11.8.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 266/1

I.

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II.

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I.

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III.

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A.1.

A.2.

A.3.

A.4.

B.

B.1.

B.2.

B.3.

B.4.

B.5.

C.

C.1

C.2

C.3

C.4

C.5

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C.7

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D.2

D.3

D.4

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E.3.

E.4.

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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 2016. 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 2016 (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 (2). The analysis is based on the provisional accounts established by the Accounting Officer.

3.

Parliament’s final appropriations for 2016 totalled EUR 1 838 613 983, or 19,39 % 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 2016.

Table 1

Use of appropriations

4.

The initial appropriations in Parliament’s budget for 2016 amounted to EUR 1 838 388 600. Following an amending budget (9) of EUR 225 383, total appropriations in the final budget for 2016 were EUR 1 838 613 983. This represented a 2,4 % increase over the 2015 final budget (EUR 1 794 929 112).

5.

Commitments totalled EUR 1 823 844 172, accounting for 99,2 % of final appropriations (2015: 99,1 %). Payments totalled EUR 1 538 531 527, or 84,4 % of commitments entered into (2015: 83,7 %).

6.

Automatic carryovers to financial year 2017 totalled EUR 285 312 645, accounting for 15,6 % of the total appropriations committed (2015: 16,3 %). There were no non-automatic carryovers to financial year 2017 under Article 13 of the Financial Regulation.

7.

Automatic carryovers to 2016 totalled EUR 289 323 907 (2015: EUR 277 911 825). Payments against those carryovers stood at EUR 267 999 422, or 92,6 % (2015: 90,9 %). Appropriations cancelled thus totalled EUR 21 324 484, 15,8 % less than in 2015 (EUR 25 315 611). The bulk of the cancellations was made against: Article 2 0 0 ‘Buildings’, Article 1 0 0 ‘Salaries and allowances’, Article 2 0 2 ‘Expenditure on buildings’, Article 3 2 4 ‘Production and dissemination’, Article 4 0 2 ‘Funding of European political parties’ and Article 4 0 3 ‘Funding of European political foundations’. Cancellations against those six articles accounted for 82 % 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 2015 to 2016

9.

Total revenue entered in the accounts as at 31 December 2016 was EUR 183 381 513 (2015: EUR 176 367 724), including EUR 30 589 787 in assigned revenue (2015: 27 988 590).

10.

Table 3 provides a breakdown, by chapter, of movement in revenue between 2015 and 2016.

Table 3

Movement in revenue between 2015 and 2016

11.

Assigned revenue made available in 2016 totalled EUR 30 589 787 (2015: EUR 27 988 590). Commitments totalled EUR 12 032 487, i.e. a 39 % commitment rate (2015: 54 %). Payments totalled EUR 7 602 676, accounting for 63 % of the commitments entered into (2015: 83 %).

12.

Appropriations from assigned revenue carried over to 2016 include the Belgian Government’s payment of EUR 85 897 000, made 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. 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. Concerning this building project, payments totalling EUR 74 250 579 were carried out in 2016.

13.

The sum of EUR 14 769 811 (2015: EUR 16 107 073), representing 0,8 % of final appropriations (2015: 0,9 %), was cancelled. The main reasons for the cancellations are set out in the table below:

Table 4

Main reasons for cancellations in 2016 of appropriations for the year

14.

During the financial year, seven C transfers (including what is termed the ‘mopping-up’ transfer) were approved in accordance with Articles 27 and 46 of the Financial Regulation. They totalled EUR 66 655 000, which is 3,6 % of final appropriations (in 2015: six transfers accounting for 4,6 % of final appropriations). The President authorised 16 P transfers of appropriations for the year under Article 25(1) of the Financial Regulation (11), covering a total of EUR 18 233 548, or 1,0 % of final appropriations (in 2015: seven transfers accounting for 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 70 % 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 2016 as against those committed in 2015. Figures 1 and 2 depict, respectively, the relative shares and the changes between 2015 and 2016.

Table 7

Appropriations committed in 2016 as against those committed in 2015

Figure 1

Breakdown of 2016 commitments by chapter

Figure 2

Appropriations committed in 2016 as against those committed in 2015, by chapter

17.

A Member’s gross salary is 38,5 % of the basic salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice (16). The main reason for the increase in commitments against Item 1 0 0 0 between 2015 and 2016 is the pay adjustment of 3,3 %, backdated to 1 July 2016. Members’ gross monthly salary rose to EUR 8 484 (EUR 8 213 between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016). A total of EUR 1 199 190 was paid retroactively for the period from July to December 2016.

18.

The decrease of commitments against Item 1 0 0 4 ‘Ordinary travel expenses’ over 2015 and the increase of commitments against Item 1 0 0 5 ‘Other travel expenses’ can both be explained by the change in Parliament’s activity calendar. The increase of external parliamentary activities weeks led to a decrease in the level of expenditure concerning ordinary travels whereas travels in the Member State of election tended to increase.

19.

In 2016, Members made a total of 29 641 journeys (17). Most journeys were made to Brussels (18 615) and to Strasbourg (8 687). There were 1 348 and 991 journeys, respectively, to attend meetings elsewhere in the European Union and outside the European Union.

20.

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 2016 (unchanged over 2015) and was paid monthly at Members’ request.

21.

The reduction against Item 1 0 2 0 ‘Transitional allowances’ between 2015 and 2016 reflects the phasing-out effect of Members who left office after the elections in 2014 and applied for a transitional allowance (18). In December 2016, only 2 former Members were paid a transitional allowance, compared to 12 in July 2016, 25 at the end of December 2015 and still 51 in July 2015. Furthermore, a modification of the rules on offsetting (19) led to the reopening of 21 files in 2016 and resulted in payments of transitional allowance of EUR 752 696.

22.

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 (20). 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 2016, there were 390 beneficiaries, which compares to 458 at year-end 2015. The reduction of the number of beneficiaries explains the decrease of the commitments against the Item from 2015 to 2016.

23.

Expenditure on officials and temporary staff amounted to EUR 625 820 200 in 2016, making it the largest spending category (accounting for 34 % of total commitments for 2016). 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 under Chapter 1 2.

24.

Commitments against Item 1 2 0 0 ‘Remuneration and allowances’ totalled EUR 621 577 767; they were 5 % up on 2015. That movement reflects an increase in the proportion of posts filled and includes career progression as well as index-linking of pay. Indeed, in December 2016, pay for officials and other staff of the European Union was increased by 3,3 %, backdated to 1 July 2016.

25.

Commitments against Item 1 2 0 4 ‘Entitlements in connection with entering the service, transfer and leaving the service’ amounted to EUR 3 425 000; on account of a higher level of officials and other servants entering and leaving the service, the commitments were 34 % up on 2015.

26.

In 2016, 181 officials and temporary staff were recruited to the Secretariat, and 76 temporary staff were recruited to the political groups. A total of 6 181 officials and temporary staff were employed within Parliament as at 31 December 2016, thereof 5 375 in the Secretariat and 806 in the political groups.

27.

As regards the gender breakdown, women accounted for 59 % of Parliament’s total staff, 33 % of heads of unit, 30 % of directors and 26 % of directors-general as at 31 December 2016. The figure below gives a gender breakdown of staff by function group.

Figure 3

Parliament staff by gender

Source: DG PERSONNEL

28.

The main reason for the increase in the committed appropriations within this chapter is the fact that commitments for other staff increased by EUR 7,5 m, mostly owing to security staff being brought in house. Another important impact was the increased need for external interpretation in 2016 (EUR 2,2 m up over 2015). Commitments for external translation were lower by 16 %.

