Strasbourg, 23/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - As we indicated, on 21 April the EP finally granted the discharge for the execution of the 2002 budget to the European Commission (see EUROPE of 22 April, p.14). During the vote, the plenary adopted the resolution (287 points, almost 50 pages) by Partido Popular MEP Juan José Bayona de Perogordo, rapporteur on the execution of the general budget (Commission). Of the reports on the other institutions, that of Dutch Socialist Michiel van Hulten on the European Parliament- which was adopted by 436 for, 34 against- was the most resolutely turned towards the future, as it encouraged the Parliament's Bureau to undertake internal reforms, which should have entered into force at the same time as the MEP regulations (which was blocked by the Council last January), without requiring the green light of the plenary or the Council. Mr van Hulten, who will not be standing at the June European elections, believes that the reform could be in place before then. He has written to President Cox to ask him to agree to a discussion by the Bureau of an overall position on MEPs' expenses at its meeting of 3 May.
Following Mr Hulten, in the resolution accompanying the discharge decision for the EP budget of 2002, the Parliament took position on a range of important points, on: 1) MEPs' allowances. A Liberal amendment called upon the Bureau and the Quaestors to review the whole system, to ensure fair and sufficient resources, on the basis of a transparent and accountable system. -system of expenses. By 336 votes against 138 and 28 abstentions, the EP called upon the Bureau, in the absence of agreement on MEP regulations, to adopt new rules as a matter of urgency, on expenses and allowances. These rules will enter into force at the beginning of the next parliamentary term, and will provide, amongst other things, for the reimbursement of travel costs on the basis of actual costs; 2) MEPs' secretariat allowances. As soon as practicable, all payments to assistants will be made through the EP's administration, directly or through a national paying agent. 3) Travel allowances. Registers of presence will be supervised by an EP official at all times; 4) daily allowances. The EP points out that this is in the form of a flat rate, and that separate payment for taxi costs, which was brought in in September 2003, is to be abolished; 5) advance payments. The current system is to be replaced by a system of individual accounts; 6) MEPs' voluntary pensions scheme. The system is to be reformed (and the free health insurance system abolished); 7) Parliament's place of work. The EP narrowly rejected (277 against 224 and 17 abstentions) a passage stating that as the vast majority of parliament business takes place in Brussels, the most logical location for a single seat would be Brussels; 8) the environment and health. The EP takes not of the decision to ban smoking in all its public places.