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PV CPG 31.01.2013
PE 502.490/CPG
EN
PE-7/CPG/PV/2013-03
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the ordinary meeting of Thursday
31 January 2013
Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room 06B 01
Brussels
PV CPG 31.01.2013
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EN
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the ordinary meeting of
Thursday, 31 January 2013
from 11:00 to 13:00 hours
Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room 06B 01
Brussels
CONTENTS
Page
PART I (From 11.00 - 12.00) ............................................................................................................ 8
1. Adoption of the draft agenda ...................................................................................................... 8
2. Approval of the Minutes of the meeting of 10 and 17 January 2013 ......................................... 9
3. Adoption of the final draft agenda for the February part-session (4 to 7 February 2013 in
Strasbourg) – Scheduling of key debates in plenary ................................................................ 10
4. Communications of the President ............................................................................................ 11
4.1 Future visits by Heads of State and Heads of Government to the European Parliament ......... 11
4.2 Monitoring mission to Ukraine ................................................................................................ 11
4.3 Submission of the OLAF Report in the case of Mr John DALLI ............................................ 12
4.4 Funding of political parties - Request for the application of article 210 of the rules of
Procedure .................................................................................................................................. 12
A. DECISIONS/EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ............................................................................... 14
5. Preparation of the meeting of the European Council on 7 and 8 February 2013 ..................... 14
B. DECISIONS WITHOUT DEBATE ..................................................................................... 16
6. Requests from the parliamentary committees to draw up own-initiative reports under Rule
48 .............................................................................................................................................. 16
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7. Requests for the application of Rule 50 concerning the procedure with associated
committees ................................................................................................................................ 17
8. Request for application of Rule 51 concerning the procedure with joint committee meetings 18
9. Delegated and implementing acts - Screening of current files ................................................. 19
10. Designation of co-rapporteurs for the report on the location of the seat of the European
Parliament ................................................................................................................................. 20
11. Designation of co-rapporteurs for a recommendation on the organisation and functioning of
the European External Action Service (EEAS) ........................................................................ 22
12. Draft programme for travel by parliamentary committee delegations outside the three places
of work during 2013 - Decision on activities from March to December .................................. 23
13. Draft programme for travel by standing delegations and Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies
during 2013 - Decision on activities from March to December ............................................... 32
14. Revised draft calendar of the ordinary meetings of the Conference of Presidents for 2013 .... 42
15. Urgent matters and any other business ..................................................................................... 43
15.1 Proposed allocation of appropriations under budget Item 400 (operating appropriations for
the political groups and non-attached Members) for 2013 ....................................................... 43
16. Items for information ................................................................................................................ 44
16.1 Internal correspondence ............................................................................................................ 44
16.2 Interinstitutional correspondence .............................................................................................. 44
16.3 External Correspondence .......................................................................................................... 44
17. Date and place of next meetings ............................................................................................... 45
PART II (From 12.00 - 13.00) ......................................................................................................... 46
18. Exchange of views with the Group Chairs of the Committee of the Regions on
interinstitutional cooperation and other relevant issues of common interest ............................ 46
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CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the meeting of Thursday, 31 January 2013
from 11:00 to 13:00 hours
Brussels
The meeting opened at 11:10 hours with Mr Martin SCHULZ,
President of the European Parliament, in the chair
Present
Mr SCHULZ, President
Political Group Chairs
Mr DAUL (EPP)
Mr GUERRERO SALOM (Acting) (S&D)
Mr VERHOFSTADT (ALDE)
Ms HARMS (Co-Chair) (Greens/EFA)
Mr CALLANAN (ECR)
Mr SPERONI (Co-Chair) (EFD)
Ms ZIMMER (GUE/NGL)
Non attached Member
Mr SOSA WAGNER1 (Non-attached Member)
Also Present
Mr WELLE, Secretary-General
1 Present pursuant to Rule 24 (2) of the Rules of Regulations of Procedure
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Invited:
Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs
Invited for Part II - joint meeting with the Committee of the Regions (CoR)
Ms HÜBNER, Chair of the Committee on Regional Development (REGI))
Ms BRESSO, Vice-President of the CoR
Mr SCHNEIDER (Chair of EPP Group)
Mr LAMBERTZ (Chair of PES Group)
Mr VERKERK (Chair of the ALDE Group)
Mr SILBERG (Chair of the European Alliance)
Mr STAHL, Secretary-General of the CoR
Mr KNAPP
Mr HARRISON
Mr O'CURNEEN
Mr Ó CONCHÚIR
Mr CARMONA
Mr TERRUSO
Mr HORNUNG
Mr MONDRAGÓN
Mr GNAN
Ms KEREKGYARTO
Mr THEUNISSEN
The Council1
represented by Mr MILTON
Mr DE HERT
The Commission1
represented by Mr NYMAND-CHRISTENSEN
Mr BARANY
The Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy1
represented by Mr CASTRO
Mr LEVINE
1 Present for items 1-3 of the Agenda
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The Economic and Social Committee1
represented by Mr BERGER
The Committee of the Regions1
represented by Ms KOSJEK
Mr LÓPEZ
Office of the President
Mr KAISER
Ms MARTINEZ IGLESIAS
Mr MANNELLI
Ms STRASSER
Mr PRANCKEVICIUS
Ms PELZ
Ms CASALES LÓPEZ
Office of the Secretary-General
Mr MANGOLD
Mr SORENSEN
Ms FERNANDEZ PERLES
Ms FREDSGAARD
Secretariat
DG Presidency (PRES)
Ms F. RATTI/Mr DUNSTAN/Mr LANE /Mr KNUDSEN/Mr BROGGI/
Ms JIMENEZ LOZANO/Mr URBIETA/Mr SANCHEZ/Ms CAVALLIN1
DG Internal Policies (IPOL)
Mr RIBERA D'ALCALA/Ms VANDENBOSCH/Mr CHIOCCHETTI/
Mr TELL CREMADES2/Ms ILARIO/Ms SAILIS1
DG External Policies (EXPO)
Mr AGUIRIANO/Mr PENALVER
DG Communication (COMM)
Ms LAHOUSSE/Mr DUCH GUILLOT/Ms VAN DEN BROEKE
DG Interpretation and Conferences (INTE)
Ms COSMIDOU
DG Finance (FINS)
Mr VANHAEREN
DG Innovation, Technical Support (ITEC)
Mr VILELLA
__________________ 1 Present for items 1-3 of the Agenda 2 Present for Part II of the Agenda
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Legal Service
Mr PENNERA/Mr PASSOS
Directorate for relations with political groups
Mr SCHWETZ
Secretariat of the Bureau
Mr TZIORKAS
Political groups
Mr KAMP/Mr RYNGAERT/Ms SCRIBAN/Ms ALVARGONZÁLEZ (EPP)
Mr BURU/Ms PEREIRA (S&D)
Mr BEELS/Mr RASMUSSEN/Mr MCLAUGHLIN/Ms COLLERA-GARZÓN (ALDE)
Ms TSETSI/Mr LINAZASORO/Mr DENKINGER (Greens/EFA)
Mr BARRETT/Mr BOYD (ECR)
Ms D'ALIMONTE/Ms LEPOLA (GUE/NGL)
Mr BORDEZ/Mr VAUGIER/ Ms LAIKFAUF/Mr FRANÇOIS (EFD)
Mr BUGALHO (NI)
Mr HILLER, Mr PEGAZZANO, Mr MENEGHINI, Mr HUBER and Mr ISAACS acted as secretaries to
the meeting.
