Brussels, 26/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a letter dated from last Monday, the European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine, answers the criticisms formulated by the MEP Michiel van Hulten (ESP, Dutch) concerning the observations made by the EP bureau (on 11 July) concerning the European Commission proposals for administrative reform presented last 28 February. The Bureau was opposed to one of the two options put forward aiming to institute a linear careers structure, which would, according to the Dutch MEP, be in complete contradiction with the position of the plenary assembly.
On 10 July, Mr van Hulten wrote to Mrs Fontaine to express his profound surprise over the bureau's reservations concerning the creation of a linear career structure (supposing the ending of the present categories), which, it must be recalled, either way was dismissed by the Commission following negotiations with the representatives of the administration and personnel (see EUROPE of 20 July, p.11). The Dutch MEP bases his reasoning on the position taken by the EP on 30 November 2000 by voting for the report by Malcolm Harbour (British Conservative), arising well before the Commission has outlined the various options for the modification of the statute, reveals Mrs Fontaine. This resolution clearly indicates that the Parliament's official position is, in fact, totally opposed to the one, which you expressed (…), felt Mr van Hulten. Nicole Fontaine adds that the Bureau thought it right to put forward alternative suggestions such as the reshaping of the present categories to take into account the development of the work within the institutions, the possibility of moving from one category to another on the basis of binding and deepened formations and the ending of the automatic granting of additional grade for civil servants, who are not considered deserving. This approach seems to positively react to the objective announced, by the Commission without going as far as the abolition of all the categories recognised by the statute of the civil servant at this moment in time.
Furthermore, in another letter written on 14 June to Romano Prodi, Mrs Fontaine raises the specific situation of temporary agents working within the Secretariats General of the EP political groups. She feels that it would be suitable to reserve them specific conditions different to those applied to temporary agents working in to other institutions to relatively short periods of time. In particular, she would like for the Commission to be able to move forward over proposals for this category of personnel, notably with regards to unemployment allowances (which is a done thing, see EUROPE of 20 July, p.12), the redundancy notice and the possibility to take part in the established early retirement system. Such measure are justified by the fact that these agents are now recruited according to procedures similar to those set out for the recruitment of civil servants and that a significant part of these employees work for political groups over many years.