REPORT on amendment of Rule 136 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure on the attendance of Members at sittings

22.1.2014 - (2013/2033(REG))

Committee on Constitutional Affairs
Rapporteur: Gerald Häfner

PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

on amendment of Rule 136 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure on the attendance of Members at sittings

(2013/2033(REG))

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the proposal for amendment of its Rules of Procedure (B7‑0051/2013),

–   having regard to its decision 2005/684/EC, Euratom of 28 September 2005 adopting the Statute for Members of the European Parliament[1],

–   having regard to the Bureau decision of 19 May and 9 July 2008 concerning implementing measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament[2],

–   having regard to Rules 211 and 212 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A7-0038/2014),

1.  Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;

2.  Points out that the amendment will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session;

3.  Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.

Amendment  1 Parliament's Rules of Procedure Rule 136 – paragraph 2
Present text	Amendment
2. The names of the Members present, as shown in the attendance register, shall be recorded in the minutes of each sitting.	2. The names of the Members present, as shown in the attendance register, shall be recorded in the minutes of each sitting as "present". The names of the Members excused by the President shall be recorded in the minutes of each sitting as "excused".

• [1]  OJ L 262, 7.10.2005, p. 1.
• [2]  OJ C 159, 13.7.2009, p. 1.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

A draft amendment to Rule 136 has been submitted by MEPs Brantner and 14 co-signatories pursuant to Rule 212[1]. In accordance with this rule the AFCO Committee is expected to examine this proposal and to decide whether to submit it to Parliament. In substance the amendment seeks to record expressly in the minutes those Members that were not present in the sittings, but had been excused by the President (for e.g. maternity/paternity leave).

Currently, the concept of maternity/paternity leave does not exist in the legal provisions governing the parliamentary mandate (the act of 1976 and the Members' Statute). It is however recognised as a legitimate reason for absence from official meetings (article 31(4) of the Implementing Measures for the Members' Statute).

Rule 136 of the rules of procedure of the European Parliament regulates the attendance register. In its current version it only distinguishes between those members that are "present" during a sitting (based on the member's signature in the attendance register) and those that are not. It does not take into account any authorised absences (granted by the President and administered by the Quaestors under article 31 of the Implementing measures for the Members' Statute). The proposed amendment of rule of procedure 136 suggests listing in the protocol of each sitting the names of those members that have been excused by the President as "excused".

This way, the attendance record of those members that have been excused by the President (upon submission of supporting documents to the Quaestors) on the grounds of ill-health, serious family circumstances, presence on mission on behalf of Parliament, expectation of child birth or maternity leave would no longer be counted as "not present".

This amendment is solely aimed at reducing the negative impact on members' attendance record and the resulting "parliamentary activity indicators" on websites such as Vote Watch in those well justified cases. This measure will have no financial implications.

• [1]  B7-0051/2013.

PROPOSAL FOR AMENDMENT OF PARLIAMENT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE B7‑0051/2013 (30.1.2013)

pursuant to Rule 212 of the Rules of Procedure

by Franziska Katharina Brantner, Marije Cornelissen, Esther de Lange, Anne Delvaux, Ismail Ertug, Mikael Gustafsson, Yannick Jadot, Lívia Járóka, Sidonia Elżbieta Jędrzejewska, Martin Kastler, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Licia Ronzulli, Carl Schlyter, Catherine Stihler, Anja Weisgerber

Amendment of Rule 136

PARLIAMENT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE

Amendment 1 Parliament’s Rules of Procedure Rule 136 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Present text	Amendment
	2a. The names of Members who are unable to be present because they are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, and who have notified the Quaestors of this in advance, shall be recorded separately in the minutes of each sitting, for a period of up to 14 weeks.
Justification
It must be shown visibly in the attendance statistics when Members are unable to be present at plenary sittings because they are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE

Date adopted	21.1.2014
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	19 0 1
Members present for the final vote	Andrew Henry William Brons, Zdravka Bušić, Carlo Casini, Andrew Duff, Ashley Fox, Roberto Gualtieri, Zita Gurmai, Gerald Häfner, Morten Messerschmidt, Sandra Petrović Jakovina, Paulo Rangel, Tadeusz Edward Ross, Algirdas Saudargas, Indrek Tarand, Manfred Weber, Luis Yáñez-Barnuevo García
Substitute(s) present for the final vote	Zuzana Brzobohatá, Marietta Giannakou, Anneli Jäätteenmäki, György Schöpflin