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PART I (From 11.00 - 12.00)
1. Adoption of the draft agenda
The Conference of Presidents
- noted and adopted the draft agenda (PE 502.489/CPG).
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2. Approval of the Minutes of the meeting of 10 and 17 January 2013
- noted and approved the Minutes of the meeting of 10 January 2013, held in Brussels
(PE 502.376/CPG/REV and annex);
- noted and approved the Minutes of the meeting of 17 January 2013, held in Strasbourg
(PE 502.447/CPG and annex).
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3. Adoption of the final draft agenda for the February part-session (4 to 7 February 2013 in Strasbourg)
– Scheduling of key debates in plenary
The Conference of Presidents
- noted the following documents:
a letter dated 16 January 2013 from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, (CCC), submitting the CCC's recommendation concerning the
agenda of the February part-session of 2013 (PE 502.479/CPG and annexes);
a letter dated 16 January 2013 from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs (CCC), on legislative files currently under negotiations in first,
early second, or second reading (PE 502.482/CPG and annex);
a provisional table dated 29 January 2013 summarising committee and delegation
meetings scheduled during the February plenary in Strasbourg (4-7 February 2013)
(PE 502.524CPG).
- considered the preliminary draft agenda for the February part-session (4 to 7 February 2013
in Strasbourg), in the light of notes drafted by DG Presidency setting out the various options,
distributed after the preparatory meetings of 29 and 30 January with the Secretaries-General
of the political groups, and adopted the proposal contained in those notes.
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4. Communications of the President
4.1 Future visits by Heads of State and Heads of Government to the European Parliament
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President report that the following Heads of State/Heads of Government would
address the plenary during March and April 2013:
13 March: Mr Giorgio NAPOLITANO, President of the Italian republic,
16 April: Mr Jyrki KATAINEN, Prime Minister of Finland,
17 April: Mr Michael D HIGGINS, President of Ireland.
The President also noted that Mr Shimon PERES, President of the State of Israel, would
address a meeting of the Conference of Presidents on 7 March 2013.
4.2 Monitoring mission to Ukraine
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President note that he met Mr YANUKOVYCH, President of Ukraine, on 24
January 2013, and discussed a possible agreement in relation to the LUTSENKO court case
and the detention conditions for Ms TYMOSHENKO. However, he also noted that recent
information from Ukraine seem to indicate a sudden deterioration of the situation in the
above court cases.
He therefore proposed to send exceptionally Messrs COX and KWASNIEWSKI to Ukraine
from 4 to 6 February in order to monitor the conditions on the ground and to follow-up on
the recent contacts with Mr YANUKOVYCH and Prime Minister AZAROV and to report
back to the Conference of Presidents on 6 February in Strasbourg;
- heard Ms HARMS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, emphasise the recent worsening of
the detention conditions for Ms TYMOSHENKO and Mr LUTSENKO;
- endorsed the President's proposal.
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4.3 Submission of the OLAF Report in the case of Mr John DALLI
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President note that following the mandate of the Conference of Presidents on 15
November 2012 to request the transmission from the European Commission of the OLAF
report on the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Commissioner DALLI, he had
sent two letters (PE502.529/CPG/1 and PE502.529/CPG/2) to Mr BARROSO, President of
the European Commission, conveying this request, while duly acknowledging the
Parliament's legal obligation to respect the confidentiality of the report in accordance with
the provisions of the Framework Agreement.
He also noted that Mr BARROSO had undertaken to transmit the OLAF Report to him and
that he would receive it in a matter of hours. The President further remarked that, after
consultations with the judicial authorities of Malta, he would inform the Group Leaders,
under strict conditions of confidentiality, on the parts of the report not covered by the
confidentiality of criminal proceedings in Malta.
- held a brief exchange of views with the participation of Mr DAUL, Chair of the EPP Group
and Ms HARMS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group;
- heard the President confirm that he had received the OLAF Surveillance Committee's Report
relating to the DALLI case the previous day and that the parts of this Report not relevant to
legal proceedings in Malta would be made available to Group Leaders as soon as possible.
4.4 Funding of political parties - Request for the application of article 210 of the rules of Procedure
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President note that he had received a letter signed by one-quarter of Parliament's
Members from four political groups, asking that rule 210 of the Rules of Procedure be
applied for the parties "European Alliance of Freedom" and "European Alliance of National
Movements" and for their affiliated foundations in order to verify whether they comply with
the conditions set out in Article 3(c) of Regulation EC 2004/2003 governing political parties
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at European level namely whether they observe the principles on which the European Union
is founded -and that consequently the procedure laid down in Rule 210 should be initiated;
- heard Mr GUERRERO SALOM, acting Chair of the S&D Group, request to suspend
payments to the above parties during the duration of the procedure set out in Rule 210;
- heard the President reply that these payments are legal entitlements and cannot be suspended
before the completion of the above procedure and then only in the event that the above-
mentioned parties no longer comply with the criteria set out in Regulation EC 2004/2003
governing political parties at European level.
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A. DECISIONS/EXCHANGE OF VIEWS
5. Preparation of the meeting of the European Council on 7 and 8 February 2013
The Conference of Presidents
- took note of the following documents:
the annotated draft agenda of 9 December 2012 from the General Secretariat of the
Council for the European Council of 7 - 8 February 2013 (CO EUR-PREP 46);
a press statement dated 22 of January 2013 by Mr VAN ROMPUY, President of the
European Council on the next European Council meeting (PE 502.509/CPG);
European Council Draft conclusions for its meeting on 22/23 November 2012
(15602/12) (Negotiating box) (PE 500.840/CPG);
Statement by the Members of the European Council of 23 November 2012;
Parliament's resolution on the Multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-
2020 (adopted with 517 votes in favour on 23 October 2012), P7_TA-PROV
(2012) 0360.
