Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-05-10-Speech-2-060-000"
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"en.20110510.6.2-060-000"2
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"Mr President, I should like to begin by congratulating all the rapporteurs on the huge amount of work they have done on this discharge, and I am also pleased that the Council is in attendance for this debate.
The European Parliament’s seat in Strasbourg is a question of European identity, not just a question of saving money. I am discussing this today, in this House, during the debate on the 2009 discharge because the symbol of Franco-German reconciliation is being treated by some members of the Committee on Budgetary Control as a blessing, as an easy way to cut costs.
The issue of Parliament’s expenditure also interests me. While on this subject, I propose that we hold the group weeks in Strasbourg rather than in Brussels; that way, we would ensure that our parliamentary seat in Strasbourg is cost-effective. Since we want to make savings, I propose other things, such as abolishing the Friday subsistence allowance for our colleagues and the subsistence allowances for journalists, too. Europe is enough of a draw for journalists not to have to be given a subsistence allowance.
We should not use the budget as an excuse for appropriating an important issue that goes beyond the scope of budgetary control, and though I welcome the important work done by Mr Itälä, our rapporteur, I say this with regard to this discharge.
Lastly, since we are talking about savings, I should also like us to clean up and reorganise the system for reimbursing sponsored visitors groups. I do not think it is very moral to reimburse the group leader in cash on the day of the visit without making any effort to check how much the group has spent. It gives a very poor impression of our institution. I would inform you that the amount allocated sometimes exceeds the amount actually spent. It would make sense for the groups to send an estimate prior to the visits, for Parliament to send them an advance payment on their expenses, to be paid into a bank account, and for the balance to be paid upon presentation of the receipts detailing the expenses actually incurred, up to a certain amount, of course."@en1
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