27.9.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 354/1

I.

A.

B.

C.

D.

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F.

G.

H.

II.

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B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

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H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

III.

A.

A.1.

A.2.

A.3.

B.

B.1.

B.2.

B.3.

B.4.

C.

C.1.

C.2.

C.3.

C.4.

C.5.

D.

D.1.

D.2.

D.3.

D.4.

E.

E.1.

E.2.

E.3.

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IV.

Annex I —

Annex II —

Annex III —

Annex IV —

Annex V —

Annex VI —

1.

This report analyses the European Parliament’s budgetary and financial management during the financial year 2015. It outlines the use made of financial resources and the events which had a significant influence on activities during the year (Parts I and II) and gives an overview of the results achieved as against the objectives set for 2015 (Part III).

2.

The report has been drawn up in accordance with Article 142 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (1), hereinafter referred to as ‘the Financial Regulation’, and with Article 227 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (2). The analysis is based on the provisional accounts established by the Accounting Officer.

3.

Parliament’s final appropriations for 2015 totalled EUR 1 794 929 112, or 19,78 % of heading V of the Multiannual Financial Framework (3). Table 1 below provides an overview of the implementation of Parliament’s budget in the financial year 2015.

Table 1

Use of appropriations

4.

Total appropriations in Parliament’s final budget for 2015 were EUR 1 794 929 112, representing a 2,2 % increase over the 2014 budget (EUR 1 755 631 742).

5.

Commitments totalled EUR 1 778 822 039, accounting for 99 % of final appropriations (2014: 99 %). Payments totalled EUR 1 489 498 132, or 84 % of commitments entered into (2014: 84 %).

6.

Automatic carryovers to financial year 2016 totalled EUR 289 323 907, accounting for 16 % of the total appropriations committed (2014: 16 %). There were no non-automatic carryovers to financial year 2016 under Article 13 of the Financial Regulation.

7.

Automatic carryovers to 2015 totalled EUR 277 911 825 (2014: EUR 277 774 604). Payments against those carryovers stood at EUR 252 596 214, or 91 % (2014: 92 %). Appropriations cancelled thus totalled EUR 25 315 611, 15 % more than in 2014 (EUR 22 031 504). The bulk of the cancellations was made against: Article 1 0 0 ‘Salaries and allowances’, Article 2 0 2 ‘Expenditure on buildings’, Article 3 2 4 ‘Production and dissemination’, Article 2 0 0 ‘Buildings’, Article 4 0 2 ‘Funding of European political parties’ and Article 2 1 0 ‘Computing and telecommunications’. Cancellations against those six articles accounted for 85 % of the total amount cancelled.

8.

The amounts cancelled and the main reasons for cancellations are set out in Table 2.

Table 2

Main reasons for cancellations of automatic carryovers from 2014 to 2015

9.

Total revenue entered in the accounts as at 31 December 2015 was EUR 176 367 724 (2014: EUR 174 436 852), including EUR 27 988 590 in assigned revenue (2014: EUR 26 979 032).

10.

Table 3 provides a breakdown, by chapter, of movement in revenue between 2015 and 2014.

Table 3

Movement in revenue between 2014 and 2015

11.

Assigned revenue made available in 2015 totalled EUR 27 988 590 (2014: EUR 26 979 032). Commitments totalled EUR 15 089 101, i.e. a 54 % commitment rate (2014: 63 %). Payments totalled EUR 12 541 209, accounting for 77 % of the commitments entered into (2014: 77 %).

12.

Appropriations from assigned revenue carried over to 2015 include the Belgian Government’s payment of EUR 85 897 000, on 27 January 2010, by way of defrayal of the cost of the land forming the site for the D4 and D5 buildings and of the development costs for the roof over Brussels-Luxembourg Station. That payment constitutes external assigned revenue within the meaning of Article 21(2) of the Financial Regulation (1). The bulk of commitments from that revenue relate to the purchase of the Martens Building in accordance with the Bureau decision of 30 November 2011.

13.

The sum of EUR 16 107 073 (2014: EUR 17 887 050), representing 0,9 % of final appropriations (2014: 1,0 %), was cancelled. The main reasons for the cancellations are set out in the table below:

Table 4

Main reasons for cancellations in 2015 of appropriations for the year

14.

During the financial year, six C transfers (including what is termed the ‘mopping-up’ transfer) were approved in accordance with Articles 27 and 46 of the Financial Regulation (10). They totalled EUR 83 419 000, which is 4,6 % of final appropriations (in 2014: three transfers accounting for 4,4 % of final appropriations). The President authorised seven P transfers of appropriations for the year under Article 25(1) of the Financial Regulation (11), covering a total of EUR 7 709 560, or 0,4 % of final appropriations.

Table 6

Analysis of C transfers by expenditure category and purpose

15.

This section looks at the use of appropriations by budget chapter, their share of the overall budget and changes in the use of appropriations over the previous financial year. Four chapters accounted for 71 % of total commitments. Those chapters were Chapter 1 0 ‘Members of the institution’, Chapter 1 2 ‘Officials and temporary staff’, Chapter 2 0 ‘Buildings and associated costs’ and Chapter 4 2 ‘Expenditure relating to parliamentary assistance’.

16.

Table 7 provides a breakdown by chapter of the appropriations committed in 2015 as against those committed in 2014. Figures 1 and 2 depict, respectively, the relative shares and the changes between 2014 and 2015.

Table 7

Appropriations committed in 2014 as against those committed in 2015

Figure 1

Breakdown of 2015 commitments by chapter

Figure 2

Appropriations committed in 2014 as against those committed in 2015, by chapter

17.

A Member’s gross monthly salary is 38,5 % of the basic salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice (13). The main reason for the reduction in commitments against Item 1 0 0 0 between 2014 and 2015 is the reduction in the number of Members between the seventh and eighth terms (14) and the fact that salaries paid to Members in July 2014 — an election year — included both payments to newly elected Members and payments to outgoing Members, who received a full salary for that month (EUR 3 121 000). In 2014, a total of EUR 1 019 948 was paid retroactively for the period from July 2012 to April 2014 as a result of the backdated pay adjustment for officials and other servants of the European Union. In December 2015, there was a further pay adjustment, 2,4 %, backdated to 1 July 2015, and Members’ gross monthly salary therefore rose to EUR 8 213 (EUR 8 021 between 1 July 2014 and 1 July 2015). A total of EUR 852 000 was paid retroactively for the period from July to December 2015.

18.

Item 1 0 0 6 is intended to cover the cost of Members’ parliamentary activities. This allowance amounted to EUR 4 320 a month for each Member in 2015 (2014: EUR 4 299) and was paid monthly at Members’ request. The reduction in spending against the item in 2015, over the previous year, stems from the fact that in 2014, an election year, transitional allowances were paid to MEPs who were not re-elected. Payments continued — 50 % of the normal salary — for three months after the end of a Member’s term of office.

19.

Commitments against Item 1 0 0 4, ‘Ordinary travel expenses’ increased over 2014 because day-to-day activities resumed after the customary scaling back in an election year.

20.

Commitments against Item 1 0 0 5, ‘Other travel expenses’, were very high in 2014 so as to cover end-of-term expenditure on, in particular, considerable potential travel in countries of election. In 2015, commitments were established on the basis of forecasts of a return to a more normal volume of travelling.

21.

In 2015, Members made a total of 31 595 (15) journeys (16). Most journeys were made to Brussels (20 568) and to Strasbourg (8 779). There were 1 350 and 898 journeys, respectively, to attend meetings elsewhere in the European Union and outside the European Union.

22.

The increase against Item 1 0 2 0, ‘Transitional allowances’, stems from the fact that a number of Members left office at the close of the parliamentary term and applied for a transitional allowance (17). As at May 2015, there were 408 Members from the seventh parliamentary term who had not been re-elected. At the end of December 2014, 356 former Members had been in receipt of a transitional allowance (compared to 51 in July 2015 and only 25 at the end of December 2015).

23.

