores the fact that over a single parliamentary term the costs generated by Parliament's geographic dispersion can amount to as much as EUR 1 billion;

Amendment 62 #

Marco ZANNI, Anna BONFRISCO, Valentino GRANT, Matteo ADINOLFI, Annalisa TARDINO, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls the need to find a solution for a single seat for the Parliament in order to optimise parliamentary and institutional work and reduce significant political and financial costs and the carbon footprint; recalls the Parliament’s 2013 resolution which estimated the costs of the geographic dispersion of the Parliament to range from EUR 156 million to EUR 204 million per year and deplores hence the fact that over a single parliamentary term the costs generated by Parliament's geographic dispersion can amount to as much as EUR 1 billion; calls therefore for a roadmap to a single seat in order to prevent any further waste of public money;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls the need to find a solution ~~for a single seat for the Parliament in order~~s to optimise parliamentary ~~and~~ institutional work ~~and reduce significant political and~~, financial costs and the carbon footprint with due regard for geographical dispersion of the Parliament’s three seats;

Amendment 64 #

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Olivier CHASTEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Welcomes the idea that the Parliament is committed to create a built environment accessible to all users; stresses that works to improve the accessibility for pe~~opl~~rsons with disabilities and those with reduced mobility already started in Strasbourg and that the projects will continue in 2021 in both Brussels and Strasbourg, but also in six EPLOs; asks to continue the renovation of its adaptations in all other buildings of the Parliament by committing to the functional accessibility requirements for the built environment laid down in Annex III of the Directive (EU) 2019/882, and by referring to relevant international and European standards to fulfil those requirements in procurement procedures so members, staff and visitors with disabilities and those with reduced mobility can access the buildings and make use of its facilities on an equal basis with others in line with the obligations set by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Welcomes the idea that the Parliament is committed to create a built environment accessible to all users in line with EU standards; stresses that works to improve the accessibility for people with reduced mobility already started in Strasbourg and that the projects will continue in 2021 in both Brussels and Strasbourg, but also in six EPLOs; asks to continue the renovation of its adaptations in all other buildings of the Parliament, as well as to ensure reasonable accommodation for all persons with disabilities;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Welcomes the idea that the Parliament is committed to create a ~~built~~n environment accessible to all users; stresses that works to improve the accessibility for people with reduced mobility have already started in Strasbourg and that the projects will continue in 2021 in both Brussels and Strasbourg, but also in six EPLOs; asks to continue ~~the~~such renovation ~~of its adaptation~~s in all other buildings of ~~the~~ Parliament;

Amendment 67 #

Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Calls to undertake the additional necessary adaptation and renovation of the Parliament's buildings to ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities, and to ensure adequate budget to provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities when necessary;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. CSupports the investment made by the Parliament to maintain a modern and efficient workplace; considers that the building security and the cyber-security are essential for the ~~safety of life in~~functioning of Parliament; welcomes the fact that with the entrance of WEISS building the Parliament will have almost finished the work to secure all of its buildings, reiterates that IT security shall remain a top priority as well as powerful and secure cloud services, fully respecting data protection;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Considers that the building security and the cyber-security are essential for the safety of life in Parliament; welcomes the fact that with the entrance of WEISS building the Parliament will have almost finished the work to secure all of its buildings,; requests updated information on the overall costs of this project; reiterates that IT security shall remain a top priority;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes the ongoing negotiations on the new multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and the uncertainty regarding the funding level of the new Heading 7 - European Public Administration; stresses that Parliament has fulfilled the 5% staff reduction objective and actually saw an overall cut of 6%; highlights that Parliament after the Lisbon Treaty had to cope with an increased amount of tasks and specialised committees, which has translated into a significant increase of legislative and coordination work; underlines that significant synergies and savings have been achieved in the last legislative term; stresses that the functionality of the Parliament depends on the fulfilment of its administrative tasks, which require adequate staffing levels;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. calls on the European Parliament to ensure the proper implementation of the new cybersecurity and IT infrastructure and to address adequately the issue of costs; invites the European Parliament to study the possibility of using open source infrastructure;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Supports the investment made by the Parliament to maintain a modern and efficient workplace; considers it essential to have a powerful and secure cloud service, particularly with regard to data protection;deleted