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 and to index-linking of pay. As at 31 December 2016, Parliament employed 1 538 contract staff (31 December 2015: 1 428, i.e. + 8 %). A breakdown of contract staff by function group (21) 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 2016

Source: DG PERSONNEL

30.

The change against Item 1 4 0 2 ‘Expenditure on interpretation’ stemmed from changes in the characteristics of the demand, such as the modifications introduced to the structure of Parliament’s activity calendar and the creation of two new Inquiry committees. Moreover, the average daily rate for the auxiliary conference interpreters rose due to a salary increase and an adaptation of the daily allowances and accommodation ceilings for missions. Commitments against this 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.

Conference interpreting Agents provided 52 121 days of interpreting in 2016 (1,3 % up compared to 2015) for Parliament and other institutions (22) (where Parliament was required to provide this service).

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 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 partly due to the reduction in outsourcing in 2016 and partly to the fact that the average price per page of outsourced translation under the new contracts in force in 2016 was lower than under the contracts previously signed.

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 2016 attendances at language courses totalled 5 618 (2015: 5 606), 2 120 at IT training courses (2015: 2 284), and 874 at financial training courses (2015: 1 233). Attendances at in-house general training courses totalled 11 873 (2015: 11 970), and 353 at outside courses (2015: 341) (23).

35.

The decrease of the commitments against Item 1 6 5 2 ‘Current operating expenditure for restaurants and canteens’ over 2015 can be explained by the implementation of the strategic guidelines for the modernisation of Parliament’s catering policy 2014-2019 as adopted by the Bureau on 10 June 2013. Based on these guidelines, the contractors providing catering services at Parliament’s premises were no longer subsidised in Brussels (since July 2015) and Strasbourg (since November 2016).

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 (24). The main reason for the decrease was that overall needs were lower, as a number of places in the private crèches in Brussels remained untaken and fewer external interventions were required.

37.

There were no appropriations initially inscribed in the budget 2016 for Item 2 0 0 1 ‘Lease payments’: appropriations for this item were increased by EUR 53 500 000 by the end of the financial year, as a result of the mopping-up transfer. The full amount was committed for the project to extend the Adenauer Building in Luxembourg (KAD project).

38.

Commitments against Item 2 0 0 5 ‘Construction of buildings’ covered costs and work related to the KAD project (25) and totalled EUR 11 113 598 (2015: EUR 8 969 858). They also covered costs and work related to the renovation of the Havel Building in Strasbourg, amounting to EUR 2 149 941 (2015: EUR 5 050 000), as well as projects in Brussels (amounting to EUR 4 525 268), mainly concerning the start of the fitting-out of the Martens Building.

39.

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. The increase in commitments against this Item in 2016 is mainly due to exceptional investments in buildings security aspects, as a consequence of the changed security situation. The investments aimed, amongst others, at reinforcing the entrances of the buildings, reinforcing the glazing into bullet proof glazing und upgrading the security perimeter outside the buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg. Other projects in Brussels concerned e.g. the modernisation of the lifts in the Spinelli Building, premises for the reading of confidential or secret documents and the new Visitor Welcome Centre in the Atrium Building. Other main projects in Strasbourg were: works to make the IT and telecomm rooms secure, miscellaneous defects repair and flocking repair work in the Weiss Building, the conversion of three meeting rooms in the Pflimlin Building into open-plan offices and the installation of a small Parlamentarium.

40.

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.). The reduction against the item over 2015 mainly stems from a rationalisation of the cleaning services, a lower than expected index increase and a cost reduction in a maintenance contract following amendments negotiated in 2015.

41.

Commitments against Item 2 0 2 6 ‘Security and surveillance of buildings’ essentially cover caretaking and surveillance costs in respect of buildings occupied by Parliament at its three places of work and the information offices. The reduction of commitments in 2016 results from the completion of the internalisation of security in Strasbourg, from the new provisions concerning the opening and closing hours of buildings and from the abandonment of one building in Luxembourg.

42.

Expenditure against Item 2 1 0 0 ‘Computing and telecommunications — business-as-usual operations — operations’ relates to the smooth running of Parliament’s computer and telecommunications systems, in particular the computer and telecommunications centre systems, departmental computing, and network management. The 3 % increase of commitments against the item between 2015 and 2016 relates to increasing capacities of the data centre year-on-year, resulting from the growth in the number of hosted applications. Additionally, framework contracts for maintenance are indexed annually, resulting in further increases in expenditure during 2016.

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 systems, including network, wiring, and telecommunications infrastructure, and infrastructure for individual equipment and voting systems. The 10 % increase in commitments between 2015 and 2016 is mainly explained by the fact that budgetary commitments for one significant contract had been charged against the budget 2015 for 6 months only.

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, in particular support services for Members and for administrative and legislative applications. The 7 % decrease in commitments between 2015 and 2016 on this item can mainly be explained by internal transfers of appropriations to other ICT (26) budget items, following an internal reorganisation and transfer of activities and responsibilities which could not be foreseen when the budget 2016 was prepared.

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 applications, in particular applications for Members, communication applications, and administrative and legislative applications. Commitments against this Item remained stable between 2015 and 2016.

46.

Commitments against Item 2 1 0 4 ‘Computing and telecommunications — investment in infrastructure’ cover investment in Parliament’s computer and telecommunications system infrastructure, including the systems at the computer and telecommunications centre, networks, cabling, and videoconferencing systems. The main reason for the 12 % decrease against this item is that fewer appropriations were made available for the acquisition of individual ICT equipment.

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 includes applications for Members, legislative, administrative and financial applications and ICT governance applications. The 78 % increase in expenditure against this Item from 2015 to 2016 relates mainly to additional appropriations provided by internal transfers, following an internal reorganisation and transfer of activities in 2016 with the intention to manage certain IT projects in a more decentralised way, the development of new projects e.g. in the field of digitalisation of processes, and the decision that certain developments within the e-Parliament program needed to be handled earlier than previously foreseen.

48.

All items in this chapter provided funding for the mopping-up transfer C8. Continuous efforts were made to control current administrative expenditure. The change against Article 2 3 7 ‘Removals’ can be explained by a shortage of handlers in the furniture stocks which led to an increased demand for external handlers. The increase against Article 2 3 8 ‘Other administrative expenditure’ stemmed mainly from higher needs for uniforms linked to the internalisation processes of transport of Members (drivers) and security.

49.

In 2016, there were 34 457 missions (27) (2015: 34 459), representing a total of 99 660 mission days (2015: 98 674). Most of the missions involved travel between Parliament’s three places of work (Brussels — 4 546 missions; Strasbourg — 21 393; and Luxembourg — 2 187). Apart from an increase in mission days, the increase against Article 3 0 0 ‘Expenses for staff missions and duty travel between the three places of work’ can be explained by an adaptation of daily subsistence allowances and accommodation ceilings (from 10 September 2016), the first in 9 years (28).

50.

The main reason for the increase against Article 3 0 4 ‘Miscellaneous expenditure on meetings’ is a higher than expected demand for the supply of refreshments, particularly mineral water, served at official and administrative meetings.

51.

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 this item decreased compared to 2015 due to the decrease in the number of visitors in 2016 following the terrorist attacks in Brussels.

52.

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). There is a limited increase in 2016 due to the launching in the second semester of the European Ambassadors School Program in all Member States. This program includes various activities and aims to create a network of schools, teachers and students that engage with the European Parliament, its Members and the Information Offices in order to raise awareness on European parliamentary democracy and European citizenship values (see paragraph 117 below).

53.

Item 3 2 4 8 ‘Expenditure on audiovisual information’ 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. The substantial increase against this Item from 2015 to 2016 was a result of several unforeseen exceptional events which had to be covered and the growing interest of MEPs and new TV channels for DG COMM’s audiovisual installations.