Item 1 0 3 0, ‘Retirement pensions (PEAM)’, is intended to cover the payment of an old-age pension after cessation of the term of office of Members qualifying under the old rules superseded by the Statute for Member of the European Parliament, which came into force in 2009 (18). Old-age pension rights acquired prior to the date of entry into force of the Statute are maintained. The pension provisions currently apply only to Members elected in France and Italy, all other Members being entitled to join pension schemes organised by national authorities. Members of the European Parliament elected in Italy who did not come under a national pension scheme and Members of the European Parliament elected in France who were members of a pension scheme different from that for Members of the National Assembly had the option of paying contributions into Parliament’s budget that were calculated on the same basis as those for national-parliament members in Italy and France in order to acquire the same pension rights as national-parliament members. At year-end 2015, there were 465 beneficiaries (2014: 458).

24.

Expenditure on officials and temporary staff amounted to EUR 597 484 150 in 2015, making it the largest spending category (accounting for 34 % of total commitments for 2015). The growth against the chapter stems largely from the increase against Item 1 2 0 0 ‘Remuneration and allowances’, which accounts for 99 % of the appropriations

25.

Commitments against Item 1 2 0 0 ‘Remuneration and allowances’ totalled EUR 594 444 744; they were 1 % up on 2014. That movement reflects the proportion of posts filled and includes career progression as well as index-linking of pay. In December 2015, pay for officials and other staff of the European Union was increased by 2,4 %, backdated to 1 July 2015.

26.

In 2015, 398 officials and temporary staff were recruited to the Secretariat, and 129 temporary staff were recruited to the political groups. A total of 6 162 officials and temporary staff were employed within Parliament as at 31 December 2015: 5 391 in the Secretariat and 771 in the political groups.

27.

As regards the gender breakdown, women accounted for 59 % of Parliament’s total staff but only 34 % of heads of unit, 31 % of directors and 33 % of directors-general as at 31 December 2015. The figure below gives a gender breakdown of staff by function group.

Figure 3

Secretariat staff by gender

Source: DG PERSONNEL

28.

The main reason for the movement within the chapter is the fact that after 2014 — election year — ordinary parliamentary business resumed, with commitments increasing by 10 % over 2013 (Chapter 1 4 total in 2013: EUR 106 182 103). The main impact was the increased need for external interpreting and translation in 2015 (EUR 11,9 m and EUR 4,4 m up, respectively, over 2014). Commitments for external interpreting and translation in 2015 were down on 2013, however: - 6 % for interpreting (EUR 49,6 m in 2013) and - 30 % for translation (EUR 11,9 m in 2013). Commitments for other staff increased by EUR 10,5 m, mostly owing to Brussels and Strasbourg security staff being brought in house.

29.

The increase against Item 1 4 0 0 ‘Other staff’ is mainly due to the recruitment of contract staff in order to bring security in house. As at 31 December 2015, Parliament employed 1 428 contract staff. A breakdown of contract staff by function group (19) and gender is given in Figure 4. That item mainly covers the remuneration and allowances of other staff, chiefly contract staff, employer’s contributions to the various social security schemes and the impact of salary weightings applicable to the remuneration of these staff, as well as the employment of temporary agency staff.

Figure 4

Contract staff by function group and gender in 2015

Source: DG PERSONNEL

30.

The change against Item 1 4 0 2 ‘Conference interpreters’ stemmed mainly from the increase in the number of days on which interpreting was provided by auxiliary conference interpreters (2015: 51 466 days; 2014: 39 181 days). Since 2014 was an election year, Parliament’s interpreting needs were reduced and could mostly be met by its own staff interpreters.

Commitments against the item covered the fees, social security contributions, travel expenses and subsistence allowances of auxiliary conference interpreters used by Parliament to service the meetings which it organised.

31.

Parliament’s interpreters and the auxiliary conference interpreters provided 98 964 days of interpreting in 2015 (2014: 86 158 days) for Parliament and other institutions (20) (where Parliament was required to provide this service). Parliament interpreters worked 47 498 days (1 % up on 2014), and auxiliary conference interpreters 51 466 days (31 % up on 2014).

32.

The change against Item 1 4 0 4 ‘Graduate traineeships, grants and exchanges of officials’ stemmed mainly from the increase in the number of trainees and seconded national experts. Commitments covered remuneration, allowances, travel expenses and sickness and accident insurance costs for the categories of staff concerned.

33.

The change against Item 1 4 2 0 ‘External translation services’ is accounted for by the increase in translation requests over election year. There was almost no demand for translation during the 2014 election period and relatively little during the first few months of the new term. Internal capacity was sufficient to deal with the translations required.

34.

Commitments against Item 1 6 1 2 ‘Further training’ covered expenditure on training to improve staff skills and the performance and efficiency of the institution. In 2015 attendances at language courses totalled 5 606 (2014: 4 594), 2 284 at IT training courses (2014: 3 614), and 1 233 at financial training courses (2014: 1 113). Attendances at in-house general training courses totalled 11 970 (2014: 13 441), and 341 at outside courses (2014: 423) (21).

35.

The reduction against Item 1 6 5 2 ‘Current operating expenditure for restaurants and canteens’ was achieved primarily through rigorous management of staff-related expenditure under the present catering contracts. Furthermore, the Bureau, at its meeting of 10 June 2013, adopted a note by the Secretary-General on ‘Parliament’s future catering policy 2014-2019 — Guidelines for modernisation’, setting out strategic guidelines for the development of the sector. Parliament’s catering in Brussels was handled for 30 years by the same provider. A new provider took over at the end of September 2015 under a contract unsubsidised by Parliament. Annual savings are put at EUR 3 m.

36.

Appropriations against Item 1 6 5 4 are intended to cover Parliament’s contribution to all the expenditure of the early childhood centre and outside crèches with which an agreement has been concluded (22). The main reason for the increase is the fact that greater use was made of appropriations for the year. In 2014, use was made first and foremost of appropriations from assigned revenue carried over from previous years.

37.

Item 2 0 2 2 ‘Building maintenance, upkeep, operation and cleaning’ covers the upkeep of premises (e.g. cleaning and planted areas) and the maintenance of equipment and systems in buildings (structural and other maintenance, building service systems, lifts, etc.).

38.

Appropriations for Item 2 0 0 1 ‘Lease payments’ were increased by EUR 71 000 000 during the financial year, chiefly as a result of the mopping-up transfer. The full amount was committed for the project to extend the KAD Building in Luxembourg.

39.

Commitments against Item 2 0 0 5 ‘Construction of buildings’ covered costs and work related to the KAD project (23) and totalled EUR 8 969 858. (2014: EUR 8 214 105. They also covered costs and work related to renovation of the Havel Building in Strasbourg, amounting to EUR 5 050 000 (2014: EUR 7 316 390), and to the House of European History project, amounting to EUR 5 550 000 (2014: EUR 13 506 549).

40.

Item 2 0 0 7 ‘Fitting-out of premises’ serves to carry out specific and individual fitting-out projects which do not involve recurrent work. For 2015, with regard to specific alterations, attention should be drawn to the start of work to enhance security at the two main entrances to the Spinelli Building. The total cost of that project is put at EUR 8 m. Security enhancement work was also carried out in the Trèves Building (approx. EUR 1 m). The main developments concerning Strasbourg were: the start of fire-retarding work (at a cost of more than EUR 4 m), work to make the IT and telecomm rooms secure (approx. EUR 2 m) and fitting out the mini-Parlamentarium in the Weiss Building (approx. EUR 1,7 m). For 2015, with regard to the information offices, reference should be made to three projects: enlargement of the conference room at Jean Monnet House in Bazoches (EUR 1,7 m), the lease for the new Europe House in Ljubljana, including specific fitting-out work (EUR 0,8 m), and fitting out the mini-Parlamentarium in Berlin (EUR 0,8 m)

41.

Commitments against Item 2 0 2 6 essentially cover caretaking and surveillance costs in respect of buildings occupied by Parliament at its three places of work and the information offices. There was a reduction in 2015 as a result of bringing the security function in-house.

42.

Expenditure against Item 2 1 0 0 ‘Computing and telecommunications — business-as-usual operations — operations’ relates to the smooth running of Parliament’s computing and telecommunications systems, in particular the systems at the computer and telecommunications centre, departmental-level IT, and network management. In general, the increase against the item stems from the fact that data centre capacity increases every year because more and more applications are hosted. In addition, the maintenance framework contracts are subject to annual index-linking.

