Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-12-11-Speech-2-406-000"
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"en.20121211.30.2-406-000"2
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"Mr President, my main responsibility was the Other Sections budget, and I wanted to start off by saying a few ‘thank yous’, as I do not think we say ‘thank you’ often enough. I would like to thank my co-rapporteur, Mr La Via, my shadows, the Budget Committee secretariat, my own Group secretariat and Cath Witcombe, who works in my office. They have all worked very hard and very long hours. Hopefully they find it worthwhile.
Our budget process started in January of this year. At the outset we set ourselves a target of having an increase in Parliament’s budget for next year of 1.9% including the costs of Croatia. I am delighted to say that we have been able to achieve that. We have achieved that figure by freezing all Members’ allowances, the daily allowance and the office allowance; we have cut the travel budget again; we have reduced the amount to be spent on buildings, such as the House of European History; and we have made many other savings as well. I am sure colleagues will be pleased to know that the increase in operational costs for the European Parliament’s budget next year is only 0.6%. Therefore Parliament will have a real-terms cut in its budget for next year.
Of course, colleagues will want to know that we will continue to make savings in the future. That is why we have established a joint working group between the Committee on Budgets and the Bureau to identify savings: some short-term savings, but also some long-term structural savings for the future. The working group is working hard on that at the moment and will shortly come forward with some recommendations.
I also wanted to say a few words, of course, on the other institutions’ budgets. At the start of the process, the Council was saying that it wanted an across-the-board freeze for all institutions for the 2013 budget. We on Parliament’s side believe that was a mistake. We believe that all the institutions are different, and that all the institutions have different needs and will require different budgets and different increases for next year. I personally sat down with each of the institutions and went through their own individual budgets with them. After the discussions I pushed them towards a figure of 1.9%, as the Parliament figure is going to be. At the end of the day we were able to come to an agreement between the institutions and Parliament that their increases would be around 1.9% including the costs of Croatia; that excludes perhaps three of the institutions.
Unfortunately, however the, Council still did not agree the issue of the 1.7% salary increase which Parliament believes should go into the reserves. I am pleased to say, however, that we have now reached a compromise whereby Parliament’s figures for the other institutions will be agreed without the 1.7% increase for salaries, which is awaiting a decision by the Court of Justice. However, we have agreed, as one of the three joint statements, that an amending budget will be brought forward if the Court of Justice allows that 1.7% increase.
I am pleased to say that all the institutions apart from two, the Ombudsman and the External Action Service, will have an increase next year of 1.9% or even lower. So I think that does demonstrate to this House, and to the wider public, that all the EU institutions including this House have done their very best to act in a responsible way in terms of next year’s budget.
We all know that these are difficult economic and financial times. We wanted to be responsible, and I believe we have been responsible. But in addition to that, as well as making savings, we have been able to ensure that we have not damaged the effectiveness of this House, of the institutions and of Members of this House. So all in all I think it is a good budget and I hope Members will support it and vote for it in tomorrow’s vote."@en1
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