The European Parliament,

–   having regard to Article 272(2) of the EC Treaty,

–   having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities(1), and in particular Article 31 thereof,

–   having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management(2),

–   having regard to its resolution of 29 March 2007 on the guidelines for the 2008 budget procedure − Sections II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX - and on the European Parliament's preliminary draft estimates (Section I) for the 2008 budget procedure(3),

–   having regard to the Secretary-General's report to the Bureau on drawing up Parliament's preliminary draft estimates for the financial year 2008,

–   having regard to the preliminary draft estimates drawn up by the Bureau on 28 March 2007 pursuant to Rules 22(6) and 73 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to Rule 73 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0202/2007),

A.   whereas the rate of increase of heading 5 (administrative costs) of the multiannual framework for 2008 is 4,8%, a figure higher than the inflation rate of 2%,

B.   whereas the 2008 budget should be aimed at the budgetary level of 2007, increased by the inflation rate of 2%, unless there are specific grounds to the contrary,

C.   whereas 2008 is the last full year before the next elections to the European Parliament,

D.   whereas the political priorities for 2008 are the provision of efficient services to Members to enable better law-making, enhancement of the effectiveness of the communication tools of the European Parliament and its political groups and improvement of the budget allocation,

E.   whereas the estimated costs of a number of new projects adopted by the Bureau on 28 March 2007 will remain unknown until the presentation of the amending letter in September;

Financial aspects

1.  Recalls that the 2008 budget should be a 'budget for the EU tax-payer', aimed at responsible budgetary behaviour on the part of all actors involved in the process, with decisions on financial resources based on solid reasoning;

2.  Recalls that the recommendation for 2008 as adopted in its abovementioned resolution of 29 March 2007 is, on the one hand, to set the budget at the level which allows the most effective work to be provided by the institution within a rational level of financial resources, on the basis of justified and real budgetary needs, and, on the other hand, to limit the increase in the European Parliament's budget to the adjustment of current prices;

3.  In this connection, highlights that the process of purchasing the European Parliament's premises in its three places of work should, in the long term, lead to substantial savings for the EU tax-payer; is ready to consider using the necessary part of the margin between the inflation rate and the rate of increase provided for in the multiannual framework, depending on the financial needs arising from the specific situation of ownership of Parliament's premises;

4.  Recalls that in its above-mentioned guidelines resolution, it was agreed that all budgetary requests should be based on justified needs; notes that the budgetary authority has not been provided with sufficiently detailed and precise information on all budgetary allocations; points out that the preliminary draft estimates give an amount of EUR 55 000 000 in Chapter 10 6 ("Reserve for priority projects under development") and EUR 10 300 000 for the pre-election campaign without providing any detailed justification for those amounts; recalls that the guidelines emphasised that unless there is justification based on real needs, Parliament's budget for 2008 should be set at the level of 2007 taking into consideration adjustments to current prices, ensuring in the process that the effective operation of the institution is not impaired; reiterates that the 20% level of Heading 5 should constitute the upper limit of the budget; is disappointed that the Bureau set the level of the budget at EUR 1 491 400 000 which represents the full 20% of Heading 5;

5.  Emphasises the fact that the 2008 draft estimates include an increase of 6,7% over the 2007 budget despite savings made from ceasing to translate the verbatim reports of proceedings (EUR 9 000 000) and the transfer of the management of costs related to termination-of-service allowances to the Commission;

6.  Will examine in detail the proposals for the projects provided for under Chapter 10 6 ("Reserve for priority projects under development"); insists that the information explaining them be communicated in due time to its relevant committee; prefers, at this stage, to leave a token entry ("pm") in Chapter 10 4 ("Reserve for information and communication policy") and Chapter 10 6 ("Reserve for priority projects under development"), which will set the budget at EUR 1 436 400 000, representing an increase of 2,8% over the 2007 budget; is willing to decide on the amount to be allocated to these projects once the concrete information is presented;

7.  Is concerned by the high level of mopping-up transfers in the last few years which shot up to EUR 124 144 556 in 2005 and EUR 105 871 425 in 2006; recalls the fact that the numerous transfer requests made throughout the year change the allocation decided by the budgetary authority; invites the administration to estimate appropriations more accurately;

8.  Notes that in 2008 the Belgian State will reimburse to the European Parliament an advance payment of EUR 22 700 000 made when the decision on the construction of the current premises in Brussels was taken; notes, moreover, that this appropriation will be placed in assigned revenue and will be used only to finance expenditure on buildings;

Information policy

9.  Takes note of the proposals to allocate an overall budget of EUR 41 800 000 to information policy, which will include EUR 10 300 000 for an awareness campaign in view of the 2009 European elections, EUR 9 000 000 for implementation of the Parliamentary Television Channel (WebTV), EUR 15 700 000 for the Audiovisual Centre and EUR 6 800 000 to complete the construction of the Visitors' Centre;

