Appended to this opinion are:
| Vote III of the ordinary budget – Expenditure of the Assembly | Appropriations for 2001 Euros | Changes in real terms proposed for 2002 Euros |
|---|---|---|
| Head 3.1 – Staff expenses | ||
| Sub-heads | ||
| 30101 – Salary, allowances and social charges of the Secretary General of the Assembly | 166 800 | |
| 30102 – Remuneration of staff recruited on established posts | 6 311 500 | |
| 30103 – Recruitment, arrival and departure expenses – Home leave | 61 000 | |
| 30104 – Overtime – statutory and other allowances | 21 300 | |
| 30105 – Remuneration and accessory charges of temporary staff | 1 502 200 | 35 000 |
| 30106 – Provision for adjustment to remuneration | p.m. | |
| 30107 – Secondment of national civil servants to the Assembly | 61 000 | |
| Total head 3.1 | 8 123 800 | 35 000 |
| Head 3.2 – Allocation to the Assembly’s political groups | ||
| 30201 – Allocation to the Assembly’s political groups | 614 400 | 53 500 |
| Total Head 3.2 | 614 400 | 53 500 |
| Head 3.3 – Supplies, services and other operational expenditure | ||
| Sub-heads | ||
| 30301 – Publishing and printing | 990 400 | |
| 30302 – Interpretation | 1 848 700 | |
| 30303 – Translation | 1 028 200 | |
| 30304 – Official expenses of the President of the Assembly | 84 500 | |
| 30305 – Expenditure pertaining to the Private Office of the President of the Assembly | 78 900 | |
| 30306 – Representational expenditure, other official expenditure and travelling expenses of members of the Assembly | 205 100 | |
| 30307 – Official journeys | 268 300 | |
| 30308 – Expenses for inviting guests of the Parliamentary Assembly | 189 900 | |
| 30309 – Consultation of experts | 76 200 | |
| 30310 – Organisation of ad hoc conferences | 137 200 | |
| 30311 – Grant to the International Institute for Democracy | 38 100 | |
| 30312 – Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this vote | 50 300 | 50 000 |
| 30313 – Modernisation of the Assembly’s equipment | p.m. | |
| 30314 – European prizes | 61 000 | |
| 30315 – Operating and maintenance costs of the electronic voting system | 36 300 | |
| 30316 – Co-operation and monitoring programme | 762 200 | |
| Total Head 3.3 | 5 855 300 | 50 000 |
| Total Vote III | 14 593 500 | 138 500 |
The 2002 appropriations under this sub-head should be maintained at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
This appropriation covers the basic salaries, allowances (both non-recurring and periodic) and social insurance of the permanent staff of the Secretariat of the Assembly, which comprises seventy-five posts.
Following the adoption of its Resolution 1220 (2000) on the reform of the Assembly’s working methods and committee structure, the Assembly in January 2001 completed its reform process, thereby modifying both its internal functioning and the structure of its Secretariat. The restructuring has increased the tasks and responsibilities of several staff members of the Secretariat, as a result of wider terms of reference of the new Assembly committees they serve. Against this background the rapporteur believes it would be sensible to harmonise the internal administrative structure and to upgrade the posts which are directly concerned by the restructuring.
In this context, the rapporteur wishes to point out that in 2001 the Assembly asked for one upgrading from B5 to B6, three upgradings from B3 to B4 and 2 upgradings from B2 to B3. At the time of writing, no final decision on these proposed staffing changes has been taken.
The staffing changes for 2002 would be limited to three A4 grade staff members. One upgrading from A4 to A5 could become available with the departure of one member of the Assembly Secretariat expected in late 2001, while the other two could be financed within the Assembly’s budget by internal transfer of appropriations, thereby making these upgradings budgetarily neutral.
The 2002 appropriations under sub-heads 30103 and 30104 should be kept at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
In recent years, the workload of the English verbatim team has increased significantly. Statistics show that English is the predominant language in a wide range of debates, representing more than 70% of the Assembly’s total proceedings. Along with the steady rise of the verbatim duties in spoken English there has been an increase in the number of English speeches to be recorded in full and printed. Furthermore, the number of undelivered speeches handed in for reproduction has risen, involving considerable editing. This has placed an additional strain on the verbatim editor and the latter’s limited and over-stretched team. The recruitment of two additional staff members is therefore requested. Similarly, the French summary team, working hand in hand with the English verbatim one, has to prepare an increasing number of summaries for speeches delivered in English and in other languages. Moreover, the French summary team provides journalists with a complete French summary of all speeches delivered. It would therefore be desirable to recruit two additional staff members for the French summary team.
The total cost of this proposed additional recruitment of temporary staff during sessions would be 35 000 euros.
The 2002 appropriation under sub-head 30107 should be kept at the same level in real terms as in 2001.
The Assembly’s political groups play an increasingly important role in the life of the Assembly. This role has been crucial in enabling the Assembly to maintain its operational capacity and organisational efficiency following enlargement. However, if political groups are to be able to play their full role, they need to be adequately staffed in terms of both level and number. In the medium term, a gradual increase over several financial years should be aimed for, allowing each group to recruit one administrative officer and one secretarial assistant. It is therefore imperative to increase the financial resources of the five political groups.
The allocation to the political groups is calculated on the basis of a lump sum for secretarial assistance to each of the existing groups and an additional per capita allocation according to membership. Appropriations for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 amounted to 614 400 euros. Each group received a fixed allowance of some 27 440 euros and an additional per capita allowance (some 820 euros per member).
In its Opinions No. 206 (1998), No. 212 (1999) and No. 219 (2000), the Assembly asked for a modest increase of around 10 700 euros per group (53 500 euros in all) to cover the cost of one half-time administrative officer. However, this request was not granted. For 2002, an increase of 10 700 euros in the fixed allowance of each group is once again requested. The total increase requested is therefore 53 500 euros (5 x 10 700 euros), the intention being to have this lump-sum allocation for secretarial services gradually built up over the coming years.
It should also be borne in mind that, along with the increased Assembly membership (Georgia 25 April 1999, Armenia and Azerbaijan 25 January 2001) there has been a parallel increase in the number of members that are not affiliated to any existing political group. Proposals for the possible creation of new political groups cannot therefore be ruled out. It is obvious that the existing appropriations under this sub-head would need to be revised accordingly were this to happen.
Since 1975 the appropriations under this head have been voted as a lump sum (budgetary package). The various sub-amounts may subsequently be altered in accordance with Article 31 of the Financial Regulations. Head 3.3 includes all operational expenditure of the Assembly, that is, co-operation and monitoring programmes, publications, interpretation, translation, official journeys, experts, conferences, European prizes, and so on.
In the light of the Committee of Ministers’ renewed emphasis on raising the profile of the Organisation, the Assembly has decided to ask for an additional 50 000 euros to enhance the Assembly’s public image through the launching of new initiatives aimed at
developing further its interparliamentary co-operation, external relations and communication. This set of activities will focus on three elements: firstly, to further co-operation with national parliaments and other European and international institutions; secondly, to ensure more efficient follow-up to the Assembly’s decisions, essential for increasing its credibility in member states; and, thirdly, to make the Assembly’s work more visible and accessible to the public at large. These tasks include furthering contacts with journalists and the media as well as working in close co-operation with the Media and Press Division of the Communications and Research Directorate. One future project of the Assembly’s communication unit consists in launching its magazine The Europeans not only on its website but also on parliamentary television channels. Other direct expenditure includes subscriptions to news and media monitoring agencies, invitations to journalists, press conferences and briefings, improvements to the Assembly’s website and the updating of Assembly publications.