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Notes that DG TRAD is aiming to develop a tool that is able to automatically transcribe and translate parliamentary multilingual debates in real time, so that all citizens have equal access to information in their language; ~~asks that a financial analysis be carried out on the total cost of the whole project~~highlights that the effectiveness and added value of such tools have to be ensured and proven in advance in all 24 official languages; asks that a financial analysis be carried out on the total cost of the whole project; considers therefore that the means dedicated to multilingualism, namely translation and interpretation, should not be reduced, as long as no reduction in workload is performed;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29 a. highlights that the travel expenditure system for Members is unsatisfactory in terms of user- friendliness and transparency; requests that the necessary system adaptations and changes are undertaken in due time to ensure efficient, easy, and user-friendly travel expense reporting; stresses that the assignment of up to three numbers for each travel claim depending on the involved unit leads to a lack of clarity and complexity that hinders the efficient execution of the claim as well as its traceability;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29 a. Calls for the further development of stable and secure teleworking facilities for all devices;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)

29 b. notes with concern that the flow of reported issues between units in the IT department is inadequate; highlights the need for timely improvements to ensure the processing of such issues in due time and the clear identification of responsibility within the department;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. ~~Underlin~~Recognizes that s~~ince 2016, the Parliament is the first Union institution to become carbon neutral, because after making all possible efforts~~ome efforts have been made to reduce ~~its~~the CO2 emissions~~, it offsets 100 % of its irreducible emissions~~ resulting from the activities of the European Parliament;

Amendment 79 #

Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30 a. Emphasizes that approximately 67% to Parliament`s carbon footprint originates from transport of persons; calls for the collection and making available to the Committee on Budgets of detailed data regarding travel of Members, parliamentary assistants and staff, including on the mode of transport, price of transport and CO2 emissions that result from such travel ahead of the 2022 budgetary process; asks for a detailed reporting and accounting of the Parliament’s CO2 offsetting as a matter of urgency; expects the Bureau to work out a travel reimbursement system which includes the cost of the CO2 offsetting to the price of the travel and incentivise the use of eco-friendly transportation;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes the ongoing negotiations on the new multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and the uncertainty regarding the funding level of the new Heading 7 - European Public Administration; underlines the need of additional savings, in order to send a strong message to the European citizens who face the consequences of austerity policies;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)

30 b. Points at the direct, regular, quick and, for the Members free to use train connection between the Brussels Parliament and Brussels airport and calls for an immediate suspension of the drivers service for these journeys;

Amendment 81 #

Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. WReminds that carbon footprint scope of the Parliament encompasses the following 7 main categories: energy consumption; leak of refrigerant gases, freight, transport of persons, supply of equipment and services, direct waste, and fixed assets; welcomes the Bureau decision that new and more ambitious environmental targets were set for the current legislative term, that should be achieved by 2024 in key areas such as carbon footprint reduction, reduction of carbon emissions from transport of persons, reduction of gas, heating oil and district heating consumption, reduction of electricity consumption, reduction of paper consumption, reduction of non recycled waste, reduction of water consumption and reduction of food waste; calls for a detailed roadmap on achieving these targets to be presented to the Committee on Budgets; calls for an annual review of results and the option to increase the ambition of these standards by mid-term in 2022;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Bureau decision that new and more ambitious environmental targets were set for the current legislative term, that should be achieved by 2024 in key areas such as carbon footprint reduction, reduction of carbon emissions from transport of persons, reduction of gas, heating oil and district heating consumption, reduction of electricity consumption, reduction of paper consumption, reduction of non recycled waste, reduction of water consumption and reduction of food waste;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Welcomes the new parking policy developed in the car parks of the Parliament aimed at promoting the use of electric vehicles, namely bicycles, cargo- bikes, scooters and cars, through the installation of electric charging stations; calls for that policy to be extended to all other Parliament car parks; supports all future measures to encourage Members and staff to reduce the use of passenger cars and to prioritise the use of public transport and bicycles, including also financial incentives;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers that Members should not be reimbursed for business class airline tickets when traveling within the Union; urges Parliament to encourage the use of transport that respects the environment and proposes that the reiEncourages Members to use transport possibilities that respect the environment objectives envisioned by Parliament and counts on their rationality to pick the most adequate transport alternative in terms of sustainability and effectiveness; underlines that travels of many Membuers~~ement for flights of less than one hour would only be granted if no other more sustainabl~~ from their constituencies to the places of work of Parliament require long journeys and can only be aund ~~realistic alternatives exist~~ertaken by plane;