43.

Expenditure against Item 2 1 0 1 ‘Computing and telecommunications — business-as-usual operations — infrastructure’ relates to routine management and maintenance of Parliament’s computer and telecommunications system infrastructure, including network, cabling, and telecommunications infrastructure, and infrastructure for individual equipment and voting systems. The reduction stems from the fact that no framework contract was in place in 2015 for the complete overhaul of the in-house cable television system. A new framework contract ought to be concluded in 2016.

44.

Expenditure against Item 2 1 0 2 ‘Computing and telecommunications — business-as-usual operations — general support for users’ relates to routine assistance and general user support regarding Parliament’s computer and telecommunications systems, including support services for Members and for administrative and legislative applications. Stepped-up support for Members accounts for the bulk of the increase against the item.

45.

Commitments against Item 2 1 0 3 ‘Computing and telecommunications — business-as-usual operations — Management of ICT applications’ relate to routine management of Parliament’s ICT (24) applications, including applications for Members, communication applications, and administrative and legislative applications. The increase against the item stems from the fact that more and more applications are being maintained, including decentralised applications for human-resource management and language tools for translation.

46.

Commitments against Item 2 1 0 4 ‘Computing and telecommunications — investment in infrastructure’ cover investment in Parliament’s computing and telecommunications system infrastructure, including the systems at the computer and telecommunications centre, networks, cabling, and videoconferencing systems. A number of items of obsolete equipment were replaced in 2015, including videoconference systems.

47.

Commitments against Item 2 1 0 5 ‘Computing and telecommunications — investment in projects’ cover investment relating to ongoing and new ICT projects. The investment relates mainly to applications for Members, legislative, administrative and financial applications and ICT governance applications. In 2015, investment was focused on projects such as ‘Intranet as a Knowledge Base’ and projects relating to human resources, financial management, interpreting and translation.

48.

All the items in this chapter provided funding for transfer C7, which is known as the mopping-up transfer. As a result of that transfer, initial appropriations for the chapter were reduced by 19 %; and that can be accounted for by the effort made to control current administrative expenditure. The high level of expenditure against Article 2 3 7 in what was an election year — relocating DG IPOL, DG EXPO and DG EPRS to the Square de Meeûs Building, and removals involving a large number of Members — accounts for the difference between 2014 and 2015.

49.

This chapter accounted for 2 % of 2015 commitments. In 2015, there were 34 459 missions (2014: 33 141), representing a total of 98 674 mission days (2014: 93 960). Most of the missions involved travel between Parliament’s three places of work (Brussels — 4 651 missions; Strasbourg — 20 673; and Luxembourg — 2 490). In 2014, there were fewer part-sessions in Strasbourg, and for two part-sessions there was a much reduced establishment plan.

50.

Item 3 2 4 4 covers the subsidies granted for group visits and associated supervision and infrastructure costs, the running costs of the Euroscola programme, and the financing of traineeships for opinion multipliers from third countries. Commitments against the item rose because Members invited more groups than in 2014 — election year — when visitor numbers were fairly low in the months after the elections.

51.

Item 3 2 4 2 ‘Expenditure on publication, information and participation in public events’ covers, in particular, expenditure on information publications, information activities, public relations, participation in public events, trade fairs and exhibitions in the Member States and candidate countries, and updating of the Legislative Observatory (OEIL). The volume of those activities was lower than in 2014 — election year — which accounts for the reduction in commitments against the item.

52.

The reduction against Item 3 2 4 8 ‘Expenditure on audiovisual information’ is also accounted for by the fact that there was less activity than in 2014. Item 3 2 4 8 covers expenditure for the operating budget of the audiovisual sector, live internet broadcasting of plenary sittings and parliamentary committee meetings, and the establishment of appropriate archives ensuring uninterrupted public access to the information concerned.

53.

In 2015, production of audiovisual material involved 1 620 items on Europe by Satellite (e.g. plenary sittings, committee meetings and political events), the photo service covered 3 917 events (including 2 127 requests from Members), and 4 032 radio, television and multimedia items were produced. The Teletrax system (218 channels; 80 % of the European public) monitored 210 outlets that made use of Parliament-produced images. The images were used 71 904 times over a total duration of 823 hours.

54.

It should also be noted that commitments against Item 3 2 4 3 ‘Parlamentarium — the European Parliament Visitors’ Centre’ increased by 24 % over the previous year as a result of the Bureau decision to set up mini-Parlamentariums in Berlin and Strasbourg. The Parlamentarium is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Brussels, and received 326 000 visitors in 2015 (2014: 340 500 visitors).

55.

Article 4 0 0 covers the secretarial, administrative and operational expenditure of the political groups and non-attached Members and expenditure on their political and information activities. There was a reduction against the article because there were fewer non-attached Members after the ENL (25) Group, comprising 38 Members, was set up on 15 June 2015.

56.

Articles 4 0 2 and 4 0 3 relate to grants awarded to support the annual work programme of a political party at European level or of a political foundation at European level. Political parties at European level contribute to forming a European awareness and to expressing the political will of citizens of the Union (26). A political foundation at European level is ‘an entity or network of entities which (…) is affiliated with a political party at European level, and through its activities, within the aims and fundamental values pursued by the European Union, underpins and complements the objectives of the political party at European level’  (27).

57.

For political parties and foundations, the maximum possible rate of Parliament co-financing is 85 % of eligible expenditure (28). As a result of a decision by the budgetary authority, the initial appropriations for 2015 were increased by EUR 0,56 m for Article 4 0 2 (i.e. 2 %) and by EUR 3,3 m for Article 4 0 3 (i.e. 24 %), which accounts for the increase in commitments over 2014.

58.

Members may use their parliamentary assistance allocation to engage accredited parliamentary assistants (working in Brussels or Strasbourg under their statute) or local assistants (29) (working in their constituencies under contracts governed by national law). In respect of local assistants, the allocation covers invoices, grants, salaries and travel expenses. In respect of accredited assistants, it covers salaries, allowances, mission expenses and the cost of outside training courses.

59.

On 31 December 2015 there were 1 791 accredited parliamentary assistants working at Parliament, 2 347 local assistants had an employment contract with a Member (including 103 via groupings of Members) and 691 service providers had a contract with a Member. On average, each Member employed 2,3 accredited assistants and 3,12 local assistants (30). The number of local assistants employed per Member varied greatly — between 0 and 21 — in 2015. Whereas 81 Members did not have any local assistants at all at the end of 2015, there were 27 Members who recruited more than 10 employees in their home Member State in 2015. At year-end 2015, 412 Members had no ongoing contract with a service provider.

60.

Parliamentary assistance payments in 2015 relating to local assistants living outside the euro zone were made on the basis of a rate of exchange between the euro and other currencies which was set for the entire year (December 2014 rate) in accordance with the rules in force.

61.

At its meeting of 26 October 2015, the Bureau adopted a package of changes to the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members. The discussions on the 2016 budget and the experience gained during the last parliamentary term had highlighted the need for adjustments concerning accredited and local assistants. The new provisions came into force on 1 January 2016.

62.

This chapter accounted for 0,02 % of 2015 commitments, totalling EUR 400 000 (with no change over 2014).

63.

The chapters in this title contain only provisional appropriations, which may be committed only once they have been transferred to an operational line. Transfers of provisional appropriations (EUR 11 700 000) are dealt with in section I of this report. Initial appropriations against this title stood at EUR 11 700 000 (2014: EUR 13 000 000) — equivalent to 0,7 % of the total budget for 2015.

64.

2015 was marked by a deteriorating security context; that prompted immediate action to enhance building security, chiefly in Brussels, but also a review of Parliament’s activities in the light of this new constraint.

65.

The efforts, begun in 2011, to bring about structural improvements in order to provide Parliament with all the resources it needs to play its role in the legislative process to the full and enable it to capitalise to the full on the enhanced powers conferred on it by the Treaty of Lisbon were also continued. Parliament also continued to carry out multiannual programmes designed to rationalise and modernise key areas of its Administration.