54.

In 2016, the production of audiovisual material generated 1 831 items on Europe by Satellite (e.g. plenary sittings, committee meetings and political events), the photo service covered 4 009 events (including 2 094 requests from Members), 1 841 radio, 3 861 Voxbox cameras stand ups, 1 038 multimedia and 2 106 television items were produced. The Teletrax system (218 channels; 80 % of the European public) monitored 208 outlets that made use of Parliament-produced images. The images were used 66 251 times over a total duration of 610 hours.

55.

The 4 % increase against Item 3 2 1 0 ‘Acquisition of expertise for the European Parliamentary Research Service, the Library and the Archives’ over 2015 can be explained by an increase in the demand (and offer) for research products, including their editorial work, as well as an increase in the number of events organised. Additionally, the costs of online sources of information were higher, since the offer is tailor-made to meet Members’ information needs.

56.

Concerning Item 3 2 0 0 ‘Acquisition of expertise’, the reduction from 2015 to 2016 mostly stems from expertise related to delayed IT projects being put on hold.

57.

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. The 3 % increase of the commitments against this Article over 2015 is mainly due to the fact that 2016 was the first full year of the existence of the ENF Group (which had been set up on 15 June 2015).

58.

Articles 4 0 2 and 4 0 3 relate to grants awarded to support the annual work programme of political parties at European level or of political foundations 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 (29). 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’  (30).

59.

For European political parties and foundations, the maximum possible rate of Parliament co-financing is 85 % of the eligible expenditure (31). The increase against both Articles from 2015 to 2016 results from Bureau decisions on the award of grants.

60.

Members may use their parliamentary assistance allowance to engage accredited parliamentary assistants (working in Brussels or Strasbourg under a specific statute) or local assistants (32) (working in their constituencies under contracts governed by national law). In respect of local assistants, the allowance covers invoices, salaries and travel expenses. In respect of accredited assistants, it covers salaries, allowances, mission expenses and the cost of outside training courses.

61.

The increase in commitments from 2015 to 2016 is due to the fact that, following decision of the budgetary authority, the envelope for parliamentary assistance has been increased, as of 1 January 2016, by EUR 1 500 per month and per Member.

62.

On 31 December 2016 there were 1 924 accredited parliamentary assistants working at Parliament, 2 247 local assistants had an employment contract with a Member (including 68 employed by groupings of Members), 685 service providers (other than paying agents) and 731 paying agents (including 34 via groupings). On average, each Member employed 2,6 accredited assistants and 3,0 local assistants (33). In 2016, the number of local assistants employed per Member varied between 0 and 20. Whereas 122 Members did not have any local assistants at all at the end of 2016, there were 19 Members who recruited more than 10 employees in their Member State of election. At year-end 2016, 423 Members had no ongoing contract with a service provider.

63.

Parliamentary assistance payments in 2016 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 2015 rate) in accordance with the rules in force.

64.

At its meeting of 26 October 2015, the Bureau adopted several changes to the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members. These changes required an adaptation to new practices both for the administration and Members. The new provisions have been implemented throughout 2016.

65.

This chapter accounted for 0,02 % of 2016 commitments, totalling EUR 420 000 (EUR 400 000 in 2015).

66.

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 are dealt with in Section I of this report. Initial appropriations against this title stood at EUR 6 000 000 (2015: EUR 11 700 000) — equivalent to 0,3 % of the total budget for 2016.

67.

In 2016, legislative activity substantially increased as Parliament was approaching mid-term of its 2014-2019 legislative term. Parliament’s Directorates General for Parliamentary Research Service, Internal Policies and External Policies provided the Members of the European Parliament and parliamentary committees with assistance and knowledge in their parliamentary work. The rationalisation and modernisation of key areas of Parliament’s Administration continued.

68.

A politically striking event in 2016 was the referendum held on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (‘Brexit vote’). The President of the European Parliament underlined that as long as the United Kingdom was a full member of the European Union, British Members and staff of the European Parliament enjoyed exactly the same rights and obligations as all other Members and staff of the house. The referendum had a considerable impact on the political Directorates General, which were called upon to follow this process and to prepare analytical material based on fact-finding work to consider the impact of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal on the policy areas and legislation in their respective fields.

69.

Also the year 2016 was marked by a deteriorating security context and terrorist attacks. On 22 March 2016, coordinated attacks occurred at Brussels airport and the Maelbeek Metro Station, close to Parliament’s buildings in Brussels. The state of alert at Parliament was raised to orange during the period 22-29 March 2016 and remained at yellow for the reminder of the year at the three places of work and the Information Offices. This terrorist attack prompted immediate action to enhance security, chiefly in Brussels, but also induced a review of Parliament’s activities in the light of this constraint.

70.

The objectives pursued and outcomes achieved in 2016, which are set out below, stem from the priorities and decisions adopted by the Bureau in 2016, the guidelines adopted by Parliament in its budget resolutions, and the goals and achievements of the Parliamentary Project Portfolio (34).

71.

In response to increased security threats, cooperation in this area was stepped up between Parliament and the national authorities of the host countries, in particular the Belgian authorities.

72.

A high-level working group on security issues was set up, with a very small number of members. Two key issues were discussed: the need for a clear and formally established definition of the European district and the designation of a single body within the Belgian authorities to consider, track and take action on all security issues that arise in the district. Other more general issues were also discussed, such as CCTV coverage, specific security measures for events held in public places, the conclusion of a formal agreement on a police and military presence, even when the state of alert is at its lowest, and security screening of external service providers employed by the European institutions. Agreements were reached with national authorities on these matters.

73.

The integrated Physical Access Control System (iPACS) project was adopted by the Bureau on 9 March 2015 with a view to acquiring new security techniques to step up security in Parliament by giving it modern, integrated, non-invasive technological tools capable of assimilating future technological developments.

74.

In accordance with the Bureau decision, a schedule for the phasing in of the system at the three places of work over an estimated time span of 5 years was drawn up.

75.

A start was made on the project in 2015 with the completion of tender procedures for the buying-in of IT tools and expertise.

76.

Tender procedures for equipment were completed in 2016.

77.

Furthermore, the Bureau asked for the entrances to all Parliament buildings at the three places of work to be improved and reorganised on the basis of a new security concept. All the entrances to the Parliament buildings in Brussels that were modernised in 2015 and 2016 were fitted out with new access control systems and have been incorporated into the new central iPACS system.

78.

New, more secure passes will be phased in over the course of 2017, i.e. slightly later than was originally planned. The delay is due to the decision taken to fit the passes with a latest-generation chip and the need to wait for the chips to become available on the market.

79.

Since 2014 the Bureau has taken a series of decisions to tailor security and protection arrangements at Parliament’s buildings, which were designed and acquired before terrorism became widespread, to the new types of risk now faced. In April 2016 the Bureau approved a general update on all the security work and investments previously approved for Brussels and Strasbourg and the scheduling thereof for 2016 and 2017.

80.

In tandem with that, the Bureau also adopted a series of measures to step up security and the level of protection of Parliament’s central buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg against risks of intrusion or terrorist attack by creating an external perimeter around them.

81.

Against this background, the Bureau had asked for the entrances to all Parliament buildings at the three places of work to be improved and reorganised on the basis of a new security concept able to guarantee a sound and safe working environment for parliamentary activities while retaining the openness to the public that is the hallmark of Parliament.

82.

At its meeting of 11 April 2016, the Bureau adopted the proposal for the internalisation of Members’ transport service. The main objective of the internalisation is the improvement of the security of Members as Parliament will be able to conduct security screenings of drivers before employment and to provide continuous training and monitoring of its staff. The recruitment of new drivers under the statute of contract agent started as from the beginning of 2017.