Amendment 85 #

Jens GEIER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers that Members should not be reimbursed for business class airline tickets when traveling within the Union unless in cases where economy class tickets were not available anymore or more expensive; urges Parliament to encourage the use of transport that respects the environment and proposes that the reimbursement for flights of less than one hour would only be granted if no other more sustainable and realistic alternatives exist;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers that Members should not be reimbursed for business class airline tickets when traveling within the Union or, for travel outside of the Union, for flights shorter than five hours; urges Parliament to encourage the use of transport that respects the environment and proposes that the reimbursement for flights of less than one hour would only be granted if no other more sustainable and realistic alternatives exist;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers that Members should not be reimbursed for business class airline tickets when traveling within the Union, except outermost regions; urges Parliament to encourage the use of transport that respects the environment and proposes that the reimbursement for flights of less than one hour would only be granted if no other more sustainable and realistic alternatives exist;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

33 a. Emphasizes that Parliament's Drivers' Service should be used by Members exclusively for journeys to Parliament's premises from the airport/station or vice versa (primary journeys) and that Parliament minivans and minibuses should be used only for this purpose; recalls that in Belgium Members can use trains free of charge; regrets that the Parliament's cars are moving monthly to Strasbourg and back with no passengers and invites the General Secretariat to evaluate a way to give the opportunity to share these cars during the monthly transfers;

Amendment 89 #

Valérie HAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls for the protection of the environment and the saving of resources; is concerned, in this regard, by the fact that several Members do not use their free Belgian railway travel pass; calls on the Bureau to give the financial details of the agreement with the SNCB/NMBS and to find a solution for optimising the use of these passes; recalls its request to make greater use of videoconferencing and other technologies, in particular by rationalising the missions of staff between the different workplaces; welcomes the notice of the Questors of 18 February 2020 to encourage members and political group secretariats to apply the trunk-sharing policy with the aim of decreasing the number of lorries needed for Strasbourg missions thereby helping to reduce Parliament’s carbon footprint;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes the ongoing negotiations on the new multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and the uncertainty regarding the funding level of the new Heading 7 - European Public Administration and the fact that inter-institutional pensions covered in this heading are projected to significantly increase in the coming years ;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls for the protection of the environment and the saving of resources; recalls its request to make greater use of videoconferencing and other technologies, in particular by rationalising the missions of staff between the different workplaces; welcomes the notice of the Questors of 18 February 2020 to encourage members and political group secretariats to apply the trunk-sharing policy with the aim of decreasing the number of lorries needed for Strasbourg missions thereby helping to reduce Parliament’s carbon footprint; calls for a strategy to stop trunks in line with the EMAS target for a paperless EP as soon as possible; is of the opinion that in this regard, the trunk service should need to be requested from 2021;