- heard the President introduce the item by noting that he did not believe that the European
Council would be able to reach a political agreement on the 2014-2020 MFF at its meeting
on 7-8 February 2013 since the positions of the national delegations were still too divergent,
even though Mr VAN ROMPUY has endeavoured to prepare the ground by offering
concessions to various Member States.
The President also noted that if the European Council was to find an agreement, it would be
on the basis of a minimalist and conservative budget with policy areas such as agriculture
and cohesion virtually untouched and with the most significant cuts in areas such as
education, innovation, R&D, development aid and tackling climate change.
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr DAUL, Chair of the EPP Group, Mr
GUERRERO SALOM, acting Chair of the S&D Group, Mr VERHOFSTADT, Chair of the
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ALDE Group, Ms HARMS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, Mr CALLANAN, Chair of
the ECR Group, Ms ZIMMER Chair of the GUE/NGL Group, Mr SPERONI, Co-Chair of
the EFD Group and Mr SOSA WAGNER, non-attached Member;
- heard the President note that the 2013 budget foresaw a deficit in payments of around € 16
billion, owing to the difference between commitments and payments in the 2007-2013 MFF,
and strongly emphasise that the 2013 budget must be balanced before the 2014-2020 MFF is
put to the vote in the Parliament and that no structural deficits should be built into this MFF.
The President furthermore remarked that in case the European Council reached a political
agreement at its meeting of 7 - 8 February, the Parliament should be ready to respond
rapidly possibly by means of a resolution at the March session, ahead of receiving the
formal consultation from the General Affairs Council (GAC), as laid down in Article 312 of
the TFEU;
- endorsed, by a large majority, the President's proposals and decided to revert to the issue at
its next meeting, taking into account subsequent developments.
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B. DECISIONS WITHOUT DEBATE
6. Requests from the parliamentary committees to draw up own-initiative reports under Rule 48
This item was postponed.
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7. Requests for the application of Rule 50 concerning the procedure with associated committees
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 16 January 2013 from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, in which he submits requests for the application of Rule 50 concerning
the procedure with associated committees (PE 502.486/CPG and annexes);
- took note of and authorised the request for application of Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure
for the following legislative report:
"Electronic transactions in the internal market: electronic identification and trust services
(2012/0146(COD))"
Committee responsible: ITRE
IMCO has requested application of Rule 50.
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8. Request for application of Rule 51 concerning the procedure with joint committee meetings
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 16 January 2013, from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, in which he submits a request for the application of Rule 51
(PE 502.487/CPG and annexes) and authorised it.
Procedure for the following item:
Non-Legislative report
- Mid-term review of the Stockholm Programme
Committee Responsible: LIBE
JURI and AFCO have requested application of Rule 51.
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9. Delegated and implementing acts - Screening of current files
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 16 January 2013, from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs in which he transmits the results of screening files in view of the
February 2013 part-session (PE 502.480/CPG);
- recalled its decision of 19 April 2012 to request the competent services to carry out an
ongoing screening procedure of upcoming legislative proposals in order to avoid placing on
the plenary agenda any vote(s) leading to a first-reading agreement on dossiers where such
decisions might be legally questionable.
- noted the information provided in Mr LEHNE's letter of 16 January 2013 and the fact that
no legal concerns are raised in relation to any of the dossiers scheduled for vote during this
part-session.
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10. Designation of co-rapporteurs for the report on the location of the seat of the European Parliament
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 9 January 2013 from Mr CASINI, Chair of the Committee on
Constitutional Affairs, in which he submits requests to modify the title of the report to read
"report on the location of the seat of the European Parliament" and to appoint, for this report,
two co-rapporteurs coming from the groups ECR and the GREENS (PE 502.456/CPG);
- recalled that, by letter dated 24 October 2012, Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, had already requested authorisation to draw up one report according to
Article 48 (2) of the TEU and Rule 74a of the Rules of Procedures entitled "Proposition of
amending Protocol 6 on the location of the seats of the institutions";
- noted that the Conference of Presidents, at its meeting on 15 November 2012, authorised the
AFCO committee to begin work on the matter, strictly as an initiative report under Rule 48
of Parliament's Rules of Procedure and not 74a as proposed by AFCO, while also recalling
that a judgement of the European Court of Justice on the plenary calendar is awaited, and
underlining that the deadline for amendments should be fixed to after the European Court of
Justice has ruled;
- took note that, by letter dated 16 January 2013, Mr LEHNE, the Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, based on an initial demand by the AFCO committee, requested
authorisation to modify the title of the report to read "report on the location of the seat of the
European Parliament" instead of "Proposition of amending Protocol 6 on the location of the
seats of the institutions"; note that the Conference of Presidents is invited to address this
issue separately under item 6 at this meeting;
- recalled that the Rules of Procedure make no provision for the appointment of co-
rapporteurs and that consequently, the Conference of Presidents, on previous occasions, has
authorised the appointment of co-rapporteurs only for a limited number of highly important
reports, generally of a budgetary or institutional nature;
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- endorsed, exceptionally and without creating a precedent, the above request on co-
rapporteurship while deferring the decision on the request to change the title of the above
report to a future meeting.
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11. Designation of co-rapporteurs for a recommendation on the organisation and functioning of the
European External Action Service (EEAS)
This item was postponed.