83.

2016 was the first year in which the ‘Members’ Research Service’ was fully operational in terms of its staff complement, level of policy specialisation and range of products for and services to Members. In addition to answering numerous enquiries from Members or their offices, the Service has also generated an increasing number of publications for Members and the institution as a whole, all designed to being clear, content-rich, accessible and easy to read.

84.

There are several types of publications, which differ in length and detail. ‘At a glance notes’ provide a 1-2 page summary of a topic whereas ‘Briefings’ offer a more detailed overview of a policy, issue or piece of legislation and have a length of up to 12 pages. A much more comprehensive and detailed analysis of the same is provided by ‘In-depth Analyses and Studies’. Overall, in 2016 the MRS generated 746 print publications, out of which 330 were ‘At a glance notes’, 384 ‘Briefings’ and 32 ‘In-depth Analyses and Studies.’

85.

The MRS has also worked closely with the two EU advisory committees — the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — as foreseen in the cooperation agreements signed with them in 2014, and delivered services to those bodies by responding to specific requests for research and support in other forms. Around 150 such pieces of work were provided in 2015 and 2016, as foreseen in those agreements.

86.

Parliament’s Library, in addition to the classic library function, also provides digital and online access for Members and staff to a very wide range of knowledge sources, including many subscription-based journals, databases, and news and other information sources.

87.

Furthermore, the new unit dealing with comparative law that was created at the end of 2015, has successfully begun the process of building up a reference collection, both physically and electronically, in this field, and of establishing links with comparable libraries worldwide. It hosted a major conference on the role of constitutional courts in multilevel governance in November 2016. In parallel, the unit published seven studies on the constitutional courts of different EU and non-EU states and on the Court of Justice of the European Union.

88.

In 2016, legislative activity substantially increased as Parliament was approaching the mid-term of its 2014-2019 legislative period. This led to a considerably higher output in the areas of Impact Assessment and European Added Value compared to previous years.

89.

Seven ‘Cost of Non-Europe Reports (35)’ were published in 2016, including on completing the single market, the sharing economy, the resilience of Banking Union, integrated research area, organised crime and corruption, and cost of border controls in the Schengen area (‘Cost of Non-Schengen’). Five ‘European Added Value Assessments’ were completed in 2016 on issues, including an EU mechanism for the rule and law and fundamental rights, cross-border recognition of adoptions, and the coordination of corporate tax policies in the EU. In addition, two European Added Value in Action briefings, which highlight the added value of existing EU policies, were published on Common Security and Defence Policy and EU development policy.

90.

With the Commission’s legislative output reaching its cruising speed, 2016 was marked by a very important increase in the number of legislative proposals submitted to Parliament and consequently in the number of Commission impact assessments requiring appraisal: 36 initial appraisals — almost three times as many as in 2015 — were produced by Parliament’s administration.

91.

Furthermore, new rules on implementation reports adopted by the Conference of Presidents in April 2016 have contributed to a significant increase in the number of ‘European Implementation Assessments’: 13 such assessments were produced in 2016.

92.

A broad range of forward-looking studies, workshops and other activities, at the request of the ‘Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel’ of 25 Members of the European Parliament, nominated by nine parliamentary committees, were organised during the year. In 2016, 10 publications were produced in this field, which were published on the Parliament’s Website.

93.

Finally, a new unit with the responsibility to follow Global Trends was established in April 2015, which seeks to identify, track and analyse medium- and long-term global trends — especially changes in the international economic, social and political environments — which may affect the European Union in the years to come. It keeps Members informed about such trends and their potential policy implications, by publishing briefings and organising seminars. These publications include a new Global Trendometer, to be produced at least twice a year, which analyses changes of potential importance to the Union. During 2016, the unit’s first briefing was published, ‘Migration and the EU: a long-term perspective’, followed by the first edition of the new Global Trendometer.

94.

2016 saw a high level of legislative and non-legislative activity. Beyond the traditional core activities during the legislative phase, committees and committee secretariats continued to invest a considerable amount of work towards interinstitutional agenda-setting, as well as in the consultation phase, and in the scrutiny phase. In this context 391 parliamentary committee meetings and 135 trilogue meetings were organised in 2016.

95.

In particular, thorough expertise and support were provided for the preparation of Parliament’s position on the first ever proposal to revise a multiannual financial framework (MFF), via the lead of the committee on budgets and the involvement of a large number of stakeholders. This allowed for an in-depth analysis of the functioning of the current MFF and the adoption of a wide-ranging report, with guidelines that enabled extensive discussions and which provided valuable input to the Commission’s proposal.

96.

In 2016, substantial expertise was also provided into the process of revising the Rules of Procedure via the lead AFCO-committee working-group and through an administrative project team set up to support its work.

97.

On 13 April 2016, a new interinstitutional agreement on better law-making was signed. Parliament’s administration has contributed extensively and successfully to the preparations for the negotiations and, after its signature, has also been actively working on the implementation and follow-up of this agreement.

98.

A very substantial share of expertise needed for the work of the committees is produced in-house and this share has been increasing in the past years. In 2016, some 382 (2015: 352 and 2014: 218) internal studies and briefing papers were produced (including about 100 updates of existing ones).

99.

In 2016, the five committees and sub-committees in the field of external policies have developed an enhanced scrutiny and monitoring of the EU foreign policy through, inter alia, the scrutiny of the implementation of financing instruments and broader budgetary oversight, regular exchanges of views with the Vice-President/High Representative for foreign Policy of the European Commission, the Commissioners responsible for external relations, the EEAS (36) and Commission high officials on key geographical and sectorial issues. In the legislative field, the committees have played an essential role in the work of the European Parliament’s negotiating team in numerous trilogue meetings including on sensitive files (eg. conflict minerals regulation, updated Anti-torture Regulation).

100.

Parliament has also participated in interinstitutional negotiations on arrangements for cooperation and information-sharing related to international agreements. The operational arrangements for access to TTIP-related documents were moreover further implemented, allowing to handle a substantial amount of documents and providing unprecedented access to documents relating to ongoing trade negotiations.

101.

Parliament’s administration has also implemented the administrative agreement reached with the EEAS on the sharing of political reporting, inter alia, through the setting up of a secure reading room and its daily management and through the use of the secure email transmission.

102.

In relation to Interparliamentary Delegations, particular attention was given to continue the consistently implementation of the scrutiny working methods and modalities introduced in 2015 and revised at the beginning of 2016.

103.

This aimed to ensure the effective assessment and monitoring of international agreements, the level of implementation of EU financial instruments, the impact of programmes and projects financed by the EU, the follow-up given to recommendations issued by election observation missions, the human rights situation and the monitoring legislation in force or in the making. A total of 66 detailed mission reports also known as ‘reporting sheets’ were produced during the period of reference, most of them focusing on Monitoring of international agreements (23) and financial instruments (16), human rights (14), follow-up to recommendations of Electoral Observation missions (7) and the impact of legislation in force or in the making (6). Ad hoc guidelines were also prepared with a view to streamlining the preparation and transmission of reporting sheets and to improve other aspects of the work of delegations (including the collection of data for statistical purposes).

104.

The policy department in the field of external policies continued its embedded approach in its communication activity by publicising its work on the EP Think Tank internet site, the policy departments’ common intranet site and by contributing to monthly overviews of policy departments’ activities. In addition, in June 2016 it launched its own monthly newsletter.

105.

In the view of developing more links with the academic and think tank communities and relevant international organisations, the policy department unit organised 13 policy hubs, two diplomacy forums and two roundtables. It intensified cooperation and exchange of information with the Political Affairs and Public Diplomacy Departments of NATO and informal meetings at advisers’ level have become regular (biannual).

106.