66.

The objectives pursued and outcomes achieved in 2015, which are set out below, stem from the priorities and decisions adopted by the Bureau in 2015, the guidelines adopted by Parliament in its budget resolutions, and the goals and achievements of the Parliamentary Project Portfolio.

67.

During 2015, following the terrorist acts committed in France and the anti-terrorist operations in Belgium, the President decided several times to change the state of alert at Parliament in Brussels so as to align the level of security at the institution with the sensitive security climate.

68.

In addition, on 14 November 2015, following the bloody terrorist attacks in Paris, the President decided to raise the institution’s state of alert at all three places of work and at the Information Offices to amber with immediate effect.

69.

In this context, in order to maintain Parliament’s openness and transparency and the continuity of its activities, DG SAFE introduced measures enabling certain activities, such as meetings, events and exhibitions organised by Members on an individual basis, to resume (these normally being prohibited when the state of alert is amber), provided that they are compatible with the necessary vigilance required by the context.

70.

The President also instructed DG SAFE to enforce this principle and to monitor compliance with it daily. Accordingly, any request for a meeting, event or exhibition is now automatically referred to DG SAFE for an opinion.

71.

On 9 March 2015, the Bureau approved the iPACS (integrated Physical Access Control System) project for the acquisition of new security techniques to step up security at the institution by giving it modern, integrated, non-invasive technological tools capable of assimilating future technological developments.

72.

The iPACS project will make it possible to maintain security and protection at Parliament’s premises in the three places of work in a coordinated, coherent and integrated manner, with the aid of a single genuinely integrated system which is capable of supporting and guaranteeing all the functionalities required.

73.

This new system will be based on three main modules representing a major improvement: (a) a new common central IT system (CIS) consisting of all the modules and applications needed to manage and monitor the material security installations, in order to centralise and integrate all security devices; (b) integration of a new multifunctional, contactless, highly secure electronic chip into Parliament’s access badges. This innovation could make it possible, inter alia, to introduce automated interinstitutional mutual recognition procedures for badges; and (c) a set of new items of equipment and new installations which will facilitate local monitoring of security and allow more effective monitoring of security in all fields (badge readers, surveillance cameras, barriers, anti-intruder systems, occupancy detectors, secured doors, etc.).

74.

At its meeting of 7 September 2015, the Bureau adopted the European Parliament ICT security governance system. That framework defines common principles, responsibilities, priorities and procedures to mitigate IT security threats and are to apply across all directorates-general.

75.

The governance framework introduces a security governance steering board and a Chief Information Systems Security Officer (CISO) to chair an EP-Computer Emergency Response Team (EP-CERT), that being one of the main recommendations of a security audit carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers, as requested by plenary in the 2012 discharge resolution.

76.

A Task Force on Security of EP External Missions was established in March 2015, chaired by the Director for Members’ Financial and Social Entitlements (DG FINS). The Task Force was composed of representatives from the Cabinet of the Secretary-General, the Directorate for relations with the Political Groups (DG FINS) and from various Directorates-General. The mandate entailed, among other issues, to verify the legal obligations of the EP as regards the MEPs and staff members on official mission and to review the composition, the mandate, the procedures and the resources of the Crisis Cell.

77.

The Task Force produced, after eight months of intensive work, a comprehensive report containing concrete proposals to improve the prevention, the management of risks and emergencies related to EP external missions, along with proposals for modification of the current regulatory framework.

78.

The development and build-up of the Members’ Research Service (EPRS) has moved to a further stage. A much greater specialisation of staff has been achieved, by appropriate training, so that specialist Policy Analysts are now in place in all major policy fields in the respective specialised units.

79.

The Members’ Research Service has provided analysis and research to individual Members in response to their specific requests. Provisional figures show that in 2015, the Members’ Research Service responded to a total of (at least) 3 137 research enquiries. Of these, 219 resulted in the production of a Tailored Analysis. It has also started to deliver in-person briefings to individual Members in the various policy fields. The management of enquiries by Members follows the principle of strict confidentiality.

80.

The Members’ Research Service has also proactively provided a wide range of briefing material, along the categories of products defined at EP level. In the same year, it published 334 At-a-Glance notes, of which 141 were Plenary At-a-Glance notes, 228 Briefings (31), 42 In-depth Analyses and 83 Key Sources.

81.

In terms of content, these publications aimed at covering all EU policy areas, if possible. In this first full calendar year of a new parliamentary cycle, a particular focus was placed on the political priorities of the European Commission. Particular attention was dedicated to timely responsiveness to events, crises and sudden changes on the political scene.

82.

Some 352 internal studies and briefing papers were also produced, not drawing on any budget funds managed by DG IPOL (2014: 218). Approximately half of these were entirely new papers whereas the other half corresponded to revised versions and updates. These figures again demonstrate that a significant share of expertise is produced in-house.

83.

In 2015, as an addition to the existing types of publications, the Members’ Research Service launched several new series of publications. The ‘EU Legislation in Progress’ briefings aim to give readers an overview of the process regarding a legislative file; these briefings are updated at each new step of the law-making process, allowing the reader to follow it, to be aware of the state of play and to anticipate the next stage. In 2015, the MRS published 22 such briefings. It has also developed a coordinated series of publications on ‘How the EU Budget is Spent’, covering the various spending programmes under the MFF; 13 such briefings were published in 2015.

84.

In the area of European Added Value, two ‘European Added Value Assessments’ were completed and four reports on the cost of non-Europe were published in 2015. Furthermore, a Strategy for completing the Single Market was presented to the IMCO Committee (32) in September. This document was requested as a follow-up of the various ‘Cost of Non-Europe Reports’ on the Single Market published in 2014 (‘Cecchini Revisited’) and was mainly based on the work done by a high-level panel of experts specifically established for this purpose. In addition, the third edition of the ‘Mapping of the Cost of Non-Europe 2014-2019’ was published in April 2015.

85.

Three scientific foresight projects were launched by the Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA) in the course of 2015, with one already delivering a series of briefings by the end of the year. Six studies, four briefings and four in-depth analyses were published, and a dozen events, including a successful Annual Lecture were held.

86.

All STOA events open to the public are covered by live tweeting from the EPRS Twitter account (@EP_ThinkTank). Members, speakers, stakeholders, experts and citizens interested in the topic often engage in relevant tweeting before and during an event, thus hugely multiplying its impact. On average there are around 250 tweets per event using the specific hashtag (#) created for that event, potentially reaching several hundreds of thousands unique Twitter users. The fourth round of the MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme was launched with a significant increase in the number of participating Members and scientists (33 pairs). The membership of the STOA Panel was increased from 15 to 24 Members by the Parliament’s Bureau, widening the number of committees represented and linking STOA closer to policy work in those committees.

87.

2015 was the first full year of the 2014-19 legislative period. This led to an increase in output of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and European Added Value in most of its fields of activity. At the same time the year was characterised by complex political debates on, amongst many other things, the Economic and Monetary Union and — increasingly in the second half of the year — migration.

88.

In the area of ex ante impact assessment, however, it could be noticed that 2015 was also the first year for the newly-installed Commission, which resulted in only a relatively small number of legislative procedures submitted to Parliament and consequently in the number of impact assessments requiring appraisal by the Ex-Ante Impact Assessment Unit. The rather slow start-up of legislative activity by the Commission provided the opportunity to carry out more general research and analysis activities, to present Parliament’s activities to outside bodies, including national parliaments, and to produce related briefings, notably with regard to the Commission’s new Better Regulation Guidelines and Impact Assessment in general.

89.

2015 was the first full year in the production of ‘European Implementation Assessments’, to parallel the implementation reports prepared by the parliamentary committees, and other ex post evaluations, as well as for their presentation before these committees. Five ‘European Implementation Assessments’ were prepared, together with 17 ‘Implementation Appraisals’, addressing proposals to update existing EU law.

90.