10.  Welcomes the initiative taken by the Bureau to propose an information campaign relating to the next European elections; deplores, however, the fact that the actions proposed in the context of this campaign will not be defined before the end of 2007; requests the administration to present a proposal before the first reading of the budget and insists on the inclusion of relevant proposals supporting direct communication with citizens; has decided, pending the submission of more detailed information on the utilisation of these funds, to place the amount of EUR 10 300 000 entered for election purposes in Chapter 10 0 ("Provisional Appropriation") and to reduce the corresponding budget lines accordingly;

11.  Considers that the development of a specific programme, similar to that for Visitors' groups, which focuses on small and local media would be of interest to Members as one of the most efficient means of raising Union citizens' awareness of the European Parliament's activities; invites the Quaestors to examine the feasibility of providing each Member with proper means for inviting local journalists to come to the European Parliament;

12.  Notes that the WebTV project is being substantially delayed to the autumn 2007; emphasises that the appropriations allocated and entered in Chapter 10 4 ("Reserve for information") in the 2007 budget will not be used as initially anticipated; considers that this amount may be carried forward to 2008, subject to final approval of the prototype, and consequently could cover the needs of the year; therefore considers that the EUR 9 000 000 requested for 2008 should be placed in Chapter 10 1 ("Contingency reserve") pending a more precise estimation of the cost of the project if approved, and further information as to the capacity of absorption of such an amount;

13.  Acknowledges that the budget allocations requested for completing the construction of the Visitors' Centre and the Audiovisual Centre are in line with initial estimates; emphasises the fact that their implementation is highly dependent on the delivery dates of the D4 and D5 buildings, which may be slightly delayed, according to the information given by the Secretary General to the Bureau on 12 March 2007; asks the administration, therefore, to keep its relevant committee informed in order to allow it to make the necessary adjustments in the 2008 budget;

Multilingualism

14.  Is willing to consider a proposal for restructuring the interpretation service, while insisting that the administration enforce more actively the code of conduct on multilingualism, in order to ensure suitable and efficient linguistic support for Members above all at official meetings of Parliament bodies and prevent any shortcomings, irresponsible use or misuse of this service; is willing to consider within this framework the possible extension of this service to more personal linguistic assistance; recalls that all Members should be treated fairly, irrespective of their native language;

15.  15 Points out that any recommendation for the interpretation service should take account of the report of the Court of Auditors and be based on a comprehensive quality control system including qualitative indicators;

16.  Is highly concerned by the fact that translations of documents are frequently not available in all languages for debates in committees, a situation which has a negative impact on the committees' proceedings and leads to an inefficient use of available resources (in particular given the multiplication of extra-ordinary meetings); insists that it is vital to take the necessary measures to have an efficient translation system in order to ensure the equal treatment of all Members and the orderly development of parliamentary business; urges the administration to make all the necessary efforts to provide the appropriate means and ensure an adequate organisation of the translation service in order to prevent any shortcomings and the consequent increase of costs, in particular when deadlines for decisions are fixed in the Treaty;

Buildings

17.  Is surprised by the substantial increase in Item 2000 ("Rent") of EUR 5 131 200, which absorbs half of the savings resulting from the purchase of the Strasbourg buildings; understands that the increase of 19,85 % is based on developments in the real estate market and the need to rent an additional building in Luxembourg during the work on the extension of the KAD building; recommends that the administration bear these factors in mind before proposing further purchases of external offices that cannot be considered a priority with regard to the three places of work;

18.  Takes note of the delay in the construction of the extension of the KAD building, mainly due to the decision of the Luxembourg State to abandon the creation of a shopping area; acknowledges that this decision will ease the management of the building in particular in terms of security; regrets, however, that construction work cannot start on time, which will postpone the occupancy of the extension to the end of 2012 and necessitate a longer rental of the temporary buildings; asks, therefore, to be kept informed of further developments with this project;

19.  Points out that Item 2007 ("Fitting out premises") has increased by 72,24% compared to the 2007 budget to an amount of EUR 30 008 000; decides to put the amount of EUR 3 000 000 foreseen for the Sports Centre under sub-item 2007/03 ("Fitting-out, Brussels") in reserve until Parliament's competent bodies have taken a final decision on the project and its financing; awaits the report on building needs and maintenance costs scheduled for 30 April 2007;

20.  Is strongly of the view that a global approach must be taken when deciding on renting, purchasing or fitting-out buildings; considers that every decision concerning buildings policy must take into account the longer-term financial consequences; will assess the information provided on the overall costs of its buildings policy before allocating the appropriations requested; asks the administration to provide detailed information on the fitting-out works, especially those foreseen in Brussels and the newly acquired buildings in Strasbourg;