Most of the activities related to democracy support were organised in the six priority countries adopted by the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) (Ukraine, Moldova, Tunisia, Morocco, Tanzania and Myanmar) and in the priority region (Western Balkans and Turkey). Nine election observation delegations (Uganda, Peru, Mongolia, Zambia, Gabon, Jordan, Georgia, Moldova and Ghana) have been organised in 2016.

107.

In particular in March 2016, the European Parliament organised the Ukraine Week, a 3-day event for the launch of capacity building activities with the Verkhovna Rada (VRU). 80 Members and senior staff participated to the programme. As a result of the Ukraine week, the European Parliament signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Verkhovna Rada to build a close partnership in developing capacity building activities with a country which is at the top political priority for the European Parliament.

108.

The 2016 support programme for the Western Balkan and Turkish parliaments provided capacity building sessions on a wide range of policy topics, such as immigration and asylum policy or non-discrimination of persons with disabilities. It strengthened parliamentary dialogue and increased regional ownership. Members and staff of enlargement parliaments were exposed to the EU policies and decision making processes, through debates with participating Members, which helped them to understand and comply with the EU values and accession criteria.

109.

The project e-Parliament aims at providing Members with an authoring tool to draft reports and integrate them in the legislative text production chain. It also deals with the redesign of Plenary applications. During 2016, the roll-out of the verbatim minutes has been completed and the governance board for e-Parliament has adopted the working programme until 2019 (end of legislative term).

110.

Another project (ICT4MEPs) improves the ICT services offered to MEPs and their staff while they are in their constituencies by providing wider access to EP resources and applications. Phase 1 of the Project was implemented in October 2016, providing access management for up to 1 000 Local Assistants. In addition, an international green phone number was also activated in all 28 Member States, to offer a wider range of support to cover all EU time zones, in English, French and German. It is aimed to deliver a whole range of additional services which will be available from outside the European Parliament, during 2017. New features to systems accessible from outside the EP have been added in 2016, like the change password.

111.

A note from the Secretary General to the Bureau dated 30 November 2016 took stock of the main projects and activities in the area of communication and visitor reception that took place since the end of 2014. These projects and activities have been undertaken in addition to the day-to-day business of communication. They encompass a strong focus on strengthening the visitor strategy of the Parliament, the media relations, the provision of expertise to Members and an ever growing strategy for developing ties with important information multipliers in the Member States.

112.

Concerning the effort of adapting the communication workflow to the evolving media landscape, the Parliament followed closely the revamp of media activities and the overall approach to move from a platform-oriented coverage to a thematic and audience-oriented one.

113.

Parliament’s website offers a multitude of information to citizens, Members, staff, media, stakeholders and visitors and state-of-the-art online tools allow for enhanced online communication. In this context, the reorganisation of the EP News website has started in 2016.

114.

Moreover, the reform of EuroparlTV has been the subject of several notes to the Bureau Working Party on Information and Communication and is now reaching its final steps. Following diverse studies and evaluation, Parliament’s video production service started to produce in a more targeted way, with a pre-production analysis of distribution channels and audiences to boost the success of, and engagement with videos.

115.

A note on trusted relationships with journalists through numerous daily activities and products by the EP press officers was discussed, recalling that the main goal of the EP press activities is to increase the EP’s visibility.

116.

Cooperation between the Committee Secretariats and EP Information Offices have been intensified with a view of organising a more systematic dialogue with stakeholders on the legislative issues under discussion in the European Parliament in the framework of the stakeholder dialogue project. This project aims at activating the stakeholders in Member States and get them involved in the legislative process of the European Parliament through active dialogue with rapporteurs.

117.

Another milestone was the innovative approach to reach out to schools across EU Member States by means of the Ambassador School Programme. The project aims to create a continuously increasing network of schools which would be engaging with the European Parliament, its Members and the EP Information Offices. Interested schools have to apply to become part of the network and then perform teaching activities that raise awareness on European parliamentary democracy and European citizenship values. The Working Party endorsed a pilot phase launched in six Member States for the school year 2015/2016 and provided a positive assessment of the outcome. Subsequently, the Bureau approved the launch of the EP Ambassador School Programme in all Member States on 3 October 2016.

118.

The European Parliament has been striving to improve the experience of its visitors both on the EP premises in Brussels and Strasbourg as well as on the EP’s Information Offices in the Member States. Over the past years, the need arose to introduce effective, informative and coherent reception arrangements and other facilities to all visitors in its different poles of attraction. In 2016 the Parliament pursued to improved offers to visitors in Brussels, Strasbourg and in the Information Offices, in application of the visitors’ strategy adopted by the Bureau on 27 April 2015.

119.

Specific visitors’ projects include the House of European History, whose construction works were completed in 2016 and the opening is planned for May 2017. Conceptually and academically, it will offer an intellectually rigorous, yet fresh and multiperspective view of the history of the European continent, seen from a European as opposed to a national standpoint. Museologically, the House has taken on the unprecedented task of building a major new collection from scratch.

120.

Since the end of 2016, a new welcome point for groups of visitors is situated in the Atrium Building in Brussels. The main purpose of this project was to better manage the flow of the visitors that is expected after the opening of the House of European History. It gives a welcoming and friendly first image to the groups of visitors invited to visit the site of the European Parliament. The Visitors’ Reception Area guarantees the welcoming and safe arrival of visitors to Parliament.

121.

The concept for the Visitor Welcome Centre ‘Station Europe’ was approved by the Bureau at its meeting of 18 May 2015 and realised in 2016. The project converted the old Brussels-Luxembourg station into an orientation point for the European Parliament visitor pathway, with interactive and user-friendly applications and uses the first floor as a space for events and receptions.

122.

The proposed cooperation arrangement with the Belgian authorities on the use of the House of the former artist ‘Wiertz’ and its garden was presented to the Bureau at its meeting of 8 June 2015. The Wiertz garden directly borders the Paul-Henri Spaak Building and is easily accessible from Parliament’s main entrances. The Bureau tasked the Secretary-General with starting 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 to possibly use the garden and the former artists’ house. The project continued in 2016 and the Belgium State proposed to the Parliament the signature of a long-term lease contract of 50 years at the symbolic price of EUR 1.

123.

Another important project starting to take shape is the modernisation of the publicly accessible welcome areas of the EP Information Offices, which began in 2016 with the opening of the ‘Europa Experience’ centres in Berlin and 2017 in Ljubljana, soon to be followed by updated facilities in Strasbourg.

124.

The Parliament fosters interaction with citizens through recurrent and occasional events, in particular:

125.

The LUX Prize pursues two objectives: enhancing the circulation of European films across Europe and sparking Europe-wide debate and discussion on societal issues. To these ends, the LUX Film Prize promotes the distribution of its three contending films by subtitling each of them in the EU’s 24 official languages and by producing one digital cinema package per film for each country. The celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the LUX Prize took place on 10 October 2016.

126.

The European Parliament supports human rights through the annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, established in 1988. The prize is awarded to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe, drawing attention to human rights violations as well as supporting the laureates and their cause. The 2016 laureates were Nadia Murad Basee Taha and Lamiya Aji Bashar, both survivors of sexual enslavement by the so called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) and that have become spokespersons for women afflicted by IS’s campaign of sexual violence. They are public advocates for the Yazidi community in Iraq, a religious minority that has been the subject of a genocidal campaign by IS militants.

127.

Since 2008 the Parliament awards the European Citizen’s Prize every year to projects and initiatives that facilitate cross-border cooperation or promote mutual understanding within the EU. The prize, which has symbolic value, is also intended to acknowledge the work of those who through their day-to-day activities promote European values. In 2016, the European Parliament has honoured 50 people and organisations from 26 EU countries. National award ceremonies were followed by a central ceremony in October 2016 in Brussels.