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12. Draft programme for travel by parliamentary committee delegations outside the three places of work
during 2013 - Decision on activities from March to December
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- noted the following documents:
a letter of 21 November 2012 from Mr MATO ADROVER, Chair of the Committee
on Fisheries, transmitting a supplementary request for that committee's draft
programme of travel for 2013 (PE 502.514/CPG);
a letter of 26 November 2012 from Mr GUSTAFSSON, Chair of the Committee on
Women's Rights and Gender Equality, transmitting a supplementary request for that
committee's draft programme of travel for 2013 (PE 500.915/CPG);
a letter of 4 December 2012 from Ms JOLY, Chair of the Committee on Development,
transmitting a modification for that committee's draft programme of travel for 2013
(PE 502.341/CPG);
a letter of 5 December 2012 from Ms JOLY, Chair of the Committee on Development,
transmitting a clarification for that committee's draft programme of travel for 2013
(PE 502.449/CPG);
a letter of 5 December 2012 from Mr CASINI, Chair of the Committee on
Constitutional Affairs, transmitting clarifications for that committee's draft programme
of travel for 2013 (PE 502.347/CPG);
a letter of 17 January 2013 from Mr GROOTE, Chair of the Committee on the
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, indicating the venue and the date of the
meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Montreal Protocol in Kiev on 23-25 October 2013
(PE 502.503/CPG);
a letter of 21 January 2013 from Mr MOREIRA, Chair of the Committee on
International Trade, transmitting a modification and supplementary requests for that
committee's draft programme of travel for 2013 (PE 502.506/CPG);
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a letter of 24 January 2013 from Ms PACK, Chair of the Committee on Culture and
Education, transmitting a supplementary requests for that committee's draft
programme of travel for 2013 (PE 502.485/CPG and annexes);
a letter of 24 January 2013 from Mr HARBOUR, Chair of the Committee on the
Internal Market and Consumer Protection, transmitting a modification for that
committee's draft programme of travel for 2013 (PE 502.515/CPG)
Extract of the draft minutes of the Bureau meeting of 14 January 2013 on the draft
programme for travel by parliamentary committee delegations outside the three places
of work during 2013 - Decision on activities in January and February;
Rules on travel by Committee Delegations outside the three places of work of the
European Parliament.
- took note of a letter of 25 October 2012 from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, transmitting the draft programme for travel by parliamentary committees
outside the three places of work for 2013 (PE 499.477/CPG, annexes and financial
statement);
- took note of the above mentioned letters transmitting clarifications and requests for
modifications of the various committee's draft programmes of travel for 2013;
- recalled the Bureau's decision of 14 January 2013 authorising committee delegations
included in the 2013 annual travel programme and foreseen for the first two months of the
year;
- took note of the modification of Parliament’s calendar of part-sessions in 2013, as adopted
by the plenary on 16 January 2013 and the modification of the calendar for the Parliament's
activities for the year 2013, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 17 January 2013;
- recalled the rules in force governing travel by delegations from the parliamentary
committees outside the three places of work;
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Calendar of committee travel for 2013
- welcomed the fact that the parliamentary committees have scheduled their delegations, as far
as possible, in accordance with the initial 2013 calendar of parliamentary activities and in
respect of the rules on travel, notably in terms of scheduling travel during weeks set aside
for external activities;
- noted that due to the changes to the 2013 calendar, week 35 has now been divided into two
days set aside for travel and two days for committee activities recall that committees are
only entitled to a full linguistic regime when meeting on dates set aside for external
parliamentary activities;
- noted that a certain number of committee delegation visits are planned at periods which
include days without parliamentary activities (Fridays or weekends) and/or public holidays;
approve those requests, while recalling that any other derogation from the rules on travel
periods or quotas must be subject to individual authorisation on the basis of a fully detailed
request, including a financial statement; in this context, in particular, noted that certain visits
are foreseen for weeks designated for committee activities; endorsed these visits while
underlining that they will be subject to a limited interpretation regime, in line with the
decision of the Bureau of 12 March 2012;
- regretted the lack of precision in the programmes submitted by a number of Committees, as
regards the number of participating Members and/or the foreseen dates of travel for the
proposed visits. This concerns, in particular, the INTA, BUDG and LIBE committees.
Specific requests should be submitted by the committees concerned in connection with each
one of these visits, accompanied by justifications and financial statements and respecting the
rules in force concerning travel periods, duration of missions (including journey times) and
quotas;
General principles and budgetary considerations
- noted that the applicable rules do not oblige committees to use their entire yearly quota for
travel and encouraged them to set aside part of their quota in order to be able to add one or
more missions during the year, in line with Article 8(2) of these rules;
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- noted that the overall estimated cost for travel by parliamentary committees outside the three
places of work for the period March to December 2013 is € 4.712.179;
- recalled that Parliament's resolution of 23 October 2012 on the draft general budget of the
EU for 2013 reconfirmed the decision in the 2012 budget resolution to reduce all budget
lines related to travel; underlined that this guiding principle should always be taken into
account when considering all mission requests for Members and staff, without jeopardizing
Parliament's capacity to fulfil its legal and political obligations as set out in the Treaties and
in international law; in this context, encouraged committees to consider making greater use
of the opportunities provided by videoconferencing;
- noted that, as a general principle, security arrangements for delegations in third countries
must be consistent with the principles laid down in the Rules on travel by Committee
delegations outside the three places of work of the EP and notably in line with the attached
Protocol on emergencies arising during official travel activities outside the three places of
work), and that delegations are only authorised to travel on the condition that the security
situation on the ground is satisfactory; insisted on the need to assess security situation
aspects thoroughly prior to each departure, on the basis of all available information,
including from the EEAS (SitCen);
- noted that in certain cases, there is an overlap of dates and destinations either between
committees or between committees and interparliamentary delegations; invited all the
committees concerned to coordinate their visits to the maximum degree possible; equally,
emphasised the importance of cooperation between the parliamentary committees and the
interparliamentary delegations in their work, in particular, in terms of making efforts to
coordinate their respective missions to third countries;
- insisted that committee visits to the agencies for which they are responsible should, in line
with Article 2.2a of the applicable rules, be restricted to a maximum of three Members, and
should be scheduled during the weeks set aside for external parliamentary activity and recall
that the Chair of the committee concerned cannot participate in such visits outside the
committee's quota;
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- recalled that the provisions set out in Article 4 of the applicable rules allow accompanying
Members to travel with committees only on missions inside the European Union;
accompanying Members cannot travel on mission outside the European Union and applicant