Informatics

21.  Notes that the increase in IT expenditure over the last four years has reached 28%; considers that the current strategy was useful in modernising the European Parliament's IT systems, enhancing the services provided to users and developing a new internet website; stresses, nevertheless, that it has multiplied the number of projects to 477 and has left some key functions in the hands of external staff; emphasises that, given that the administration must justify its financial requests, the Directorate on Information Technologies (DIT) should make proposals to rationalise its costs in the context of the amending letter;

22.  22 Notes that the estimate for telecommunications charges is approximately the same as the estimate for 2005, whereas the actual costs have been falling annually since 2004 owing to the use of new technologies and general price reductions in the sector, and in 2006 were EUR 2 100 000 below the estimates; calls on the Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Budgets on the use of current VOIP technologies to reduce telephone costs;

Staff

23.  Acknowledges the fact that the Bureau's request for new posts extends, at this stage, to 16 posts (7 AST3 and 9 AD5); regrets that only 10 posts are proposed from the redeployment exercise; calls on the administration to provide detailed information on the impact in terms of post reductions and redeployment due to the implementation of the new streamline software and on other short and medium-term strategies regarding redeployment possibilities as mentioned in the guidelines; considers an annual target of 1% as a minimum; confirms its willingness to receive a global overview and justification of the requests before taking its final decision; proposes, consequently, to place the appropriations relating to the requested posts in reserve for the time being;

24.  Recalls the request to meet the full level of recruitment of staff from the EU-10 as well as Romania and Bulgaria; considers this an important element for the provision of effective support to Members, especially for linguistic services; while recognising this as the primary goal, requests the administration to present the appropriate measures for the long-term sustainability of these services;

25.  Emphasises that a number of uncertainties still remain regarding staffing needs following recent Bureau decisions, for example the impact of the new Codex on the activity of the medical centre; reminds the administration that it should provide by March and September of each year an updated report on the recruitment situation related to enlargement and expects to receive detailed information to justify any new requests by the first reading;

26.  Takes note of the proposals concerning the upgrading of permanent and temporary posts, the conversion of posts and possible ad personam promotions in the European Parliament's Secretariat; decides to defer them until the first reading and place the related appropriations in reserve;

27.  Notes that the proposals concerning the upgrading of staff from the political groups will be communicated at a later date; is willing to consider them in the first reading;

28.  Considers that efforts can be made to limit the number of staff missions to Strasbourg and, where possible, to make better use of new technologies such as video conferencing; decides to limit the appropriation allocated to Article 300 ("Staff mission allowances") to the level of the 2007 budget and to enter the increase of EUR 1 490 000, requested for 2008, in Chapter 10 0 ("Provisional appropriation");

Miscellaneous

29.  Reiterates that the rapid implementation of the new badge system will greatly improve security in the buildings; is surprised by the increase in Item 214 ("Technical equipment and installations") and in particular by the increase in its sub-item on security of 36,8% compared to last year's budget due to a substantial increase in the maintenance costs of the security infrastructure and to certain investments, such as the new radio system; insists on the fact that the security of the European Parliament's premises, its Members and staff, is an important issue that nevertheless calls for a prudent approach as regards its possible financial impact; invites the administration to re-examine its request bearing in mind the points expressed above and to present a new proposal by the time of the amending letter; decides, consequently, to enter EUR 2 000 000, allocated to new projects, in Chapter 10 0 ("Provisional appropriation");

30.  Reminds the Secretary-General that, in its resolutions of 1 June 2006 on Parliament's estimates and of 26 October 2006 on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2007 - Sections I, II, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII(4), it was requested that by 15 December 2006 the administration should embark on an information strategy to address the issue that Members are often not fully aware of the available support services and that until now no proposal has been presented to its relevant committee;

31.  Requests the administration to update its estimates on the appropriations needed in relation to EMAS;

32.  Notes the proposed modifications of the nomenclature; recalls that a report on the financing of expenditure relating to delegations and Assemblies is awaited; decides at this stage not to agree to the changes in the nomenclature in Article 214 ("Technical equipment and installations") and in Items 3244 ("Organisation and reception of groups of visitors, Euroscola programme and invitations to opinion multipliers from third countries"), 3245 ("Organisation of seminars, symposia and cultural activities"), 3246 ("Parliamentary television channel"), 3249 ("Information exchanges with national parliaments") and the proposed new Item 3047 ("Miscellaneous expenditure on the organisation of Eurolat Parliamentary Assembly meetings");

33.  Is convinced of the need to reinforce the relationship between Members of the European Parliament and Members of EU national parliaments and democratically elected national parliaments of third countries; is willing to support the programme for information exchanges with national parliaments (Item 3249) once it has received further detailed information;

o
o   o

34.  Adopts the estimates for the financial year 2008;

35.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Kingdom of Belgium.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1995/2006 (OJ L 390, 13.12.2006, p. 1). (2) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. (3) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0099. (4) OJ C 298 E, 8.12.2006, p. 253, and Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0452.