Scrutiny and oversight of the executive was significantly enhanced throughout the whole legislative and policy cycle by an extended range of products provided by the Policy Cycle Unit (formerly Policy Performance Appraisal Unit) and the European Council Oversight Units which, in addition to the production of Initial Implementation Appraisals, provided inter alia a total number of eight ‘Rolling Check lists’, Briefings ahead and post of each of the meetings of the European Council, produced a great number of further studies and organised events. By these initiatives, a basis was laid to follow-up in particular the evaluation process at the European Commission and of commitments undertaken by the European Council, and to gather the necessary information and expertise to have a sound basis to follow-up on the interinstitutional aspects related to better law making as such.

91.

A number of projects which form part of the PPP (parliamentary projects portfolio) deal specifically with parliamentary scrutiny, including three developed by DG IPOL: strengthening the culture of scrutiny in the committees, scrutiny of delegated acts and draft measures under the RPS (33), and scrutiny of financial programmes under the MFF (34). The three projects made good progress in 2015. As for the project of Scrutiny of MFF financial programmes, a discussion with the Court of Auditors on priorities for their work programme was held at the level of the Conference of Committee Chairmen (CCC).

92.

Tailor-made services to committee Chairs and Coordinators, committee Members and Rapporteurs was provided. In this task, flexibility and rapidity are of the essence and this dynamic environment implies that not all elements of the activity can be fully planned at the beginning of a year. An example of such quick implementation of political decisions was the setting-up of the Special Committee on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect (TAXE) in February 2015, as well as the new mandate for six months, starting on 2 December 2015, or the setting-up of the Committee of Inquiry on emission measurements in the automotive sector, as decided in December 2015.

93.

In the area of internal policies, 397 parliamentary committee meetings were organised (2014: 312). These, and all related work prior to them, led to the adoption of some 418 reports (2014: 404), including budget transfers, which were voted and later dealt with by the Plenary. 226 trilogues were organised in 2015 (2014: 197), an increase but down from the levels at the end of the previous legislature (695 in 2013 and 335 in 2012). The policy departments organised 31 workshops in which external experts participated and discussed with committee members (2014: 15). The parliamentary committees organised 100 hearings (2014: 50 and 2013: 85). This is the highest number of hearings recorded in any one year.

94.

Further progress was made in ensuring proper accountability of Commission and Council via adequate scrutiny mechanisms. Taking up the Commissioners’ and VP/HR (35)’s commitments during their Hearings, committees ensured the oversight of the VP/HR’s activities on a regular basis, notably by holding 6 Pre-Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings, 7 Post-FAC meetings, 3 meetings of the Special committee, 2 hearings of EU Special Representatives and 9 exchanges of views with newly appointed EU Heads of Delegation.

95.

Parliament’s access to the negotiating mandates of international agreements was improved by securing access to initialled agreements and committing the VP/HR to a debriefing by the Chief negotiator on each negotiating meeting. Significant progress with regard to transparency in the TTIP negotiations was achieved through a comprehensive agreement reached with the Commission to grant access to all relevant MEPs on practically all relevant TTIP negotiating documents.

96.

Parliament’s oversight role on CSDP (36) was increased through a constant assessment of security developments as well as through an active promotion of inter-parliamentary activities with national parliaments, most notably in the framework of specific joint parliamentary meetings every semester in the presence of the VP/HR and relevant Commissioners on a specific topical issue, as well as through the bi-annual Inter-parliamentary Conference on CFSP (37)/CSDP. Active scrutiny of financing of CFSP/CSDP was ensured via the established regular AFET (38)/BUDG (39) Joint consultation Meetings with the Chair of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and relevant services of the Council/EEAS.

97.

The necessary synergies between the work of committees and the activities of inter-parliamentary delegations were elaborated and further implemented. A number of principles aimed at reinforcing the efficiency of institutional external relations initiatives, such as the systematic invitation of delegation chairs to committee shadow meetings, and reciprocally of committee standing rapporteurs to relevant inter-parliamentary meetings were established, and an active contribution was made to the revision of the human rights guidelines for delegations to third countries with a mechanism of sending recommendations ahead of a delegation visit and ensuring reporting back to the subcommittee upon return.

98.

In the area of mediation and dialogue, assistance and expertise has been provided to the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) in the implementation of CDSA (40) activities in order to increase the efficiency and overall impact of the EP. Implemented activities include High Level Visit led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Zanzibar focusing on peaceful political dialogue and consensus building, development of a Parliamentary Mediation Training Programme for MEPs with support of external experts, and development of new Young Political Leaders concept. Support and expertise was also provided for developing a mediation mechanism with the EEAS to strengthen parliamentary pillar of overall EU action in the area of mediation. Silent diplomacy of DEG Co-Chair (AFET Chair) organised 7 humanitarian medical missions to Azerbaijan and achieved the release from prison of Sakharov Prize nominee Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus.

99.

Concerning pre-accession actions, 4 public conferences were organised (3 of them in an Enlargement country), 4 seminars, 4 study visits and received 8 fellows. MEP involvement and attendance were high, as was the level of participation of MPs from the parliaments of Enlargement countries. In particular the Seminar on Political Culture provided a first opportunity for MEPs to step in with mediation efforts in the political crisis in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

100.

Modernisation of plenary-related IT applications is intensifying. Access to the Legislative Observatory from mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) and a voice recognition system for the Minutes and the CRE (41) are already a reality. The Members’ Administration Unit (DG PRES) was instrumental in the introduction of the new laissez-passer for Members and continued to modernise its database systems. The Official Mail Unit also continued to modernise its procedures for registering and managing mail and made a key contribution to the GIDOC (42) project.

101.

Significant progress was made with the ‘on demand’ editing service, for example through the introduction of e-Parliament tools and the Drafting Support Tool.

102.

The Connect database proved to be an excellent tool for monitoring interparliamentary legislative exchanges. In 2015, the number of interparliamentary meetings returned to normal after a quiet year in 2014, a European election year. Development continued of the two IT databases under the responsibility of the Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments (ECPRD (43) and IPEX (44)), thus improving further the information available to Members and third parties. The new publication ‘Spotlight on National Parliaments’ also proved to be an excellent way of disseminating targeted information on specific topics.

103.

At its meeting of 12 January 2015, the Bureau gave its final approval to the new logo and its introduction. Approval followed on from an initial exchange of views on the subject at the meeting of 15 December 2014.

104.

The aim of the new logo, designed by members of Parliament’s staff and therefore no cost in terms of concept, production and intellectual property rights, is to ensure renewal and consistency. It is better suited for use on social media and other on-line platforms and guarantees better coherence with respect to the logos of the other institutions.

105.

The general approach towards introducing the new logo involves bringing it into use as and when new materials are produced, stocks of consumables bearing the old logo are exhausted and the normal cycle of replacement of more durable materials allows it to be introduced. Exceptions to the general rule were made in the specific area of public communication, where existing materials were immediately replaced by new materials bearing the new logo (in particular the backcloths used in plenary and in meeting rooms, etc.). The overall cost of introducing the logo is put at EUR 120 000.

106.

The overall European Parliament visitor strategy was approved by the Bureau at its meeting of 27 April 2015, subject to elements for which a funding decision had not yet been taken and for which a full costing would have to be submitted to the Bureau prior to any decision.

107.

The strategy includes:

108.

The concept for the Visitor Welcome Centre ‘Station Europe’ was approved by the Bureau at its meeting of 18 May 2015. The aim of the project is to convert the old Brussels-Luxembourg station into an orientation point for the European Parliament visitor pathway, with interactive and user-friendly applications, and to use the first floor as a space for events and receptions, having regard to the relocation of Parliament’s Information Office for Belgium to new premises closer to Brussels city centre.

109.

The proposed cooperation arrangement with the Belgian authorities on the Musée Wiertz area was presented to the Bureau at its meeting of 8 June 2015. Wiertz park directly borders the Paul-Henri Spaak Building and is easily accessible from Parliament’s main entrances. It would be possible to incorporate a pleasant green space into the visitor pathway, which would also be accessible to Members and staff. The Bureau tasked the Secretary-General with putting in hand exploratory talks with the ‘Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique’, responsible for the ‘Musée Wiertz’ and the Belgian ‘Régie des bâtiments’, responsible for the museum’s buildings, with the involvement of the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the Working Group on Information and Communication Policy and the Working Group on Buildings, Transport and a Green Parliament, on how use might be made of the park and the former artists’ house.

