The Assembly,
Voir Tableau (Appendix)
in order to offset any increase in the Council of Europe's budget, while allowing for fixed expenditure and unavoidable increases incurred by the European Commission and European Court of Human Rights, the budget experts and the Committee of Ministers had reduced appropriations for consultants, representational expenses and official journeys in all sections of the budget ;
although some sectors of the Intergovernmental Work Programme had been substantially reduced, the cuts in real terms for this programme (— 0.35%) were on the whole smaller than those affecting the Assembly's budget package (— 1.95%).
the breakdown of the various sub-heads of the 1985 package should take into account the actual expenditure in 1983 ;
under Sub-head 92 (consultation of experts), a specific reference should be made to the amount relating to the Exercise in Scientific Co-operation.
This covers salary, allowances and social charges in respect of the Clerk of the Assembly as provided in Resolution (71) 8 of 26 March 1971, last amended by Resolution (84) 3 of 19 March 1984.
This relates to the staff of the Office of the Clerk of the Assembly (basic salaries, non-recurring and regular allowances, social insurance).
The present numerical breakdown of staff, if subdivided according to Divisions, is as follows :
Voir Tableau (Appendix)
Voir Tableau (Appendix)
1. As the Assembly has explained in all its recent opinions, its organigramme shows thirteen committees but only seven posts of A4 (not counting the Head of the Private Office of the President of the Assembly). As a result, parliamentary committees of equal importance may have secretaries of Grade A4 or Grade A3. Since 1981, the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme has been submitting proposals, the primary aim of which has been to improve the balance between A2/A3 and A4 posts.
Furthermore, the responsibilities and activities of some Assembly committees are particularly important or have increased considerably in recent years. Given the importance which the Council of Europe attaches to European cultural co-operation, the Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education obviously has a particular role to play. It has direct working relations with several directorates or services of the Secretariat General (Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport, Directorate of Environment and Local Affairs, Directorate of Legal Affairs, European Youth Centre and European Youth Foundation). The committee also has to follow the activities of several international organisations (OECD, UNESCO, EEC). The present holder of the post however is an A3.
To take another example, the Committee on Social and Health Questions, which had previously operated with one sub-committee only, instituted three in April 1983. One of these sub-committees deals with employment in Europe. In October 1983, the committee organised a colloquy on the future of health structures, and a further colloquy, on youth unemployment, is planned for the end of 1984. The committee's workload has been further increased by decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers to speed up supervision of the implementation of the Social Charter, and the committee has to keep up with the work of five specialised ministerial conferences (labour, social affairs, health, social security and family).Note
In conclusion, your Rapporteur notes that there has been a real increase in the responsibilities of A3 officials of the Office of the Clerk. Moreover, the requested upgrading of two A2/3 posts to A4 would have a positive effect on the motivation of the staff of the Office of the Clerk without upsetting the balance of A4 and A3 posts. In this respect, it may be noted that, since the Council of Europe was first set up, the staff of the Office of the Clerk has grown less in proportion to that of the Secretariat. In 1951, there were 22 staff in the Office of the Clerk out of a total of 231 ; in 1961, 27 out of a total 357 ; in 1971, 39 out of a total of 649, and in 1984, 46 out of a total of 866. In its last opinion on the programme budget for the operational expenditure of the Assembly (Opinion No. 114 (1983)), the Assembly stressed that the duties of committee secretaries in other international parliamentary assemblies (such as the European Parliament) and national parliaments are almost always carried out by A5 officials.
The previous requests made in Opinion No. 109 (1982) for the creation of a supplementary B3 post of bilingual assistant, as well as the more recent request for the upgrading of two B2 posts to B3 are mentioned here pro memoria only.
In the report giving an opinion on the programme budget for the operational expenditure of the Assembly in 1984 (Doc. 5087), Mr Stainton indicated that the need would arise in 1985 to create a new post of a senior B grade for the management of the Europe Prize and Council of Europe flags of honour. This sector, Mr Stainton continued, had become a victim of its own success and appropriations for temporary staff had to be used to cope with the steadily increasing amount of work. This is the case at present, and the temporary official recruited has in fact coped very successfully with the work in a difficult sector. However, in view of the budget difficulties which member states are currently facing, the Assembly agrees to defer consideration of this problem until next year.
The Assembly proposes that the 1985 appropriations for Sub-heads 81, 82 and 83 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1984.
Estimate for 1985 : 8 535 000 F
Appropriations in 1984 : 8 465 000 F
Increase : 70 000 F
This covers remuneration and social charges for temporary staff (session staff, workshop staff, messengers, technicians, translators, and above all interpreters) assigned to the Office of the Clerk during the sessions, conferences and meetings of the Assembly and its committees scheduled in the programme for 1985 at the time of drafting this opinion.
