At the end of the 7th inter-institutional meeting, on Tuesday evening, 16 October, the European Parliament and the EU Council reached an agreement to reform the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-Osha). However, no agreement could be reached on the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).
In August 2016, the Commission had proposed a joint reform of the three agencies in line with the joint declaration of the Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission on decentralised agencies of 19 July 2012.
For Cedefop rapporteur Anne Sander (EPP, France), one of the European Parliament's major victories was to be able to introduce the presence of a representative of the European Parliament on the Management Board, whether for Cedefop or for EU-Osha.
The current regulations do not provide for any Parliamentary representative on the various boards of directors of these three organisations, explains one source, reminding us that the Parliament is seeking to apply the model in force within the European Training Foundation (ETF) - where the Parliament is already represented on the board - for the three agencies. The negotiations would have been difficult, as the Council wished to avoid any precedent for the negotiations on the European Labour Authority, currently under negotiation (see EUROPE 12115).
Another source of satisfaction for the Parliament: the role of the Executive Director of each agency has been both clarified and strengthened. He will now be in charge the management of the agency for which he is responsible. "The Commission's wording was convoluted and unclear on this subject", one source tells us. In addition, the candidate for the post will have to appear before the parliamentarians of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL).
Eurofound outstanding. Only the Eurofound Regulation remains outstanding. The negotiators reportedly stumbled over the question of the deputy director. The current regulation provides for a deputy director, but the Commission would have proposed its elimination, which is opposed by the rapporteur, Enrique Calvet Chambon (ALDE, Spain) and the parliamentarians.
Noting the lack of consensus, the co-legislators therefore decided to postpone the decision to a future inter-institutional meeting. On the Parliament's side, questions are being raised about the possibility of finding a date for the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in view of the tight timetable. The Austrian Presidency had insisted that agreement on the three regulations be reached on the same day. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)