EC staff regulation: EP Members' assistance statute

1998/0176(CNS) 22/05/2000

The Council adopted the following conclusions concerning the proposal for a Council regulation on terms and conditions of employment of parliamentary assistants :

The Council undertook a detailed examination of the proposal, in particular in the light of the amendments suggested by the European Parliament and the comments made by the Court of Auditors in their Opinions delivered on 11 March 1999and 23 September 1998respectively. In that context, it appears that none of the delegations within the Council is able at this stage to approve the proposal as submitted by the Commission on 19 May 1998. Consequently, the Council considers that the Commission could discuss the possibility of re-examining its proposal with due regard for the Opinions delivered by the other institutions on examination of the initial proposal.

The Council is fully aware of the need to regulate the conditions of employment of parliamentary assistants and to improve their current situation. To that end, the Council would point out that on 26 April 1999, when examining the draft Statute for Members of the European Parliament, it adopted principles which it regards as essential in that regard:

-direct payment of assistants by Parliament, under the responsibility and in accordance with the personal instructions of the MEP concerned;

-the existence of a written contract registered with the European Parliament;

-compliance with the applicable provisions relating to taxation and social security.

Having regard to the above factors and pending a new proposal from the Commission, the Council supports the initiatives which the European Parliament has taken in that connection. In particular, it welcomes the measures adopted by Parliament's Bureau on 10 April 2000, which are due to come into force by 1 January 2001.

The Council therefore encourages the European Parliament to proceed with this temporary solution, which will help to improve the situation of parliamentary assistants even though it does not definitively regulate all aspects of that situation.