128.

The Citizens’ Enquiries service (AskEP) answers information requests from members of the general public on the Parliament and EU issues more widely. The 2014-2019 Parliament has witnessed a significant increase in the volume of requests, mainly as a result of seemingly coordinated ‘write-in’ campaigns on topical issues. As a matter of course, the unit replies to correspondence in the official language in which the citizen has sent their letter or email. In 2016, the service received 8 967 individual letters or emails from citizens and 82 923 enquiries as part of organised campaigns.

129.

A range of publicly-available ‘EP answers’ to frequently asked questions — with around 50 topics currently covered — is available on a specially developed platform, called AskEP.net, on the Parliament’s website. Parallel arrangements are being made to install an interactive terminal on citizens’ issues in the Parlamentarium.

130.

In 2016, a new multiannual work programme for grants in the area of communication began, covering two areas — Media and Events — for the period 2016-2019. It consists of the co-financing of projects, selected through a call for proposals in accordance with the Financial Regulation, which are aimed at raising awareness on the role of the EP, its powers and political nature; disseminating information about the EP and its activities and increasing knowledge and understanding of the three pillars around which the EP operates, namely politics, policies, and values.

131.

Grants in the area of Media (television, radio, online) are implemented on the basis of multiannual partnership agreements with a limited number of media in the Member States having a minimal reach capacity, whereas grants in the area of Events are awarded directly to eligible organisations based in the Member States. In the media category, 102 partnerships were concluded and 48 grants have been awarded in 2016 for a total amount of EUR 3,9 m, out of 79 applications received. In the events category, 18 grants have been awarded in 2016 for a total value of EUR 0,8 m, out of 64 proposals received.

132.

The rules governing the payment of financial contributions to sponsored visitors’ groups have been revised by a Bureau decision in October 2016 in order to enhance the transparency and accountability of the process.

133.

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 5 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.

134.

Building acquisition has been Parliament’s main policy related to infrastructure investment since the 1992 Edinburgh European Council decision establishing the seats of the EU institutions. Building renovation on the other hand is a relatively new activity that due to the aging building stock will grow in importance. In the coming years, major renovations of big buildings, such as the Paul-Henri Spaak Building, are expected to take place.

135.

A decision on the renovation of the Paul-Henri Spaak Building and the related measures will need to be taken by the Bureau.

136.

In 2016, building projects at the three main working places and the information offices continued as set out below:

137.

In June 2014, even though the works by the owner were not finalised, some 1 000 staffers moved into the building at Square de Meeûs. That removal was the first key stage in the process of making additional space available in Parliament’s main buildings for the political groups and allowed to avoid major moves of Members’ offices during the term.

138.

Between the date of occupation of the building in June 2014 and April 2016, the works under the owner’s responsibility have been finalised. An agreement was found with the owner, which consisted in the provisional acceptance of the building, a fee for the occupancy of the building since June 2014 and the entry into force of the usufruct contract. This agreement was approved by the Bureau at its meeting of 14 December 2015; the 12-year usufruct contract had already been approved in 2013.

139.

The first phase of construction of the Martens Building was finalised in 2016 and the handover from the promoter to the Parliament took place at the end of June 2016. In the ongoing second phase of the project, the Parliament is in charge of the fit out and the adaptation works. The following third phase will entail the installation of furniture and equipment. The completion of these activities and the delivery of the building is foreseen for the first semester 2018.

140.

At its meeting on 7 October 2015, the Bureau authorised the Secretary-General to finalise negotiation for the signature of a long-term usufruct contract for the new Professional Training Centre. For this purpose, the existing technically outdated building Montoyer 63 will be demolished and the training centre will be rebuilt at the same site. A 21-year usufruct contract was signed at the beginning of 2016. For the 24 months it will take to build the training centre, the building Belmont Court is temporarily leased from the same provider.

141.

At its meeting on 12 September 2016, the Bureau decided to exercise the option to purchase the building Montoyer 75 at a cost of EUR 1. The Parliament had signed in 2005 a long lease with option to purchase after the rental payments made over a 10-year period have covered the cost of the building.

142.

At its meeting on 11 November 2016, the Bureau approved the extension of the Wayenberg crèche. The crèche was initially opened in 2005 and the site is owned by Parliament. The extension works are planned to be completed in 2019.

143.

The provisional handover of the Eastman building hosting the House of European History has taken place in 2016. Architecturally, the project has taken an existing building, not designed as a museum, and transformed it into an example of cutting edge contemporary architecture and design offering a suitable environment for a major new museum.

144.

The KAD (Konrad Adenauer) project constitutes the main axis of Parliament’s property policy in Luxembourg. The new KAD building will consolidate activities in Luxembourg in one building complex with a view to rationalising costs. The project comprises two phases: the construction on the ‘East site’ and the construction on the ‘West site’. Completion of the east site works is scheduled for 2018; completion of the west site works is scheduled for 2021. Following the Bureau decision of 6 July 2015, the decision on the future of the old KAD building is left for the beginning of the next term. As in previous years, the Committee on Budgets authorised in 2016 a year-end transfer for the pre-financing of the project. This transfer amounted to EUR 53,5 m (see Section I.H. on transfers).

145.

Until the new KAD Building becomes available, it is necessary to extend the lease on the GEOS building. Therefore, an extension until end of 2018 was negotiated.

146.

The Havel Building, originally constructed in 1955, used to be owned by the Council of Europe. It was bought by Parliament in 2012 and has been completely renovated and upgraded in a two-part project: refurbishment of the building proper and construction of a footbridge to link it to the Pierre Pflimlin Building and landscaping of the surrounding area. The project made good progress in 2016; the building is scheduled to be brought into use in spring 2017.

147.

Also in Strasbourg a Parlamentarium is being built in the framework of the modernisation of the welcome areas. Works have started in 2016 and have progressed well. The opening is planned for 2017.

148.

In Berlin, the works on building a mini-Parlamentarium — called ‘Europa Experience’ — on the ground floor of the Europe House were finalised in 2016. ‘Europa Experience’ was opened in May 2016 and gives visitors the possibility to find out more about European politics.

149.

In Ljubljana, the specific fitting-out work in the new Europe House was accepted on 27 September 2016. The opportunity was taken to install interactive ‘Europa Experience’ features in the public area in order to make it more attractive. The units concerned moved into the new premises in mid-October 2016.

150.

For the Europe Houses in Warsaw, Paris and Barcelona, the additional lease extension contracts were signed in 2016.

151.

Work on extending the capacity of the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches and on improving the standard of its facilities was completed in 2016. The building will be more extensively used by the Parliament for a number of flagship learning and development programmes, as well as for other events.

152.

A multiannual maintenance and upkeep programme has been introduced. There were a number of key developments in 2016.

153.

As regards Brussels, cases in point are the study into ways of improving the use of lifts and vertical circulation of users in the Spinelli Building (ongoing), completion of the first stage of refurbishment of electrical systems in the Wiertz Building, refurbishment of the Remard Building boiler plant, and vital work to keep the Spaak Building boiler plant operating at all times. Refurbishment of the high-voltage room in the Atrium Building was completed. A start was made on preparations for the invitations to tender for works to modernise the building services management and fire detection systems.

154.

In Strasbourg, action taken in 2016 chiefly involved refurbishment work on offices, replacement of heat pumps in the Louise Weiss Building, and renovation of fire safety and building services management systems in the Salvador da Madariaga Building.

155.

