The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Richard ASHWORTH (ECR, UK) on Parliaments estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018.
Members recalled that a budget of EUR 1 971 883 373 has been proposed by the Secretary-General for Parliament's preliminary draft estimates for 2018, representing an overall increase of 3.26% on the 2017 budget and 19.06% of heading V of the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF).
They noted that the level of estimates for 2018 corresponds to 18.88%, which is lower than that achieved in 2017 (19.26%) and the lowest part of heading V in the past nine years. Members called for the method of establishment of the budget of the Parliament to be based on current needs and not on the basis of a system of coefficients.
In general, Members endorsed the agreement of 28 March 2017 with the Bureau on the level of 2018 estimates and called on the Parliament to decrease the level of expenditure by EUR 18.4 million compared to the initial position of the Bureau.
Therefore, Members called on the Parliament to set the overall level of its estimates for 2018 to EUR 1 953 483 373, corresponding to a total increase of 2.3% compared to the 2017 budget.
Stressing Parliaments role as an important element of European political awareness, Members reiterated their call for measures to enhance transparency and accessibility to the Parliament. They therefore requested:
Security and cybersecurity: while taking note of the ongoing measures to empower Parliament's security, relating to buildings, equipment and staff, cyber-security and communication security, Members regretted that despite the installation of SECure EMail system (SECEM), the Parliament is unable to receive restricted and non-classified briefings from other institutions. They called for improvements in this area by autumn 2017.
Building policy: Members called for information on the project to renovate the Paul Henri Spaak (PHS) building, specifically any opinions from independent external contractors on the possible options for the PHS, which has had a short lifespan of 25 years. They underlined that the existing building doesn't fulfil the static requirements of a public building for parliamentary functions which has higher security and needs to withstand external shocks without collapsing. They urged therefore the Bureau and the administration of the Parliament to work on future solutions for the PHS building that secures life and healthy working conditions of the persons present.
Member-related issues: in preparation for the ninth legislature, Members called on the Secretary-General to submit to the Bureau a more precise list of expenses defrayable under the General Expenditure Allowance (GEA). They reiterated the appeal for greater transparency regarding the general expenditure allowance, building on best practice cases from national delegations in the Parliament and Member States. They also recalled the request, adopted by the plenary in its resolution of 14 April 2016 on Parliaments estimates for 2017, that the rules governing the reimbursement of mission expenses related to travels between the Parliament's three working places and incurred by accredited parliamentary assistants (APAs) be revised in order to align them with the rules applicable to the rest of the staff.
EP single seat: Members recalled Parliaments resolution of 20 November 2013 on the location of the seats of the European Unions Institutions, which estimated the costs of the geographic dispersion of the Parliament to be between EUR 156 million and EUR 204 million and equivalent to 10% of the Parliament's budget. They emphasised the environmental impact of the geographic dispersion and underlined the negative public perception caused by this dispersion. Therefore, they reiterated their position in calling for a roadmap to a single seat.