Brussels, 18/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - German Social Democrat Willi Rothley, who is taking part in the negotiations with the Council in his capacity as EP Rapporteur, took stock of the state of progress of work on the proposed statute of MEPs, on Tuesday, before the European Parliament's legal committee. Mr Rothley stressed that there is finally a Parliament common position on the most vital issues, such as the fact that the regulation on reimbursement of expenses should not be provided for in the statute but fixed by the EP's Bureau. Mr Rothley felt that an agreement is still possible before the end of the year. The legal services of the three institutions came to the conclusion that a national tax is not possible, he noted, saying that account should be taken of this in later discussion.
During the last meetings with the Council Presidency, the question of retirement age was discussed. The Parliament called for 60 years, while the Council proposed 65. By way of compromise, the EP Contact Group suggested that the retirement age should be fixed at 65, with the possibility of early retirement from the age of 55 at a reduced pension. Without justifying its response, the Council refused early retirement before the age of 60 (although French deputies can retire at 55 and, in some cases, take early retirement from the age of 50). As far as the parliamentary allowance is concerned, the Council maintains its position in favour of an amount equal to the average of the 15 allowances paid to national parliament members. The Parliament, on the other hand, was in favour of an amount following the annual evolution of the average of the four largest Member States.
Mr Rothley insisted on the fact that the rights and prerogatives of MEPs should be defended and that they should not be dictated to under the pressure of time. "We cannot accept just any old thing", he said, affirming that the Parliament's position should be defended with "serenity and determination".