Proposals have been formulated to improve the social insurance cover and remuneration of temporary interpreters in stages, starting in 1984. The additional cost of these improvements to the 1985 Assembly budget is estimated at some 400 000 F.
Proposals have also been made to improve the organisation and staffing of the translation sections, involving the creation of one LT3 post of translator/ reviser. The cost of this post would be charged to Vote I of the budget, with a compensating reduction in the appropriation for temporary translators under the Assembly budget of 330 000 F.
In its Opinion No. 114 (1983), the Assembly asked the Committee of Ministers to agree to the recruitment of one extra French stenographer and one extra French shorthand-typist for Assembly sessions. The Committee of Ministers agreed to that request, although it did not accept the Assembly's proposal for a transfer of 75 000 F from Sub-head 84 to Sub-head 91.
The wording of Sub-head 84 should also include the cost of translation from one of the Assembly's additional working languages into one of the official languages of the Council of Europe, to enable certain parliamentarians to draft reports exceptionally in their mother tongue.
In view of its policy of strengthening ties with other pluralist democracies in the world (mainly the Strasbourg Conference on Parliamentary Democracy and the OECD debate), it would be an advantage if the Assembly could provide interpretation in additional non-official languages at debates and conferences attended by parliamentarians of non-member states. Such interpretation would be limited to exceptional cases, as for instance the participation of delegations appointed by the Japanese Parliament. The Committee of Ministers could authorise the Assembly Bureau to make arrangements in agreement with the Secretariat in these specific and exceptional cases.
The estimate under this sub-head is to cover adjustments in the remuneration of the staff of the Office of the Clerk made after the date of completion of the draft budget.
Appropriation in 1984 : - 700 000 F
This appropriation is apportioned between the political groups of the Assembly according to a scheme decided on by the Bureau.
On 30 June 1983, the Bureau of the Assembly (see Doc. 5126, paragraph 14) decided that political groups should prepare reports each year on the use of funds allocated to them. The reports are to be submitted to the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme, which in turn is to submit a report to the Bureau of the Assembly, of which a copy will be sent to the auditors for information.
In view of the general economic situation in member states, the Assembly proposes maintaining the 1985 appropriations at the same level as for 1984 in real terms.
Appropriation proposed for 1985 : 1 450 000 F
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : 1 337 500 F
Increase : 112 500 F
This covers publishing and printing costs relating to :
official Assembly documents, that is :1 200 bilingual copies of the Documents de séance (working papers) (2 800 to 3 000 pages) ;900 copies in each language of the Official Report of Debates (1 200 to 1 400 pages) ;
distribution of reports and documents adopted by the Assembly and its committees, and translation and circulation by national parliaments of certain texts adopted ;
other documents of the Assembly and its committees.
Since 1978, estimated appropriations have not covered the actual expenditure. In 1982 and in 1983, the difference was approximately 200 000 F. It is therefore proposed that the appropriation under this subhead should be increased to 1 450 000 F which is equivalent to the actual expenditure in 1983.
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : 235 000 F
These are representational, travelling and subsistence expenses incurred by the President of the Assembly in the performance of his duties :
The Assembly proposes that this appropriation be maintained for 1985 at the same level in real terms.
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : - 135 000 F
This is to cover :
The Assembly proposes that the appropriation be maintained for 1985 at the same level in real terms. The actual expenditure in 1983 was less than usual owing to the change of President of the Assembly, which reduced the amount of related official travel required.
Appropriation proposed for 1985 : 300 000 F
Appropriation estimated for 1984 :265 000 F
Increase : 35 000 F
This sub-head covers :
entertainment and similar expenses incurred by the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, committee chairmen and rapporteurs (approximately 45 000 F in 1983) ;
travelling expenses and subsistence allowances of members of the Assembly attending meetings of certain Council of Europe bodies (other than sessions of the Assembly and meetings of the Assembly committees) on the Council's behalf or travelling on Assembly business at the request of a committee ;
accident insurance premium for members of the Assembly travelling officially at the Council's expense.
It is increasingly difficult for national parliaments to meet the expenses of members travelling on Assembly business other than committee or sub-committee meetings (for example, travelling expenses for representing the Assembly on various occasions, attendance at conferences, colloquies, etc. organised by the Assembly). For this reason, more travelling expenses of parliamentarians will have to be charged to Sub-head 90.
