3.4.2004   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 84/350

1.

By how many persons has the staff of the European Commission representation in Delhi increased since ‘deconcentration’? What is the justification for that increase? For what specific tasks were new staff recruited?

2.

Since what date has the European Commission representation been renting the fifth floor of the Taj Mahal Hotel, how many square metres are being rented there, and what is the monthly rental?

3.

Does the Commission feel that it is making a good impression on its relations with India and on the citizens of Delhi by renting a floor in a five-star luxury hotel?

4.

By what date will the Commission terminate its lease and move to premises which are appropriate for diplomatic relations and, hence, significantly less expensive?

5.

Will the Commission give an overview of its representations which have rented additional accommodation since deconcentration and indicate the additional cost, broken down by representation?

1.

The Commission would firstly like to recall the basic principle of devolution, namely that ‘anything that can be better managed and decided on the spot, close to what is happening on the ground, should not be managed or decided in Brussels. Deconcentration [SIC] therefore involves conferring on the Delegations the powers of technical, financial and contractual management for implementing Community aid that were formerly held by the Headquarters’. To enable them to meet their new responsibilities, the Delegations must be strengthened, especially in terms of human resources.

In the case of India, the main areas involved are the following: trade and development of the private sector, civil society, NGO (non-governmental organisation) projects and operations, institutional support, human rights, refugees, reconstruction (e.g. Gujarat), environment and natural resources, social sectors such as health, education and gender issues.

It should be noted that the Delegation in India also has regional responsibilities (Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan). It therefore takes on full financial and contractual responsibilities for the various countries it covers. This is reflected in the number of staff.

Before devolution started in 2001, the Delegation in India consisted of 39 permanent posts, not including those of detached national officials and young experts, which derive from partnership with the Member States and are not permanent resources. In the wake of devolution, the Delegation in India now consists of 81 posts.

The 42 extra posts are broken down as follows:

2.

Several temporary solutions were examined to accommodate the additional staff. Of these, the most favourable was renting 31 rooms (1 308 m2) at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Compared to other proposals, its advantages were the absence of heavy investment in the installations and refurbishing of small temporary offices, and, compared with the other hotels analysed, it provided the cheapest solution. The monthly rent is INR 1 953 000 (EUR 34 036 equivalent to EUR 26 per m2 a month), including electricity, air-conditioning and heating, housekeeping and regular maintenance, and it is located at 500 m from the main Delegation's premises. This compares favourably with the rent paid at present for the Delegation's main building (65 Golf Links) which is EUR 29 700 for 837 m2 (equivalent to EUR 35,5 per m2 a month), excluding any operational or overhead expenses.

The lease contract started on 15 May 2002 for a six-month (renewable) period. A new contract started on 16 February 2003 under the same conditions, and has been renewed since.

3.

The renting of offices at the Taj Mahal Hotel is a temporary and provisional installation of part of the Delegation's staff. The main Delegation building, unsuitable for the present size of the Delegation, is still at 6 5 Golf Links.

4.

The temporary solution of renting additional offices at the Taj Mahal Hotel was foreseen to last six months, i.e. until 15 August 2003. However, the difficulties existing in the real estate market, which have increased because of Indo-Pakistani tensions, has made the research even more difficult, and the lease was renewed for a further six months, i.e. until 15 February 2004. The last proposal for a permanent solution identified at the end of 2003 was turned down because of security concerns of the building.

5.

As the devolution exercise is still ongoing, it is not possible to provide details of the total costs concerned. Only when the whole process is finished will the Commission be able to give precise figures concerning the actual budgetary impact of the increase of its staff in Delegations. As the Commission does not rent separate office premises solely for devolution purposes, in many cases the increase in office space requirements is covered through an extension of the building already rented.