110.

The points yet to be considered in greater detail by the Working Group on Information and Communication Policy, prior to a Bureau decision, are the proposal as to the subsequent use to which the old ‘Info-Point’ might be put and the proposal for a shuttle service between the Parliament site and the House of European History.

111.

Work in the Eastman Building — the site for the House of European History (HEH) — is now complete, with the exception of some rooftop glazing work, and the construction costs are in line with the budget approved by the Bureau. The Commission will pay 30 % of the running costs per year, making it possible for the HEH to be open to visitors seven days a week on a similar basis to the Parlamentarium.

112.

17 November 2016 has been set as the date on which the permanent exhibition and the temporary exhibition will open. Visitors will be provided with a tablet and information in all official languages to guide them around the museum, and a complete virtual tour of the museum will be possible via the HEH interactive website, thus reaching out beyond the physical museum itself.

113.

At its meeting of 14 June 2014, the Bureau decided that the EYE should be held regularly as part of an open and continuous strategy for communication with young people. The concept for the EYE to be organised in Strasbourg in May 2016 was approved on 12 January 2015.

114.

The event should be centred on the following five thematic areas, which are core issues for the future of young Europeans: (a) War and Peace: Perspectives for a Peaceful Planet; (b) Apathy or Participation: Agenda for a Vibrant Democracy; (c) Exclusion or Access: Crackdown on Youth Unemployment; (d) Stagnation or Innovation: Tomorrow’s World of Work; (e) Collapse or Success: New Ways for a Sustainable Europe.

115.

Young participants will also have the opportunity to participate in activities and connect with each other outside Parliament premises. In a ‘youth village’ set up in the vicinity of Parliament, partners and other approved organisations will be able to introduce themselves and other youth-related organisations at stands, exhibitions and information points. A broad variety of activities will be offered, including: informal education activities by young people for young people, including political debates, intercultural training, and networking; stages for young artist groups; leisure activities to balance the overall programme with fun, creativity and entertainment, including possible special events for the Friday and Saturday evening.

116.

2015 was marked by major events such as the UN Climate change conference (COP21) or the opening of EXPO Milan 2015, requiring live coverage that ensured a big impact in the media. Furthermore special and in-depth coverage was organised for major visits and events in the Parliament such as the visit of Alexis Tsipras, Angela Merkel and François Hollande, the King Felipe VI of Spain or the King of Jordan. On 9 September 2015 the first State of the Union (SOTEU) debate with President Juncker took place in Strasbourg. The event had extensive media coverage, both written and audio-visual ensuring high visibility to the EP. In this context, a significant effort was made in identifying in advance media priorities and analysing their impact.

117.

In 2015 the EPIOs (45) finalised the ‘Stakeholder Dialogue’ pilot project which was carried out in cooperation with DG IPOL. Between September 2014 and May 2015 EP Information Offices in the Member States organised 23 stakeholder dialogue events for rapporteurs of 20 selected legislative files from 4 committees that involved 847 participants, including 510 representatives of stakeholders’ organisations. With this project the EPIOs contributed to reinforcing support to rapporteurs’ legislative work by offering the possibility to discuss with stakeholders in a number of member states with a specific interest or relevance regarding the selected legislative files. Following the positive feedback from rapporteurs and stakeholders in June 2015 the Bureau Working Party agreed to continue the pilot project. EPIOs stakeholders’ consultations are included in the Legislative Cycle of EP in the Strategic Execution Framework.

118.

2015 was also a year of the launch of ‘The European Parliament Ambassador School Programme’ as a pilot project in 6 Information Offices. It aims to provide young people with a deeper understanding of the European Parliament and the European Union in general and gives students the opportunity to understand their rights as European citizens. Visits to schools, educational material and seminars constitute the basis of the programme.

119.

In addition, at its meeting of 7 September 2015 the Bureau decided to amend the rules on the use of the Strasbourg Chamber by youth groups, by making Parliament’s premises available for free to youth organisations, and to make the Strasbourg premises the central point for European youth events.

120.

The goal of Parliament’s buildings policy is to provide Members, assistants, staff and visitors with optimum working conditions, in all circumstances, in modern buildings which offer a high degree of energy performance and guarantee their safety, comfort and well-being.

121.

Buildings policy is a long-term policy that does not follow the annual rhythm of the EU budget. For the best possible results in the long term, it is necessary to plan five to 10 years ahead while bearing in mind prospective needs emerging over 20 to 25 years. Building projects often require financing over several years; proper planning is therefore fundamental for sound financial management.

122.

On 24 March 2010 the Bureau adopted Parliament’s first-ever medium-term buildings policy, which was essential to allow Parliament to develop a comprehensive, logical approach to its buildings policy that makes it possible to determine to what extent needs are being met and what policy options should be chosen.

123.

At its meetings of 22 October, 12 November and 3 December 2014, and 28 January and 15 April 2015 the members of the Bureau Working Group on Buildings, Transport and a Green Parliament analysed all the various aspects of the new medium-term buildings strategy. On 15 April 2015 the Working Group endorsed the 2015-2019 buildings strategy which was presented to the Bureau at its meeting of 7 September 2015. After initial deliberation by the Bureau, the Working Group discussed the proposal in detail at its meeting of 23 September 2015. A decision on the medium-term buildings strategy ought to be taken by the Bureau in 2016.

124.

Two decisions with a direct impact on the buildings strategy were taken by the Bureau in 2015: the decision on the Brussels visitor reception strategy, endorsed in principle on 27 April 2015 (46), and the decision on the second phase for construction of the KAD Building, adopted on 6 July 2015 (see section on Luxembourg below).

125.

Implementation continued of the projects decided on as part of the medium-term buildings strategy adopted by the Bureau on 24 March 2010, as set out below:

126.

Occupancy of the building at Square de Meeûs 8 began in June 2014 when DG IPOL, DG EXPO and DG EPRS departments moved in (some 1 000 staff involved). That removal was the first key stage in the process of making additional space available in Parliament’s main buildings for the political groups.

127.

However, the improvements could not be completed by the bare owner prior to occupancy, or even by the end of 2015, despite the major progress made. At the bare owner’s request, an overall technical and financial agreement was planned for early 2016, following which provisional acceptance took place and the deed of sale was signed.

128.

At its meeting of 14 December 2015 the Bureau approved the draft agreement with the bare owner on the fee for temporary occupancy of the Square de Meeûs 8 building between June 2014 and January 2016. The 12-year usufruct contract, already approved by the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets on 14 January 2013 and 5 March 2013 respectively, will enter into force after Parliament approval of the temporary acceptance agreement, which will take effect after the budgetary authority has approved the temporary occupancy fee.

129.

Construction works on the Martens Building (Trebel project) have progressed well — so much so that acceptance ought to take place in June 2016 rather than in April 2017.

130.

With regard to the new training centre, the property market survey was carried out and, after the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets had given their agreement, negotiations were finalised with a view to signing an agreement in early 2016. The bare owner’s offer provides for the existing building, Montoyer 63, to be demolished in order to build a new training centre. It also provides for the leasing of a temporary building across the road for the 24 months it will take to build the training centre.

131.

The opportunity arose during the year to develop different concepts for the renovation of the Spaak Building and begin looking into carrying out certain ancillary projects prior to the renovation. No decision on the renovation has yet been taken, however (see paragraph 123 above).

132.

At its meeting of 6 July 2015 the Bureau decided to re-evaluate the original KAD building project and adopt the option recommended by the Working Group on Buildings, Transport and a Green Parliament, i.e. to construct the new west part of the KAD Building, albeit without renovating the old building, which will free up EUR 69 m and allow Parliament to take a decision on the old building at the start of the next term with a better insight into actual future needs. Completion of the east site works is now scheduled for June 2018; completion of the west site works (not including possible renovation of the old building) is scheduled for April 2021.

133.