countries, or on any ad hoc delegations or visits to agencies; any authorisation for
accompanying members to travel under Article 4.1(b) and (c) of these rules is subject to
approval of the committee concerned, availability of appropriations for the Members
concerned under Article 22(1) of the Implementing measures for the Statute for Members
and authorisation by the Bureau;
- underlined that in line with previous decisions of the governing bodies, missions which take
place in Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg, but outside Parliament's premises, shall be
deemed 'out of quota' only if no demands are placed on the Parliament's resources
(interpretation, travel and subsistence allowances etc.);
- requested the various committees, in application of Article 10 of the applicable Rules, to
forward to the President, prior to the various visits, the respective programmes (indicating
their total duration, including journey times), and providing at the same time full
information concerning the number of Members participating in the delegation (within and
outside the quota) and of accompanying Members, secretariat and group staff;
- underlined that, where parliamentary committees decide to cancel one of their missions and
replace it with another, the new request must be accompanied by all relevant details on the
proposed mission as well as a new financial statement and information on the available
quota at the time of travel;
Specific comments
- welcomed the fact that a number of recurrent events have been included in the annual travel
programme by parliamentary committee delegations;
- noted that in the below four cases, the precise dates and/or venues for the conferences or
meetings in question have not yet been confirmed, and underlined that these requests,
including the relevant financial statements, must be resubmitted for consideration on an
individual basis once this information becomes available; further underline that the sending
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of delegations to these meetings will be drawn, as appropriate, from the committee's annual
quota for travel inside or outside the EU, which must be respected;
DROI: request to send maximum 2 Members to Geneva, Switzerland to participate in
the session of the UN Human Rights Council foreseen for early March 2013;
DEVE: request to send a delegation of 2 Members to Brussels, to participate in the
European Development Days;
DEVE: request to send a delegation of 4 Members in September 2013 to New York,
United States to participate in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Review
Summit;
request to send a joint delegation of 2 ITRE Members, 1 CULT Member and 1
Member of STOA to participate in the follow-up to the 7th Internet Governance
Forum (destination and dates to be determined by the host organisation);
- stressed that the SEDE subcommittee's visits to Niger (and possibly Mali), Somalia, and
Afghanistan, foreseen for weeks 14, 18 and 44 respectively, should only take place if the
security situation on the ground proves to be satisfactory and that decisions on this issue will
be taken by the competent bodies at a later stage, on the basis of available information from
the EEAS, to be submitted by the relevant subcommittee in due time. The same proviso shall
apply to DROI's proposed missions to Ethiopia and Pakistan, CRIM's proposed mission to
Guatemala, and any possible joint visit by AFET/SEDE to the Turkish/Syrian border;
- noted the request of the SEDE subcommittee to send a delegation of five days duration to
Georgia in week 29; take the view that the mission should be restricted to four days in total,
including travel time;
- noted the request of the DEVE committee to send a delegation of 4 members to Rome to
attend the FAO International Conference on Nutrition from 13-15 November 2012; pointed
out that the dates in question fall during a week reserved for political group activities and in
this light endorsed the sending of a restricted delegation of 2 members to this conference;
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- approved the request of the BUDG committee to send a delegation jointly to Serbia and
Montenegro in week 14, while underlining that if a decision is taken to split this visit into
two separate delegations, further individual authorisation for these visits must be requested;
- invited the CONT committee to provide further information on the specific objectives and
scope of its proposed delegations, prior to any decision on these requests being taken;
took note of the request of the JURI committee that its foreseen meeting with judges and
officials of the ECHR in Strasbourg on the Thursday of a part-session week (outside session
hours) should be deemed as out of quota; endorsed this request on the understanding that no
additional demands are placed on EP resources (interpretation, subsistence allowances etc.);
- took note of the following requests for delegations:
a) AGRI Committee to Russia in week 35, the Members of which "...expressed a general
interest in a deeper understanding of the present and especially the future agricultural
policy in Russia since it will be forced to align its national legislation with WTO
rules",
b) PECH Committee to Japan in week 29 in order to "...have a clear overview of fisheries
activities in Japan, were the fisheries sector constitutes a major industry and represents
a large part of the country's economy...",
c) JURI committee to South Africa (week 14) and the West Coast of the U.S (week 35)
both of them focusing on intellectual property rights (a JURI delegation to China,
which had been authorised as part of the 2012 programme, has now been scheduled
for week 14, and is also envisaged to concentrate on intellectual property rights);
invited these Committees to make recourse to the provisions of Article 13(3) of the
Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations by requesting authorisation for
their respective rapporteurs to join missions of the interparliamentary delegations concerned
instead of sending a Committee delegation;
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- endorsed in principle the request (not included in the 2013 programme) from the FEMM
Committee to send a delegation composed of up to four Members to the neighbouring
regions of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia on 15-17 July 2013, including journey times
(turquoise week), it being understood that the Committee's quota for travel within the EU
and the applicant countries is respected; noted that this delegation could potentially be
merged with the proposed visit of the LIBE committee to Romania to focus on Roma issues
and other topics and invite the two committees concerned to cooperate to the maximum
degree possible in this regard;
- noted the request of the AFCO committee to send a delegation of up to 8 members to
Washington DC; recalled that authorisation for a similar visit was withheld during the 2012
exercise;
- noted the request of the CRIM special committee to send a delegation of 8 members to the
United States and Guatemala during week 18; invite the committee to provide further
justification for the visit prior to a decision being taken on the matter;
- gave a favourable opinion on the draft programme of parliamentary committee delegations
for 2013 and the related modifications and supplementary requests noted in this decision,
under the conditions set out above;
- underlined its view that, with the exception of the aspects mentioned above, in principle no
further requests for exceptional derogations for committee travel should be approved during
the course of 2013;
- reiterated its intention to further review existing Rules on delegation travel, to enter into
force at the latest at the beginning of the next legislature; restate its wish to achieve a better
balance between the need to continue a policy of budgetary restraint while guaranteeing an
improved capacity of Parliament to carry out its duties under the Treaties and to meet its
political priorities in a rapidly changing global environment;
- encouraged delegations to restrict the number of accompanying staff to the minimum; is of
the opinion that, in principle and notwithstanding the provisions of Art 15 of the applicable
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Rules, the number of accompanying staff should ideally not exceed the number of Members
travelling;
- recalled that Members' assistants may neither be a member of nor accompany a delegation;
- referred the matter to the Bureau for final decision.