Following the collapse of the Strasbourg Chamber ceiling and its immediate rebuilding in 2008, as a precautionary measure Parliament had the ceilings of the main rooms and circulation areas in the Louise Weiss building inspected. As a result, a number of defects and instances of non-compliance with building regulations and industry standards were established. Parliament brought legal proceedings against its insurer, the firms involved in the construction of the ceilings, the clients and project managers in charge of the construction work and the inspection firms that were responsible for supervising that work. In view of the highly technical nature of this issue, the court appointed a panel of three experts to determine the causes of the problems and put a figure on the damage caused to Parliament. That panel also addressed a further problem that had been detected: the poor state of repair of the flocking on the structural steelwork supporting the roof of the building. The experts’ work was completed on 31 March 2016, and legal proceedings continued with a view either to an amicable settlement or to a court ruling. Consideration of the technical aspects having been wound up, the main works proceeded in 2016 and will be completed in 2017.

156.

With regard to maintenance work in Luxembourg, the optimisation of cleaning services and the award of two new contracts concerning cleaning and upkeep of green areas brought about considerable savings in 2015 and 2016 by comparison with 2014 (when optimisation of services began). The entry into force of the contract for carcass work and fixtures and fittings on 1 February 2016 made it possible to improve the service, reduce response times, obtain more favourable prices and simplify administration.

157.

The European Parliament recognises that it has a duty to make a positive contribution to sustainable development as a long-term goal, not only through its political role and its role in legislative procedures, but also in the context of how it operates and the decisions that it makes on a day-to-day basis.

158.

Due to this environmental commitment, the European Parliament uses the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is a management instrument of the European Union for private and public organisations to evaluate and improve their environmental performance in accordance with the EMAS Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS), repealing Regulation (EC) No 761/2001 and Commission Decisions 2001/681/EC and 2006/193/EC (37). The European Parliament is EMAS-registered at all three places of work since December 2007. In 2016, the registration was successfully extended until 17 December 2019.

159.

In accordance with Parliament’s Environmental Manual, the Environmental Policy had been established by the Bureau and signed by the President and the Secretary-General on behalf of the Institution, first in 2007 and in a revised form in 2010. As the Environmental Policy should be renewed during each legislative term, a revised document was approved by the Bureau and signed by the President and the Secretary-General in 2016.

160.

Overall, the Eco-Management System at the European Parliament is successful. Parliament has set up targets to reduce CO2 emissions, electricity consumption, gas, heating oil and district heating consumption, paper and water consumption, waste production and to increase the waste recycling rate. Most environmental indicators have improved since 2006.

161.

One of the main objectives of Parliament is to reduce carbon emissions by 30 % by 2020. By September 2015, Parliament had already achieved a considerable reduction of 27,2 % compared to 2006. Whereas Parliament’s environmental policy is based on preventing or limiting emissions first, carbon offsetting is a useful and compensatory measure to combat climate change. Although offsetting cannot be taken into account for calculating and possibly reducing Parliament’s residual carbon footprint, it can be applied in those cases where own carbon emissions are unavoidable or cannot be reduced any further.

162.

CO2 offsetting means the purchase of carbon offsets to compensate for the purchaser’s own CO2 emissions. Such offsets are typically achieved through financial support for projects in the areas of renewable energy or energy efficiency, which aim at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in a global context.

163.

The Parliament decided first in 2011 to implement a CO2 offsetting scheme. In view of the experience gathered over the years, the Bureau decided in October 2015 on a new approach for carbon offsetting. This decision also takes the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors included in its Special Report (38) No 14 from October 2014 into account. Other than before, the new approach provides for the offsetting of the total amount of Parliament’s carbon emissions, including emissions from flights by Members of the European Parliament between their country of origin and Brussels or Strasbourg. Further, it allows for projects with priority in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and incorporates the widely-recognised ‘Gold Standard’ as a quality standard for offsetting projects in developing countries.

164.

In 2016, the new approach for carbon offsetting was applied and the EMAS Action Plan of the year was successfully implemented. The EMAS Action Plan for 2017, based on the EMAS Mid-Term Strategy 2016-2020, was adopted by the Inter DG Steering Group on Environmental Management.

165.

One element of Parliament’s Environmental Policy is the commitment to ‘Green Public Procurement’ (GPP), which is defined in the European Commission’s Communication on Public Procurement for a better environment as: ‘a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured’ (39). Over the last decade, GPP has become an increasingly important aspect of the activities of public bodies in Europe. In June 2016, the ‘EP Implementation Guide on Green Public Procurement’ was approved. It is designed to help authorising officers at the European Parliament to successfully launch green purchasing policy and procedures. It explains the possibilities offered by legal tools in force (the Financial Regulation and its Rules of Application) in a practical way, and looks at simple and effective solutions that can be used in public procurement procedures.

166.

Following the experiences gained during the test phase of Parliament’s ‘Green Public Procurement (GPP) Helpdesk’ — which had been set up to accompany the GPP approach — an interinstitutional procurement procedure for this project was launched in 2016, pooling the purchasing power of several European institutions.

167.

Different communication and awareness-raising activities such as the ‘Earth day event’ and the ‘interinstitutional Green Week’ took place in 2016 and the European Parliament has been awarded the Belgian Label ‘Entreprise Eco Dynamique’ in October 2016.

168.

Efforts continued in 2016 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’.

169.

A major element of the catering policy are unsubsidised ‘fixed price’ contracts. In Strasbourg, a new contract unsubsidised by Parliament entered into force on 1 November 2016. In Brussels, a new provider had already taken over in 2015 under an unsubsidised contract. In Luxembourg, the timing of contractual changes will be aligned with the conclusion of the construction of the new KAD building.

170.

The food offer was gradually diversified and new canteens and restaurants were opened in Brussels and Strasbourg. In the Spinelli building, an organic food corner opened in September 2016 and a Mediterranean-style restaurant in November 2016. Also the refurbished Sandwich bar reopened in November 2016. Two new canteens were created in the Square de Meeûs and Trèves buildings. In Strasbourg, a fresh food-to-go outlet has opened in March 2016 and the canteen in the Weiss building was enlarged in August 2016. From July 2016, a pilot project has been running with hot meals being served continuously with time restrictions in the Bar des Députés in order to cater for different eating habits and meal times.

171.

In order to improve health and well-being at the workplace, it was decided to favour healthier food options and support more sustainable food choices at the catering facilities of the Parliament. Therefore, the latest restaurant/catering and vending service contracts have included requirements on fair trade aspects, transition to better diets, healthier lifestyles and, very importantly, combatting food waste. The tenders have integrated criteria for sustainable food consumption, such as seasonal products, animal welfare and a vegetarian offer.

172.

Giving away unsold food to charity is also making its way as a good practice in Parliament’s canteens and sale points. Another element of the catering policy is the further reduction of the use of bottled mineral water in meetings and the installation of water fountains in passageway areas.

173.

ICT measures for improving plenary sitting services and the provision of ICT to Members in their constituency offices are described above in Section III.B.4 of this report. Also other areas of Parliaments ICT infrastructure continue to be modernised and in November 2016, the mid-term implementation report of the Strategic Orientations for the period 2014-2019 was presented to the Bureau Working Group on ICT.

174.

According to this mid-term review, achievements on the key strategic pillars include firstly the evolution of the ICT infrastructure, the replacement of aging ICT equipment and the identification and phasing out of redundant applications. Following the general ICT evolvement of the past years, measures in this area have for instance been the deployment of 18 000 telephones over IP and the suppression of 1 800 faxes thanks to the new E-fax service via email. Another example is the accessibility of WI-FI for EP visitors as another step towards a digitally more inclusive Parliament. Concerning the phasing out of redundant applications, in 2016 more than 60 applications have been identified as obsolete and are in the final verification step in order to be decommissioned.

175.