In order to cope with this situation, it is proposed that appropriations under this sub-head should be increased to 300 000 F. It was exceptionally possible to save on equivalent expenditure in 1983 by combining members' travel to attend flag presentation ceremonies (Europe Prize) with meetings of Assembly committees.
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : - 684 000 F
Official travel by staff of the Office of the Clerk and other Secretariat staff required to attend meetings of Assembly bodies and other organisations, or required to accompany members of the Assembly on special journeys.
The Assembly proposes that this appropriation be maintained for 1985 at the same level in real terms.
As in previous years, it should be pointed out that the increase in travel costs all over Europe has been considerably greater than the standard inflation rate in member countries in general and in France in particular. The devaluations of the French franc in 1982 and 1983 have also contributed to making the appropriation for official travelling expenses of the staff of the Office of the Clerk, who were required to attend certain meetings or accompany members of the Assembly or to attend meetings of other organisations, insufficient. This has led the Clerk to apply a very restrictive policy to missions by Assembly staff, which inevitably, in some cases, curtails the assistance given to Assembly committees meeting in Paris and elsewhere. Notwithstanding the savings achieved in this way, it should also be noted that a substantial proportion of the Assembly's expenditure has to be allocated to activities in countries at a considerable distance from its headquarters, which imposes a heavy burden on available funds. A degree of flexibility is needed in managing this appropriation in order to cope with the problems arising from current events (such as the sub-committee meetings in Turkey).
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : - 580 000 F
This is to cover fees, travelling expenses, subsistence allowances and administrative assistance for experts, including those from non-member states, asked to carry out specialised work or called in for consultation by Assembly bodies, either individually or as members of working parties. It is also intended to finance the scientific co-operation programme launched by the Committee on Science and Technology.
The Assembly proposes that this appropriation be maintained for 1985 at the same level in real terms.Note
Part of the appropriation under Sub-head 92 covers expenses incurred for experts working on the Exercise in Scientific Co-operation (approximately 325 000 F in 1983).
It should be pointed out that only 10% of the scientists attending meetings of these working groups receive a modest fixed sum to cover their expenses, while the rest are reimbursed by their institutes. Progress reports on the Exercise in Scientific Co-operation are regularly submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly (see, for example, Order No. 360 (1976) andDoc. 3840, Order No. 418 (1983) andDoc. 5085). The last report referred to Exercise activities which had contributed to Assembly recommendations, orders and resolutions (see Table D of Doc. 5085). In its Order No. 418, the Assembly noted the fruitful interaction of the Exercise :
in regard to the series of public parliamentary hearings, with the work of Assembly committees in preparing plenary debates (ten hearings were organised between 1978 and the end of 1983) ;
with the Intergovernmental Work Programme of the Council of Europe (notably in higher education and research).
The eleventh hearing to be organised as part of the Exercise, on nuclear waste, will take place in Stockholm in September 1984.
The Assembly continues to attach the highest importance to the Exercise and wishes to point out that the appropriation allocated to it has not increased in real terms for years, whereas activities have grown rapidly.
Appropriation proposed for 1985 : 550 000 F
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : 350 000 F
Increase : 200 000 F
This is to cover the organisation of conferences, colloquies, symposia or seminars, including the travelling and subsistence expenses of those taking part (experts, Council of Europe staff), as well as publishing, translation and printing costs (including non-official languages) and the entertainment and other expenses incidental to those meetings.
In 1983, the appropriation for this sub-head was 350 000 F. Actual expenditure came to approximately 221 000 F. The reason for the difference is that, out of the eleven conferences, colloquies, etc. initially planned for 1983, only six actually took place, while five more were postponed until 1984 or 1985 (such as the Hearing on the Storage of Nuclear Waste, and the Colloquy on the Environment and Employment). It is not easy to take such imponderable factors into account in a draft opinion on the Assembly's operational budget. In 1984, the Assembly incurred substantial expenditure for the Conference "North-South - the role of Europe", held in Lisbon.
The Assembly therefore requests that the appropriation for Sub-head 93 be exceptionallyNote increased by 200 000 F to meet additional expenditure arising from the 6th Parliamentary and Scientific Conference, which is to be held from 4 to 6 June 1985 in Tokyo and Tsukuba on an invitation from Japan. This conference is one of the Secretary General's budgetary priorities for 1985. A provisional estimate (at the beginning of March 1984) based on a comparison between the probable cost of the North-South Conference in Lisbon (the major item under Sub-head 93 for 1984) and the 6th Parliamentary and Scientific Conference indicates additional expenditure of the order of 200 000 F for 1985. The remaining programme of conferences and hearings for 1985 seems comparable to that of 1984.