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13. Draft programme for travel by standing delegations and Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies during 2013
- Decision on activities from March to December
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of the letter dated 12 November 2012 from Mr CASHMAN, Chair of the
Conference of Delegation Chairs, submitting the draft programme for travel by Standing
Delegations and Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies for 2013 (PE 500.836/CPG annexes and
financial statement);
- took note of the letter dated 28 November 2012 from Mr REUL, Chair of the Delegation for
Relations with the Korean Peninsula, informing about a modification of the Delegation's
annual programme for 2013 (PE 500.899/CPG);
- took note of the letter dated 10 January 2013 from Mr RIVELLINI, Chair of the Delegation
for relations with the People's Republic of China, informing about the postponement of the
Bureau visit to China (PE 502.464/CPG);
- took note of the letter dated 25 January 2013 from Ms FLAUTRE, Chair of the Delegation
to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), informing about an updated
calendar for activities for the year 2013 (PE 502.513/CPG);
- recalled the Conference of President's decision of 6 December 2012 on inter-parliamentary
delegations included in the 2013 annual travel programme and foreseen for the first two
months of the year;
- took note of the modification of Parliament’s calendar of part-sessions in 2013, as adopted
by the plenary on 16 January 2013 and the modification of the calendar for the Parliament's
activities for the year 2013, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 17 January 2013;
- took note of the Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations, as adopted by
the Conference of Presidents on 10 March 2011 and last amended on 10 January 2013
(PE 422.560/CPG and annexes);
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General remarks
- recalled that the Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations, as approved by
the Conference of Presidents on 10 March 2011 and last amended on 10 January 2013,
stipulate that all inter-parliamentary meetings shall require prior authorisation from the
Conference of Presidents, based on requests to be submitted in good time and emphasised
that no exceptions from these rules other than those explicitly authorised in this decision will
be granted at this stage but could be examined on a case-by-case basis later on; recalled in
this context that any mission not specifying the destination and/or exact date cannot be
deemed authorised through the adoption of the annual programme, unless explicitly
authorised in this decision;
- recalled that the Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations apply to
standing inter-parliamentary delegations (delegation to one or more parliamentary
cooperation committee(s), delegation to a joint parliamentary committee, delegation to a
parliamentary assembly) and ad hoc delegations;
- recalled its decisions of 6 December 2012 and 10 January 2013 regarding modifications of
the Implementing provisions governing the work of delegations; reiterated its intention to
further review existing Rules on delegation travel, to enter into force at the latest at the
beginning of the next legislature; restated the need to continue a policy of budgetary
restraint while guaranteeing an improved capacity of Parliament to carry out its duties under
the Treaties and to meet its political priorities in a rapidly changing global environment;
- recalled that any request for authorisation shall contain all the necessary elements for
authorisation with clear reference to the applicable rules, in particular the number of
members travelling, including members participating outside of the quota or joining a
mission by virtue of special provisions in the applicable rules, the duration of the mission
including travel time, the draft programme and a financial statement;
- noted that inter-parliamentary meetings shall be authorised by the Conference of Presidents
in the form of an overall annual programme covering all the Standing inter-parliamentary
Delegations; noted in this respect the recommendations on the draft annual programme for
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activities of the Standing Delegations and Inter-parliamentary Assemblies for 2013,
accompanied by the opinions of the AFET, INTA and DEVE Committees as adopted by the
Conference of Delegation Chairs on 23 October 2012;
- noted that the draft annual programme shall list all proposals for inter-parliamentary
meetings irrespective of whether they are to be held in- or outside of one of Parliament's
places of work; noted that apart from the organisation of full inter-parliamentary meetings,
some standing inter-parliamentary delegations are also planning to send working parties on
missions and to organise meetings of their respective Bureaus, both in one of Parliament's
places of work and in third countries and that for such missions, the existing rules should
fully apply;
- noted that while, in principle, meetings of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA)
are included in the annual programme, the ACP-EU JPA and its bodies enjoy legal and
operational independence within the framework of Parliament's rules and of the ACP-EU
JPA'S Rules of Procedure; noted that, according to the programme, the 25th JPA Session
will take place in Brussels on 17-19 June and the 26th JPA Session is planned to take place
in an ACP country on 16-18 December; noted that 17-19 June and 16-18 December are days
reserved for parliamentary committee work; strongly invited the EP representatives in the
relevant bodies to make, as a matter of principle, every effort that those meetings are
scheduled in respect of the EP calendar of activities; further noted that two regional JPA
meetings are scheduled, one to take place in the Caribbean from 11-15 February and one to
take place in West Africa from 15-19 July; recalled that the relevant rules of procedure
allow for up to three regional parliamentary meetings lasting for up three days each decided
upon the request of the ACP Bureau or of the regions concerned and that one member of
parliament from each ACP State in the region and an equivalent number of members of the
European Parliament shall participate in regional meetings; noted that committee and
Bureau meetings are planned to take place in Brussels on 15 and 16 June (Saturday and
Sunday) and in an ACP country on 14 and 15 December (Saturday and Sunday);
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- welcomed the fact that the draft annual programme of Standing Delegations for 2013 has
been prepared in coordination with the parliamentary committees in order to improve the
synergy between Committees and Standing Delegations;
- emphasised the importance of cooperation between the parliamentary committees and the
inter-parliamentary delegations in their work, in particular, in terms of making efforts to
coordinate their respective missions to third countries;
- welcomed the fact that the large majority of requests submitted are in conformity with the
rules in force; noted however that with regard to some of the planned activities derogations
are requested and further justifications are needed;
- recalled its decision of 10 March 2011 whereby Members' assistants may not be a member
of or accompany a delegation;
- encouraged delegations to restrict the number of accompanying staff to the minimum; is of
the opinion that, in principle and notwithstanding the applicable provisions in force, the
number of accompanying staff should ideally not exceed the number of Members travelling;
- recalled that each mission needs to be sufficiently justified and that the conformity of a
mission with the applicable rules as such does not replace a thorough justification on
political grounds and that the availability of quota for travel in itself is not justification
enough;
- approved the Parliament's draft annual programme of Standing Delegations and inter-
parliamentary delegations for 2013, on the basis of the existing Rules in force, as concerns
the period of March until December, with the following specific remarks:
Budgetary considerations
- recalled that Parliament's resolution of 23 October 2012 on the draft general budget of the
EU for 2013 reconfirmed the decision in the 2012 budget resolution to reduce all budget
lines related to travel; underlined that this guiding principle should always be taken into
account when considering all mission requests for Members and staff, without jeopardizing
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Parliament's capacity to fulfil its legal and political obligations as set out in the Treaties and
in international law;
- noted that the overall estimated cost for the 2013 inter-parliamentary delegation missions for
the whole of the year 2013 is estimated at € 8.212.753 and for the period covered by the
present decision (March to December) at € 6.356.923; commended the significant reduction
of more than one third for the whole of the year 2013 compared to the annual estimated cost
for 2012;
- invited the inter-parliamentary delegations, with the objective to enhance interaction and
flexibility in their contacts with their parliamentary counterparts as well as potentially
reducing costs, to explore the option, when possible, of using video-conferences;
Modifications to the annual programme
- noted the modifications with regard to the annual programme such as submitted on 12
November 2012:
1. Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China, Bureau visit to Beijing
and another location in China, initially foreseen for week 7, has been postponed to
week 14;
2. 17th EP-Republic of Korea IPM in Seoul and 4th EP-Democratic People's Republic of
Korea IPM in Pyongyang, initially foreseen to be held from 28 April to 4 May and
now foreseen to take place from 15 to 20 July 2013 - noted that this meeting is the
second IPM during the year 2013 and therefore not in conformity with the applicable
rules; approved, exceptionally, the request due to the fact that the 16th IPM EP-
Republic of Korea could not be held during 2012 for reasons outside Parliament's
control and was, therefore, held on 10 January 2013 in Brussels;
3. 71st EU-Turkey JPC, initially foreseen to be held during week 12 (18-24 March), is
now taking place from 13 to 15 February in Ankara, such as approved by the
Conference of Presidents at its meeting on 10 January 2013;
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4. the Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) plans the
following activities during the year 2013:
Bureau meeting, Strasbourg, 22 May;
JPC meeting, Brussels, 19-20 June;
Bureau meeting, Turkey, 11 October;
JPC meeting, Turkey, 28-29 October
Calendar of missions
- with regard to the calendar of missions for 2013, stressed the importance that both the
relevant rules in force as well as the planned calendar of activities are respected; noted that,
while most parliamentary delegations have scheduled their missions in accordance with the
rules, a certain number of planned missions would require derogations to the rules;
- noted that there are inter-parliamentary meetings outside Parliament's three places of work
that are planned in periods which include days without parliamentary activities (Fridays),
weekends and public holidays and approved those requests;
- deplored that in certain cases the dates and venues of the meetings have not yet been fixed;
- noted that a number of missions of inter-parliamentary delegations are planned in weeks
reserved for committee activities, political group activities or during plenary sessions; noted
that this is not in line with Article 6 of the Implementing provisions governing the work of
delegations; therefore invited the relevant organs to find new dates compatible with
Parliament's calendar or to provide further justifications on a case-by-base basis:
6th Barents Parliamentary Conference, 22-24 April;
Bureau of the ASEAN Delegation inter-parliamentary assembly, Brunei, 16-20
September - partly coincides with days set aside for parliamentary committee meetings
(Monday to Wednesday);
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7th IPM EP-Pan African Parliament, Midrand, week 41 or 42;
7th EU-Iceland JPC, Reykjavik, week 44 or 51;
Working group to Gaza, 18-20 December;
DAND Working Group to Peru, 18-20 December;
Delegation for relations with India, Bureau/WG, Delhi, 18-20 December;
- noted that the 19th EP-New Zealand IPM, Brussels (and another location envisaged), week
17 or week 45, can only be authorised on the condition that the venue is limited to Brussels
only;
- recalled that Parliament's EuroLat Delegation has been authorised by the Conference of
Presidents at its meeting on 13 September 2012 to participate in the EuroLat Plenary Session
in Santiago de Chile on 23-25 January 2013 on the condition that this mission is fully taken
into account in the 2013 programme of activities;
Security
- noted that security arrangements for delegations in third countries must be consistent with
Article 14(2) and (3) and the principles as set out in Art. 18 of the Implementing provisions
governing the work of delegations and notably in line with Annex IV of these Rules
(Protocol on emergencies arising during official travel activities outside the three places of
work);
- stressed that delegations are only authorised to travel on the condition that the security
situation on the ground is satisfactory; insisted on the need to assess security situation
aspects thoroughly prior to each departure, on the basis of all available information,
including from the EEAS (SitCen);
- decided to come back to the scheduled delegations to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and
Yemen in due time prior to the departure of the delegations in question, to take a final
decision on the basis of information on security on the ground from the EEAS (including
SitCen);
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Meetings in parallel with plenary
- noted that a number of inter-parliamentary meetings are scheduled to take place in
Strasbourg during Parliament's part-sessions; note that while plenary is the core activity of
Parliament, the provisions of Article 3(4) of the Rules governing the holding of meetings
simultaneously with plenary sittings, as approved by the Conference of Presidents on 15
September 2010, allow for Delegations to meet in Strasbourg on Wednesdays from 15.00 to
19.00 and on Thursdays from 9.00 until voting time, provided that such meetings do not
coincide with a key debate and emphasise the importance of the strict respect of these rules;
authorised the following meetings on the understanding that these conditions are fully met:
5. 5th EP-Iran IPM, Strasbourg (week 21) or Brussels (week 22);
6. EU-Turkey JPC Bureau, Strasbourg, 22 May;
7. SINEEA Bureau meeting , Strasbourg, 12 June;
8. 5th EU-West Nordic Council IPM, Strasbourg, 11 September;
9. EP-PLC IPM, Strasbourg, 11-12 September;
10. 16th EU-Russia PCC, Strasbourg, 11-12 December;
- noted that during week 41 the October I part-session is held in Strasbourg; declined to
authorise the following meetings and invited the Delegations concerned to submit individual
authorisation requests for other dates which comply with Parliament's calendar:
11. Bureau EU-Chile JPC, Brussels, 7 October;
12. 7th EU-Montenegro SAPC, Brussels, 9-10 October;
13. 7th IPM EP- Pan African Parliament, Midrand, week 41 or 42;
Quotas and Uniform Supplementary Quotas
- recalled that while Article 8(6) sets out the general principle of bi-annual quotas for standing
inter-parliamentary delegations or working group missions to third countries, Articles 9 and
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10 of the same rules allow for additional travel quotas to be allocated under certain
conditions;
- noted that such an additional travel quota has only been apportioned to the Delegation for
relations with the United States for the years 2012/2013 by decision of the Conference of
Presidents of 8 December 2011;
- recalled the need to respect the travel quotas as set out above;
- noted that the additional Member travelling with the Bureau of the Delegation for relations
with Canada to Ottawa and British Columbia from 28 April to 2 May needs to be counted
towards the Delegation's quota;
Frequency and venue of inter-parliamentary meetings
- recalled that Articles 8(3) and (4) of the Implementing provisions governing the work of
delegations specify that, as a general rule, "each standing interparliamentary delegation
shall, as far as possible, hold one interparliamentary meeting per year", which should be
"held alternately in one of Parliament's places of work and in the third country/countries
concerned";
- noted that occasionally inter-parliamentary meetings are planned to be held or being
extended to a country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council or any other location
the Parliament's places of work, which is not in conformity with Article 8(4) of the relevant
rules; recalled that authorisation for such meetings with additional locations has to be
requested on a case by case basis;
- further noted that, notwithstanding the general principles mentioned above, a large number
of standing delegations have established a general practise to hold inter-parliamentary
meetings more frequently than once a year; noted that this deviation from the general rule is
subject to the limits and conditions set out in Rule 8(6) of the Implementing provisions
governing the work of delegations, namely provided that this is based on an underlying
international law instrument and on specific duly approved Rules of Procedure of the
Standing delegation concerned, which have been appropriately approved by the Bureau, or
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on some other decision by the Conference of Presidents or the Bureau permitting this
practise; for the above reasons declines to authorise:
16th EP-India IPM, Delhi and two other locations, 29 April - 3 May;
additional EP-Japan IPM in Brussels, week 22;
19th EU-Chile JPC, Brussels, 28-29 May;
42nd EP-Israel IPM, Brussels, 9 October;
18th EU-Moldova PCC, Chisinau, 28-30 October;
17th EU-Mexico JPC, Mexico City, 29-30 October;
3rd Cariforum-EU JPC, Brussels;
- welcomed the initiative of the delegations for relations with the G20 countries in the region
Asia/Australia-New Zealand (China, India, Japan, South-Korea, Australia and Indonesia) to
organise an IPM between their delegations and their counterparts of the afore-mentioned
countries during week 22 in Brussels whilst recalling that holding such a meeting should not
impede on the work of parliamentary committees which have priority during this week,
notably as concerns meeting rooms and interpretation facilities;
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14. Revised draft calendar of the ordinary meetings of the Conference of Presidents for 2013
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of and approved the draft revised calendar of the ordinary meetings of the
Conference of Presidents for 2013 (PE 499.493/CPG/rev).
