3 Reform of the EU's Staff Regulations
| (33552)
18638/11
COM(11) 890
| Draft Regulation amending the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union
|
| Legal base | Article 336 TFEU; QMV; co-decision
|
| Document originated
| 13 December 2011 |
| Deposited in Parliament
| 15 December 2011 |
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
| Basis of consideration
| Minister's letter of 24 July 2013
|
| Previous Committee Reports
| HC 83-xviii (2013-14), chapter 4 (23 October 2013); HC 83-iv (2013-14), chapter 11 (5 June 2013); HC 86-xii (2012-13), chapter 3 (12 September 2013); HC 428-liii (2010-12), chapter 4 (7 March 2012)
|
| Discussion in Council
| June 2013 |
| Committee's assessment
| Legally and politically important
|
| Committee's decision
| Recommended for debate in European Committee B on 23 October 2013; further information provided
|
Background
3.1 The draft proposal seeks to amend the European
Union Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment
of Other Servants of the European Union. These two documents,
referred to as the "Staff Regulations", set terms and
conditions for all staff working within the European institutions
— the first document covers permanent officials and the
second contract staff. The Staff Regulations constitute the legal
framework for employment and working conditions for approximately
55,000 officials and other agents employed by more than 50 institutions
and agencies in the European Union and in third countries.
3.2 We have reported on this proposal on four occasions
over the last four years. Those Reports set out the relevant background
to the proposals, and the Government's policy on them.
3.3 On the last occasion we noted the disappointing
outcome of the negotiations. We had expected a far greater reduction
in costs to the EU budget to come of them, and, given the levels
involved, for them not to be concluded in a hurry. We said that
we would like to explore with the Minister in far greater detail
the reasons for the haste in concluding the negotiations; the
contents of the compromise text agreed by COREPER on 28 June;
the estimated future annual costs of the revised Staff Regulations
to the EU budget; and why the Government was so unsuccessful in
the negotiations. We said we would like to do so in the form of
a debate in European Committee, which we recommend to take place
once we had received and reported on the following further information:
"We ask the Minister
to deposit, in accordance with the Cabinet Office Guidance, the
compromise text with a Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum explaining
the changes from the original text which was deposited in Parliament
in December 2011. This Explanatory Memorandum should quantify
the costs of each of the main heads of expenditure foreseen by
the revised Staff Regulations. In an accompanying letter we ask
the Minister to explain why the negotiations were hurried and
so unsuccessful for the Government."
The Minister's letter of 31 October
3.4 The Minister for Europe says he will write shortly
with the additional information that we requested, but in the
meantime he confirms that, as anticipated, the Staff Regulations
were approved at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy
Council on 10 October. This was despite the UK, the Netherlands,
the Czech Republic, Austria and Denmark voting against. After
being signed by the President of the European Parliament and the
President of the Council, the legislative act will be published
in the Official Journal of the European Union.
3.5 The Minister repeats that this package was a
disappointment to the Government in that it did not go far enough
to reform the EU civil service. In light of this, the UK tabled
a joint statement with the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria
and Denmark at the Council:
"As Council votes on
the Staff Regulations today, it is a good opportunity to reflect
on the negotiations and the next steps. The delegations which
voted against the Presidency compromise want to outline why they
did so and their hopes for the future of the EU civil service.
"The review of the Staff
Regulations was an opportunity to modernise the EU civil service,
to rein in administrative spend and to ensure that the EU Institutions
will be able to afford their future commitments on pensions and
salaries. This is an opportunity that only comes every few years.
Unfortunately, after nearly two years of intensive work by all
parties, and despite broad agreement for those objectives, our
delegations felt that the compromise presented did not match the
comprehensive reforms which many Member States are already delivering
in their domestic civil services. All of our public services
are changing and the EU civil service will be left behind at its
peril. A modern, effective and dynamic civil service is vital
for the EU to be able to deliver on the important issues which
matter to our citizens. We should not under-estimate how strongly
the public's support for the EU is linked to their perception
of the EU Civil Service. In the next few years, we will continue
to work constructively to ensure that EU citizens have the EU
civil service they should expect, one that reflects our 21st
century EU and one that the EU can afford
to maintain."
3.6 The Minister says that the Commission is likely
to need to propose further amendments to the Staff Regulations
before the next Multiannual Financial Framework in 2021. In the
meantime, "this Government will continue to fight against
unnecessary administrative spending at every opportunity; most
frequently through the annual budget negotiations". As the
Committee is aware, the Staff Regulations determine spending on
pay, pensions and allowances which together comprise 70% of EU
administrative spending in MFF Heading 5. Nevertheless, the annual
budgets will be an essential tool for ensuring that other areas
of administrative spending are restrained, that the reforms agreed
as part of the updated Staff Regulations, such as the 5% headcount
reduction, are being met, and for making certain that the institutions
are not falling behind their own targets for reform.
Conclusion
3.7 We thank the Minister for informing us of
the joint declaration the UK tabled with other like-minded Member
States in the Council; we welcome its contents.
3.8 We look forward to receiving the further information
we requested before the Staff Regulations are debated in European
Committee.
3.9 In the meantime we retain the document under
scrutiny.
|