Following the Bureau decision of 6 July 2015, the project management was asked to carry out a feasibility study to assess the impact of that decision on the project as a whole and, in particular, on the technical modifications which are essential to ensure that the building complex, not including the old building, can operate properly. Project management submitted an initial cost estimate for the modified project in December 2015. The new target cost will be calculated on the basis of decisions to be taken following submission of the full feasibility study in January 2016.

134.

Throughout 2015, the fiduciary account was used to safeguard Parliament funds which were not used immediately to settle invoices. The assets held in the fiduciary account stem from Parliament pre-financing payments and the first loan draw-down effected on 31 December 2013. The assets were released gradually as required. In 2015, Parliament effected 13 releases totalling EUR 44,5 million. Following renegotiation of the terms of the contract with the bank, and despite interest rates hovering at levels close to zero, the assets held in the fiduciary account have yielded a sizeable level of interest that will reduce the cost of financing the project.

135.

Until the new KAD Building becomes available, it is necessary to extend the lease on the Goldbell Building at Cloche d’Or until 31 December 2017 and to rent the Geos Building instead of the Président Building. Space in the Goldbell Building has been gradually freed up by reorganising the use of space, moving professional training rooms and relocating some directorates-general. The aim is to clear the building completely in 2016 so that the lease on it can be terminated, thus saving Parliament a substantial amount of money.

136.

Work on extending the conference room in the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches, which is costing a total of EUR 1 700 000, is on schedule. The structural work is completed and the various building services are currently being installed. The work is scheduled to be completed by June 2016.

137.

In Berlin, renovation work on the premises currently used by the information office was carried out at the owner’s own expense and accepted in October 2015. The contracts for that work and for the work on building a small Parlamentarium on the ground floor of the Europe House were signed on 19 December 2014. The Parlamentarium is scheduled to be officially opened on 12 May 2016.

138.

Rental agreements and additional agreements providing for specific alterations required by Parliament were signed for the Europe Houses in Wrocław, Dublin, Ljubljana and Tallinn in 2015.

139.

The requisite contractual basis is now in place to run and maintain Parliament’s buildings in line with the enhanced objectives set under the new maintenance policy (works maintenance contracts and maintenance support and inspection contracts in the areas of maintenance of technical systems and structural elements/fixtures and fittings) and mount the best possible response to maintenance needs.

140.

In Brussels, the renewed maintenance contract lays down more stringent quality requirements. Until such time as a political decision is taken on renovating the Spaak Building — see paragraph 123 above — a minimum number of essential maintenance operations need to be carried out so that adequate safety and operational standards can be maintained.

141.

In Luxembourg, Parliament obtained ‘SuperDrecksKëscht’ eco-certification for its waste sorting operations. An additional agreement was concluded in order to optimise the current cleaning contract, and the end result has been an annual saving of some EUR 400 000. A number of additional agreements were concluded with a view to optimising the principal maintenance contracts and meeting new operational requirements.

142.

As regards the faults affecting the fireproofing (flocking) on the ceiling frame in the Weiss Building, the inspections being conducted by the group of experts appointed by Strasbourg District Court are continuing. The experts’ final report, initially expected on 31 October 2015, is now scheduled for 31 March 2016. Court proceedings will ensue.

143.

As regards the ceilings and miscellaneous defects issues, the reports by the experts appointed by the Strasbourg District Court were submitted on 31 March 2014 and 30 November 2013 respectively, Parliament’s conclusions have also been submitted, and, accordingly, court proceedings are ongoing.

144.

Parliament has sought to set an example in the fight against climate change by adopting a comprehensive strategy for reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions, with the ambitious target of reducing its emissions by 30 % by 2020. To date, Parliament has already considerably reduced its emissions by 27,2 %, over 2006 and is stepping up its efforts to achieve the target on time.

145.

On 12 September 2011, the Bureau decided to implement an offsetting scheme including emissions from official staff travel, energy use, technical installations in buildings, and official cars. Given the limited scope, not all of Parliament’s CO2 emissions could be offset. Furthermore, the Bureau decision did not specify conditions for the location of potential projects, quality standards for offsetting projects or frequency of offsetting. Offsetting is financed on the basis of Parliament’s budget Article 2 3 9 (EMAS (47) activities, including promotion, and the European Parliament’s carbon offsetting scheme) (EUR 250 000 in the 2015 budget). Because of the current limited offsetting scope and the low prices of emission certificates, this budget heading has never been fully used for offsetting since 2012.

146.

At its meeting of 7 October 2015, the Bureau decided to revise this approach and offset the total volume of Parliament’s carbon emissions, including emissions from flights by MEPs between their country of origin and Brussels and Strasbourg, on an annual basis, but limited to the funding available under Article 2 3 9.

147.

To that end, it allowed for projects in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP countries) or, if such projects are not available, either in countries encompassed by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) with established National Action Plan Projects or in countries encompassed by the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EuroMed)/Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in candidate countries for EU accession or in EU Member States. It also endorsed the ‘Gold Standard’ as a quality standard for offsetting projects in developing countries.

148.

The EMAS Communication Plan 2015 was adopted by the Inter DG Steering Group on Environmental Management in January 2015 and the EMAS Mid-Term Strategy 2016-2020 was prepared with the input of all the directorate generals and adopted.

149.

A number of communication and awareness-raising activities were successfully organised, including: Earth Day event, Mobility Week (September 2015) and Waste Week (November 2015), the setting-up of a new EMAS website and Facebook account, and publication of eMagazines and a Best Practice Guide.

150.

Cooperation with similar Environmental Management Systems in national Parliaments and EU-institutions was established.

151.

A green public procurement (GPP) helpdesk was set up to accompany the GPP approach adopted by the Public Procurement Forum in 2014. The GPP approach was reviewed after implementation of a one-year-test-phase in 2015.

152.

Efforts continued in 2015 to modernise catering within Parliament until 2019 as laid down in the Bureau decision of 10 June 2013 on ‘Parliament’s future catering policy 2014-2019 — Guidelines for modernisation’.

153.

A new provider took over at the end of September 2015 under a contract unsubsidised by Parliament. Although the switchover proved complicated, there was no interruption in catering services.

154.

In order to broaden the range of outlets still further, an invitation to tender was issued for a Mediterranean-style restaurant and an organic/free-trade cafeteria catering for people with food intolerances. Tender procedures are also under way for the concessions on the cafeterias in the Brandt Building and the House of European History. The new outlets should be open by September 2016.

155.

Further to the Bureau decision of 8 June 2015, alteration and renovation work has been carried out, or is ongoing, in buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg (Spaak, Spinelli, Trèves I and Weiss).

156.

The implementation of programmes such as e-Parliament (amendments and electronic signature, MEP Portal, etc.), Paperless (eCommittee (48), eMeeting (49), etc.) and Knowledge Management is making it possible to move towards a totally on-line EP with full mobility.

157.

A new version for the translation of committee amendments has been made available in production in autumn 2015. Given the success of CAT4TRAD (system for the management of documents to be translated), and because of the reduced number of documents arriving through the e-Parliament chain, a new project to convert legislative documents from Word to XML (Akoma Ntoso) has been started in November 2015.

158.

During 2015, the delivery of IT support service to EP Members and staff has continued, with a focus on improving the quality and the maturity of the services. A service catalogue has been published, and service performance indicators are regularly measured. User perception is assessed through monthly phone surveys and a yearly email survey as well. In 2015 the deployment of tablets for Members was concluded. Also, as an action in the framework of increasing the security for remote access, tokens have been distributed to Members, assistants and staff in order to enforce a 2-factor authentication when connecting to EP IT infrastructure and services.

159.

The roll-out of WIFI access in the three main sites of the European Parliament was continued by phase 3 of the WIFI project. Phase 3 concentrated on the satellite buildings in Brussels, and on the buildings in Luxembourg. In Brussels, 298 new WIFI access points were installed. In Luxembourg, 858 WIFI access points were installed. Phase 4 of the WIFI (coverage of the surroundings of the main buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg, in order to provide internet access to visitors) rollout was prepared.

160.

The Electronic Voting Information System (ELVIS) of the plenary rooms in both Brussels and Strasbourg was renewed, as well as the VOD-CRE system (which allows the recording of the interventions in the plenary sessions, with multi-language support). The VOD-COM system, allowing the recording of the interventions in the meetings of the committees, was ordered for installation in 2016.