Another important key strategic pillar is the strengthening of ICT security in an open communication world and the efforts in this area continue in 2016. ICT security comprises the elements ICT security governance, ICT security policies and engineering, ICT security assessment, Cyber-defence capabilities and Cyber-security culture. In this framework, the Bureau approved the nomination of the Chief Information Security Officer in October 2016.

176.

Further developing an innovation approach is a strategic aim of the Parliament and in February 2016, the innovation service was created with the mission to promote, stimulate and introduce technological innovation. By performing permanent technology scouting, the innovation service has the mission to detect opportunities with potential relevance to the EP activities at an early stage.

177.

Also several ICT projects considered as strategic were pursued in 2016. In particular, it is to be pointed out that the first technical migration has been completed. The integration of the EP intranet and the intranets of the Directorates General on the new Platform (SIFE) is ongoing and the Platform is being updated. The validation of content by the Directorates General is still ongoing.

178.

The project ‘Mobility as a multidimensional working method’ provides of a context for aligning and leveraging the advantages that mobility in general can bring to the European Parliament. The impact study of Mobility on EP’s processes was completed in 2016. Roles and responsibilities have been agreed and a phased approach for the implementation of the project will be adopted in 2017 by the Steering Committee. The aim is to develop a catalogue of services for mobility.

179.

The project ‘Digitalising the procurement chain’ aims at shifting to full electronic workflows and submission of procurement documents to shorten the ‘time to contract’ by using a system made available by the European Commission. The design of the ‘Procurement chain’ has been approved; full and direct eAccess was implemented in 2016. Workshops regarding e-Submission, e-Request and e-Invoicing were organised during the year. Next steps will target the security aspects and the functionality of e-Submission and the pre-procurement tool.

180.

Another important project of the Parliament is the new Financial Management Project (FMS), which is described below in Section III.E.1.

181.

In addition to the aforementioned achievements in the key strategic pillars, the Parliament continued in 2016 the close cooperation with other EU Institutions. Several common projects were pursued, and in particular ICT security is an important area of cooperation. Furthermore, a common XML format for the exchange of structured legislative content and documents between EU Institutions was agreed.

182.

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.

183.

In 2016, the study of options stage was concluded and the SAP system has been confirmed as the optimal choice. The management and governance structure of the project was revised in October 2016 and the project ownership has been transferred to the Directorate General for Finance (DG FINS).

184.

As regards Members’ financial and social entitlements, the Bureau endorsed at its meeting of 26 October 2015 a new approach with the goal to enhance client orientation and to reduce the administrative burden for Members. In this respect, two new instruments play a major role: the Portal and the e-Portal.

185.

The Portal is a single front desk integrating all services related to financial and social entitlement formalities and became fully operational in July 2016 whereas the electronic counterpart, the e-Portal, has been accessible since January 2015. The Portal provides Members with concise information regarding the rules in force and the status of their rights. Application forms can be submitted and preliminary verifications are performed on the spot. In a second phase, the files are verified by specialised back-office staff in each unit with a personalised approach.

186.

The revision of the General Implementing Provisions (GIP) and the Internal Rules induced by the entry into force of the new Staff Regulations continued in 2016. All changes concerning the career management have been implemented. New internal rules concerning the staff assessment, the attribution of merit points and on discipline, as well as an update of the code of conduct have been drafted by the Directorate-General for Personnel, subject to further consultation and approval. The review of the mission rules is ongoing.

187.

The issue of equal opportunities remains a key component of Parliament’s human resource management policy. The action plan for the promotion of gender equality and diversity for the current legislature, i.e. until 2019, was approved by the Bureau on 27 April 2015. Specific objectives are described in the action plan and in 2016 the implementation of the related measures was continued.

188.

At its meeting of 12 September 2016, the Bureau approved the introduction of an occasional teleworking scheme for the Secretariat-General of the European Parliament. The political groups may also decide to apply the scheme. Whilst safeguarding the interests of the service and the effective organisation of the institution’s work, the Parliament wished to implement flexible, modern staff management arrangements in order to improve performance and staff motivation by promoting a better work-life balance. The terrorist attacks in France and Belgium and the resulting disruptions to the work of the staff of the European Parliament were another reason for setting up a legal framework for EP staff to be able to work from home. Occasional teleworking shall make it possible for staff members to work at home on an ad hoc basis, for a maximum of 3 consecutive calendar days and on no more than 36 working days per calendar year.

189.

At its meeting of 26 October 2015, the Bureau adopted amendments to the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members, focusing on parliamentary assistance. These entered into force on 1 January 2016 and comprised amongst others the following changes: 25 % of the parliamentary assistance allowance must be set aside for the recruitment of accredited parliamentary assistants, therefore limiting to 75 % the allocation of expenditure on local assistants and service providers. This provision is intended to improve the balance between local and accredited assistants, the need for which was indicated at the time of the discharge in respect of the year 2013. For each Member, the absolute number of parliamentary assistance contracts in force must not exceed three — in exceptional cases four.

190.

As regards local assistants, the amendments make the salaries and fees of local assistants subject to reference thresholds, with the aim of limiting the risk that pay may diverge excessively from the average pay in the Member States. In addition, a complete file must be submitted with the recruitment request, to make it possible to check that the work to be done by a local assistant is genuine and to limit risks of conflicts of interests.

191.

The amendments seek to clarify that Members may also make use of natural or legal persons to provide to them services in order to obtain specific and clearly identified services directly linked to the exercise of their parliamentary mandate. The obligation to publish the names of all natural and legal persons whose cost is defrayed from the parliamentary assistance allocation is extended for the duration of the contract of these persons. This is in accordance with the principle of transparency provided for by the Treaties (40), whose importance has been recalled, in particular, by the European Ombudsman (41).

192.

Following the referendum held on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (‘Brexit vote’), the Bureau discussed the consequences in its meeting of 4 July 2016. The President underlined that as long as the United Kingdom was a full member of the European Union, British Members and staff of the European Parliament enjoyed exactly the same rights and obligations as all other Members and staff of the house.

193.

The referendum had a considerable impact on committee secretariats, research units and horizontal services of the political Directorates General, which were called upon to follow this process and to prepare analytical material based on fact-finding work to consider the impact of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal on the policy areas and legislation in their respective fields. Future work on this issue is of very complex legal nature but the expertise built up in committee secretariats and policy departments is ready to be mobilised during the subsequent phases of the withdrawal process based on political decisions taken.

194.

When the Staff Regulations of Officials were revised and the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework was adopted, an interinstitutional agreement was concluded in which provision was made for reducing posts on each institution’s establishment plan by 1 % annually over 5 years. In accordance with that agreement, 57 posts were deleted from the establishment plan for 2016. A further two posts were deleted from Parliament’s establishment plan with a view to being transferred to the Commission in connection with interinstitutional IT projects.

195.

Parliament also asked for 39 additional posts to be created on its establishment plan in 2016 so as to address specific needs, in particular increases in staffing for parliamentary committee secretariats (with a view to more effective oversight over the Commission, especially as regards delegated acts) and in security service staffing in Parliament buildings.

196.

As far as Parliament is concerned, implementation of the interinstitutional agreement on a 1 % annual reduction in staffing for each institution is set to continue until 2018. Because, however, new posts were created in 2014 and 2016 in response to specific needs arising within Parliament, measures to cut posts will be extended for a further year until 2019.

197.

All together, 20 posts were deleted from the establishment plan of the initial budget 2016 at Secretariat level whereas 43 temporary posts were added at level of the Political groups. In the framework of the amending budget No 3 of the European Union for the financial year 2016, the Parliament was allocated additional 34 SC posts and 1 AD post. This reinforcement was necessary to assure the security of strategic points at the interior of Parliament’s buildings by armed guards.

198.

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 2016

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.