Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-28-Speech-3-028"
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"en.20010228.4.3-028"2
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". – Madam President, I totally agree with the sentiment that Mr Harbour expressed in his excellent report last year, together with three other honourable Members who were rapporteurs on associated reports. The reform should proceed as quickly as possible in order to avoid the demoralisation and destabilisation of the staff of the European public service. I agree with that even more strongly now than I did then.
In any reform process there is an unavoidable gap between original design and effective implementation. It is in the interest of everyone who wants progressive change, and the stronger institutions which that change will bring, to try to make that gap as narrow as possible. Nevertheless we first have to undertake full and thorough consultation and negotiation as a matter of courtesy to our staff but also to encourage the sense of ownership of reform which is essential to success.
The four and a half months that we have set aside for those negotiations and consultation allow us to work quickly but thoroughly. Secondly those decisions which are the responsibility of the Commission can be taken quite quickly after the end of that four and a half months, taking into account the result of those consultations and negotiations. We can then embark upon the changes probably by the end of this year. Others, however, must be submitted as formal legal proposals to this House and to the Council. That will, everybody anticipates, involve a year of negotiations on the detail of amendments to the Staff Regulations and the pay and pensions package, which will take nearly the whole of 2002.
These delays are regrettable but obviously we want to ensure that we go through the full and effective system of democratic scrutiny both by the Council and this House. That is understood amongst the staff. It also means, of course, that the two-year rollover of the present system of pay and pensions will provide stability and security for all the institutions, which would not have been the case if the Council and Parliament had not agreed to our proposal on that.
Hopefully, therefore, if the legislation rhythm is not subject to delay, we could be fully implementing several of these necessary reforms in full by the beginning of 2003. That in some respects is an optimistic scenario but we certainly will make every honest endeavour to achieve that.
Finally, on the Council point that Mr Harbour very fairly raises, I have to say to him that my view is slightly different from his. I understand his concern but I have the advantage of going to the General Affairs Council and having our proposals – I quote “warmly welcomed” and also having an extremely good reception in ECOFIN at lunch where the discussion was naturally quite intimate but immensely constructive. In addition, of course, I have visited a variety of Member States to ensure that governments, and indeed national parliaments, are fully informed.
I have encountered no sour attitudes. I have encountered some good arguments and we are always ready to engage in those. There will be more opportunities to attend the Councils but the Council wanted to see our proposals come to a state of reasonable maturity so that they were solid and worthy of the Council’s consideration."@en1
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