161.

On top of its traditional mission of delivering working documents related to the legislative process, the Diffusion Unit has developed different services to the members and the staff, including physical or electronic delivery of documents on demand. It also plays a major role in the reduction of printed paper by monitoring the effective use of documents and by taking part to the paperless projects. The long term tendencies were confirmed in 2015: increase of electronic delivery of documents on request, reduction of physical distribution and of paper waste. Even if the printed volume depends strongly on the legislative activity, the present reduction of printing is mainly due to voluntary reduction of quantities in the Committees (10 million pages in 2015, compared to 65 million pages in 2011). At the end of 2015, five Committees were working paperless and all were using eCommittee and eMeeting.

162.

The restructuring of the more than 2 000 pages on EP Intranet (in three languages EN, FR, DE) has been prepared. On the basis of user test results a new site map was created with the help of professional information architects using a thematic and task-oriented classification. Editorial guidelines have been drafted in order to install and preserve this new information architecture in the future.

163.

At its meeting of 26 October 2015, the Bureau endorsed the new approach for dealing with Members’ financial and social entitlements, the new principles put forward for the strategy proposed, and the practical aspects of putting that strategy into practice. The goal is to enhance client orientation and to reduce the administrative burden for Members. In this respect, two new instruments will play a major role: the Portal and the e-Portal.

164.

The Portal will be a single front desk integrating all services related to financial and social entitlement formalities. It will provide Members with concise information regarding the rules in force and the status of their rights. At the Portal, application forms will be submitted and preliminary verifications will be performed on the spot. Nevertheless, the files will be dealt with in the Portal’s back office by the specialists in each unit with a personalised approach.

165.

The Portal will be operated from within Directorate B of DG Finance as a separate service. It will be staffed with an experienced and multi-skilled team from the three units responsible for the administrative procedures regarding the Statute for Members and the Implementing Measures for the Statute. The impact of departmental reorganisation will be budget-neutral: staff will be assigned to the Portal on the basis of redeployment of posts within the Directorate for Members’ Financial and Social Entitlements.

166.

The electronic counterpart to the Portal for Members, the e-Portal, has been accessible since 12 January 2015 and provides Members with a unique secure entry point via which they can perform actions related to their financial and social rights on-line.

167.

It allows, inter alia, the electronic submission of reimbursement requests by Members, consultation of their personal file (remuneration, transitional allowance, pensions, insurance), access to all incoming and outgoing correspondence related to social entitlements, consultation of MEPs’ budgets (e.g. parliamentary assistance allowance), at any point, access to documents exchanged with paying agents managing local assistants’ employment contracts, the follow-up of files concerning travel expenses, and the introduction of an IT system for the management of meetings between Members and DG FINS services.

168.

The target users are Members and — subject to their prior written authorisation — accredited parliamentary assistants. Training sessions are organised for Members and authorised assistants, upon request, by the e-Portal Support Unit. In the long term, access to the e-Portal will be extended to external stakeholders, such as paying agents, in order to integrate other administrative procedures which have not yet been digitised.

169.

Further to the Bureau decision of 9 December 2013, the One-Stop Shop has been operating since February 2014 as a central contact point for Members seeking assistance. It serves a link between Members and the various Administration departments, which will continue to provide the services for which they are directly responsible. The One-Stop Shop covers all administrative and support services, but does not provide assistance with core political work or advice on the rights and obligations of accredited parliamentary assistants under their Statute.

170.

In accordance with the Bureau decision of 9 December 2013, the One-Stop Shop carries out user satisfaction surveys. The first survey, conducted in November 2014, produced an overall score of 88,6 % for quality of service. A more recent survey, conducted over a six-week period starting on 21 September 2015, produced a score of 94,7 % for quality. The unit’s aim is now to maintain the same level of satisfaction in the future.

171.

In 2015 — the first full year in which the unit has been operating — close to 4 500 requests were received from 707 Members. For Members requiring assistance with the formalities they need to deal with when taking up their seats, the One-Stop Shop arranged meetings for them with the relevant Administration departments on their first day in Parliament. This service was greatly appreciated.

172.

The aim of the Financial Management System (FMS) project is to improve the visibility and availability of decision-critical information on available resources (human, IT and financial) and their use, achieve efficiencies by standardising and automating key central financial processes, and provide a solution to the approaching technical obsolescence of existing IT applications, in particular the general and budgetary accounting systems and the payments system.

173.

The work on the Blueprint document continued in 2015. The change of the consulting company in charge of its revision and an update initiated in autumn 2015 of the initial business case delayed the delivery of the final report, which is expected in the first half of 2016.

174.

Based on the decision to step up digitalisation dissociated from the future FMS, progress was made towards e-procurement and e-invoicing. In cooperation with the Commission, the roll out of the publication modules provided by the OPOCE (TED e-tendering) was prepared, as well as the necessary training with a view to its implementation by all Parliament services in 2016. Steps have also been taken to digitalise the payment chain, inter alia by the introduction of electronic signature of payment orders.

175.

The revision of the General Implementing Provisions (GIP) and the Internal Rules necessitated by the entry into force of the new Staff Regulations continued in 2015. The rules regarding the staff reports procedure for senior management and professional incompetence were adopted, and new rules are being prepared as regards administrative inquiries, the code of good conduct and arrangements for granting the education allowance

176.

Following consultation of the directorates-general, a ‘Charter on contract staff administration’ came into force on 1 July 2015, and the ‘declaration of no conflict of interest’ form was revised.

177.

Further to the European Court of Justice’s Marcopoulos judgment of 12 December 2013 and the new implementing measures for accredited parliamentary assistants, adopted by the Bureau on 14 April 2014, the main documents relating to the parliamentary assistant dismissal procedure were reviewed in 2015, in cooperation with the Legal Service, in the light of initial experience of conciliation and a number of recommendations made by the European Ombudsman.

178.

At its meeting of 26 October 2015, the Bureau adopted amendments to the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members, focusing on parliamentary assistance: 25 % of the parliamentary assistance allowance must be set aside for the recruitment of accredited parliamentary assistants, the number of whom may not exceed three per Member. In order, in addition, to encourage greater transparency in the use of resources (50), it is now mandatory to publish the names of natural and legal persons remunerated from the parliamentary assistance allowance.

179.

The issue of equal opportunities remains a key component of Parliament’s human resource management policy. Accordingly, the 2014-2019 action plan for the promotion of gender equality and diversity was finalised in 2015 and submitted to the Bureau on 27 April 2015. The revised mandate of the High-Level Group on Equality and Diversity was adopted by the Bureau on 18 May 2015.

180.

Many awareness-raising measures were carried out and much progress has been achieved, in particular on the integration of people with a disability, as a result of implementing the new procedure for recruiting persons with a disability as contract staff, EPSO having issued the first call for applications in January 2015, continued implementation of the recently introduced procedure for recruiting persons with a disability as trainees, focusing on ‘reasonable accommodation’, organisation, selection and welcoming trainees with disabilities, taking steps with a view to integrating the traineeship programmes for persons with disabilities with the general programme, and organising meetings for staff members caring for a parent with a disability or a chronic illness.

181.

In addition, a brochure entitled ‘Women in the European Parliament’ was published, information stands were set up to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, and awareness-raising initiatives were organised to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

182.

The ‘Social Report’, now called the ‘Human Resources Annual Report’, was substantially modernised; the 2014 version (issued in October 2015) was extended to cover accredited parliamentary assistants.

183.

Forty-seven posts were deleted from the establishment plan (at Secretariat level) in connection with the implementation of the Interinstitutional Agreement on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (51).

184.

The main changes to Parliament’s organisational set-up and management are summarised in the table below:

Table 19

Summary of restructuring changes in Parliament’s Secretariat in 2015

Table 1.

Table 2.

Table 3.

Table 4.

Table 5.

Table 6.

Table 7.

Table 8.

Table 9.

Table 10.

Table 11.

Table 12.

Table 13.

Table 14.

Table 15.

Table 16.

Table 17.

Table 18.

Table 19.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.