Amendment 91 #

Fabienne KELLER, Valérie HAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls for the protection of the environment and the saving of resources; recalls its request to make greater use of videoconferencing, including with external participants through the use of wide spread software and other technologies, in particular by rationalising the missions of staff between the different workplaces; welcomes the notice of the Questors of 18 February 2020 to encourage members and political group secretariats to apply the trunk-sharing policy with the aim of decreasing the number of lorries needed for Strasbourg missions thereby helping to reduce Parliament’s carbon footprint;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls for the protection of the environment and the saving of resources; recalls its request to make greater use of videoconferencing and other technologies~~, in particular by rationalising the missions of staff between the different workplaces~~; welcomes the notice of the Questors of 18 February 2020 to encourage members and political group secretariats to apply the trunk-sharing policy with the aim of decreasing the number of lorries needed for Strasbourg missions thereby helping to reduce Parliament’s carbon footprint;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls for the protection of the environment and the saving of resources; recalls its request to make greater use of videoconferencing and other technologies, in particular by rationalising the missions of staff between the different workplaces; welcomes the notice of the Questors of 18 February 2020 to encourage members and political group secretariats to apply the voluntary trunk-sharing policy with the aim of decreasing the number of lorries needed for Strasbourg missions thereby helping to reduce Parliament’s carbon footprint;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Reiterates its concern about the additional expenditure on interpretation of the oral explanations of votes and one- minute speeches during plenary sessions; stresses that the cost of translating and interpreting the oral explanation of votes is estimated at EUR 21,431 per voting day or EUR 900,102 per year; recalls that alternatives, such as a written explanation of votes as well as various public communication facilities, are available to Members wishing to explain their voting positions or raise issues pertinent to the concerns of their electorate; in that context, considers that in order to achieve significant savings, the oral explanation of votes and the one-minute speeches could be abolished;deleted

Amendment 95 #

Valérie HAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Reiterates its concern about the additional expenditure on interpretation of the oral explanations of votes ~~and one- minute speeches~~ during plenary sessions; stresses that the cost of translating and interpreting the oral explanation of votes is estimated at EUR 21,431 per voting day or EUR 900,102 per year; recalls that alternatives, such as a written explanation of votes as well as various public communication facilities, are available to Members wishing to explain their voting positions or raise issues pertinent to the concerns of their electorate; ~~in that context, considers that in order to achieve significant savings, the oral explanation of votes and the one-minute speeches could be abolished;~~

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Reiterates its concern about the additional expenditure on interpretation of the oral explanations of votes and one- minute -speeches during plenary sessions; stresses that the cost of translating and interpreting the oral explanation of votes is estimated at EUR 21,431 per voting day or EUR 900,102 per year; recalls thate alternatives, such as a written explanation of votes as well as various public communication facilities, are available to Members wishing to explain their voting positions or raise issues pertinent to the concerns of their electorate;, in that context, considers that in order to achieve significant savings, the oral explanation of votes ~~and the one-minute speeches could be abolished~~could be abolished; calls for a reasonable use of the Parliament's resources; recalls nonetheless that the democratic instruments of the Members, such as “one-minute speech”, should not be the subject of budgetary cuts if the subject of the “one-minute speech” is tackling issues different from the subjects already on the agenda;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Reiterates its concern about the additional expenditure on interpretation of the oral explanations of votes ~~and one- minute speeches~~ during plenary sessions; stresses that the cost of translating and interpreting the oral explanation of votes is estimated at EUR 21,431 per voting day or EUR 900,102 per year; recalls that alternatives, such as a written explanation of votes as well as various public communication facilities, are available to Members wishing to explain their voting positions ~~or raise issues pertinent to the concerns of their electorate~~; in that context, considers that in order to achieve significant savings, the oral explanation of votes ~~and the one-minute speeches~~ could be abolished;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35 a. Notes that the voluntary pension scheme has an estimated actuarial deficit of EUR 286,1 million at the end of 2018; further notes that at the end of 2018, the amount of net assets to be taken into account and the actuarial commitment amount to EUR 112,3 million and EUR 398,4 million respectively; as such notes that the assets barely cover 28% of the commitments of the pension scheme; recalls that the projected future liabilities are spread over several decades but notes that the total amount paid by the voluntary pension fund in 2018 amounts to EUR 17,8 million;

Amendment 99 #