Appropriation proposed for 1985 : 60 000 F
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : 81 000 F
Decrease : 21 000 F
Refreshments for staff on night duty, hire of cars, gratuities for special work (during meetings outside Strasbourg), medals, flags, flag poles, etc.
It has been possible, as shown by real expenditure in 1983, to reduce car hire costs substantially. The Assembly therefore proposes adjusting the 1985 appropriation to 60 000 F, which represents a decrease of 21 000 F in relation to 1984 estimates.
Appropriation estimated for 1984 : 90 000 F
(including 30 000 F for the Europe Prize and 25 000 F for the Museum Prize)
In its Opinion No. 114, the Assembly had requested an increase in the sums allocated to the prizes. The Committee of Ministers agreed to the increase and the appropriation should therefore remain the same in real terms in 1985.
The Museum Prize has met with steadily growing interest, which is probably largely due to its European dimension. For instance, the 1983 winner, the Landes-museum Joanneum of Graz, is active in promoting East-West co-operation in this field.
| VOTE III - Expenditure pertaining to the Assembly | Initial appropriations for 1984 | Increases in real terms proposed for 1985 |
|---|---|---|
| HEAD XXIII - Staff | F | F |
| Sub-heads | ||
| 79 - Salary, allowances and social charges of the Clerk of the Assembly | 623 000 | |
| 80 – Remuneration of permanent staff | 12 890 000 | |
| 80 bis - Assembly staffing changes | (2 A2/3 to A4) + 32 000 | |
| 81 - Staff recruited to fill vacant permanent posts on a temporary basis | 60 000 | |
| 82 - Expenses on arrival and departure, home leave | 148 000 | |
| 83 - Overtime and allowances for exceptional duties | 58 000 | |
| 84 – Remuneration and accessory charges for temporary conference staff | 8 465 000 | + 400 000[3] |
| — 330 000 | ||
| 85 - Provision for cost of living allowance and other adjustments to remuneration | 845 000 | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXIII | 23 089 000 | + 102 000 |
| HEAD XXIV – Special Secretariat expenses and other expenses | ||
| 86 – Special Secretariat expenses and other expenses | 700 000 | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXIV | 700 000 | |
| ]. + 400 000 F for the affiliation of this staff to the social security scheme ; 330 000F : reduction in appropriations for temporary translators offset by the creation of an LT3 post to be financed under Vote I of the budget. |
| VOTE III - Expenditure pertaining to the Assembly | Appropriations committed at 31.12.1983 (approximate) | Initial estimated appropriations for 1984 | Changes in real terms proposed for 1985 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEAD XXV - Supplies, services and other operational expenditure (budgetary package) | F | F | F |
| Sub-heads | |||
| 87 – Publishing and printing | 1 452 000 | 1 337 500 | + 112 500 |
| 88 – Representational, travelling and subsistence expenses of the President of the Assembly | 225 000 | 235 000 | |
| 89 - Expenditure pertaining to the Private Office of the President of the Assembly | 95 000 | 135 000 | |
| 90 - Representational expenditure, other official expenditure and travelling expenses of the members of the Assembly | 240 000 | 265 000 | + 35 000 |
| 91 - Official journeys | 598 000 | 684 000 | |
| 92 - Consultation of experts | 543 000[4] | 580 000 | |
| 93 - Organisation ofad hoc conferences | 221 000[4] | 350 000 | + 200 000[5] |
| 94 - Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this vote | 43 000 | 81 000 | — 21 000 |
| 95 - Europe prizes | 63 000 | 90 000 | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXV | 3 480 000 | 3 757 500 | + 326 500 |
| TOTAL VOTE III | 27 546 500 | + 428 500 | |
| At the end of the financial year, the contribution of the autonomous region of Sicily to the costs of the organisation by the Assembly of the Parliamentary Conference on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Palermo, 2-4 November 1983) could be deducted from the expenditure charged to Sub-heads 92 and 93. The contribution amounted to approximately 100 000 F. | |||
| Exceptional increase partly covering expenditure on the 6th Parliamentary and Scientific Conference (Tokyo and Tsukuba). |
| Posts | Clerk and Deputy Clerk, Central Section, Private Office of the President | Div. I | Div. II | Div. III | Table Office | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A7 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| A6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| A5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| A4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| A2/3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | |
| B5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| B4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| B3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| B2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| __ | ||||||
| Total | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 46 |
| Nature of change | Assignment | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | |||
| Upgradings | 2 A2/3 to A4 | Committee secretaries | 16 000 X 2 = 32 000 |
| Pro memoria | Upgradings : 2 B2 to B3 | Bilingual assistants | |
| New post : 1 B3 | Secretariat of committees |