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15. Urgent matters and any other business
15.1 Proposed allocation of appropriations under budget Item 400 (operating appropriations for the
political groups and non-attached Members) for 2013
The Conference of Presidents, without debate,
- took note of a letter of 23 January 2013 from Mr DAUL, Chair of the EPP Group on behalf of
all the political groups, submitting a revised draft allocation of budget item 400
appropriations for 2013 (PE 502.454/REV/CPG and annex);
- endorsed the revised draft allocation and submitted it to the Bureau for a final decision.
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16. Items for information
16.1 Internal correspondence
The Conference of Presidents
- noted the following documents:
a letter from Baroness ASHTON, Vice-President of the European Commission - High
Representative dated 20 December 2012 on a proposal for a draft Arrangement
between the European Parliament, the Council and the European External Action
Service (EEAS) concerning access in the area of the Common Foreign and Security
Policy (PE 502.505/CPG and annex);
a letter dated 24 January 2013 from Mr LEHNE, Chair of the Conference of
Committee Chairs, submitting a report on the application of the political declaration of
the Parliament, the Council and the Commission on correlation tables (PE
502.516/CPG and annex).
16.2 Interinstitutional correspondence
There was none
16.3 External Correspondence
There was none
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17. Date and place of next meetings
The Conference of Presidents will hold its next ordinary meeting on 6 February 2013 from 15:00
to 16:30 hours in room R1.1 in Louise Weiss Building, in Strasbourg.
In addition, the Conference of Presidents will hold an extra-ordinary meeting on 6 February 2013
from 16.30 to 17.30 hours in room R1.1 in Louise Weiss Building, in Strasbourg.
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PART II (From 12.00 - 13.00)
18. Exchange of views with the Group Chairs of the Committee of the Regions on interinstitutional
cooperation and other relevant issues of common interest
The Conference of Presidents
- noted the following documents:
Letter of 26 June 2012 from Mrs Mercedes BRESSO to President Martin SCHULZ
(PE 502.504/CPG);
Letter of 21 September 2012 from President Martin SCHULZ to Mr Ramón Luis
VALCÁREL SISO (PE 502.507/CPG);
Extract from the minutes of the meeting of the Conference of Presidents of 10 January
2008;
Resolution of the Committee of the Regions on the On-going Negotiations on the Multi-
Annual Financial Framework (RESOL-V-002, CDR2263-2012_00_00_TRA_RES);
- heard the President welcome Ms BRESSO, 1st Vice-President, and the Chairs of the Political
Groups of the Committee of Regions to this joint meeting and emphasise the following
points;
relations between the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions Council
(CoR) had never been as close, as both institutions represent the interest of the citizen,
either directly or through their regional representatives, and while contacts had grown
ever more frequent, there was more work that needed still to be done to develop
cooperation further;
both institutions had a common interest in defending the EU budget in the negotiations
on the multi-annual financial framework (MFF). In fighting for this, the Parliament had
been fighting for the interests of the regions;
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there were serious problems with the EU budget for 2013, with a systematic deficit of
€16bn owing to the difference between commitments made, and payments provided for.
The most recent indications from the Council were that the MFF for 2014-20 could
contain a difference of €60bn between commitments and payments, which would lead to
an annual deficit of €7.5bn. This was something for which the European Parliament was
unlikely to vote, even if the Member States were able to reach agreement.
- heard Ms BRESSO, 1st Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions, apologise for the
absence of the Mr VALCARCEL, President of the CoR and thank the President for the
invitation to this meeting; further heard Ms BRESSO note that while the Parliament and
CoR had different roles and competences, they shared the same interests and could play a
key role in enhancing the democratic legitimacy of the EU; heard also her view that the EU
needed a credible financial basis going forward, with a budget that enabled the necessary
investment to foster growth;
- held an exchange of views with Mr DAUL, Chair of the EPP Group, Mr GUERRERO
SALOM, acting Chair of the S&D Group, Mr VERHOFSTADT, Chair of the ALDE Group,
Ms HARMS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, Ms ZIMMER, Chair of the GUE/NGL
Group and leaders of political groups of the Committee of the Regions, notably Mr
SCHNEIDER, Chair of the EPP Group, Mr LAMBERTZ, chair of the PES Group, Mr
VERKERK, chair of the ALDE Group and Mr SILBERG chair of the European Alliance,
inter alia, on the following issues:
there should be more regular contacts between the institutions, and in particular, the
rapporteurs on dossiers in the respective institutions should liaise closely, and at an
early stage of the legislative process;
proposals have been tabled to reform the working of the CoR to help the CoR to have
a greater impact in the legislative process;
there was complete agreement between the institutions on the need for an EU budget
with sufficient resources, and that the Parliament should, if necessary, be prepared to
veto an unsatisfactory proposal from the Council;
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an agreement on the MFF was essential in order to provide certainty to plan properly;
- heard the President conclude by noting that there was a great deal of agreement between the
institutions, in particular on Parliament's approach to the MFF, and that the proposals to reform
the work of the CoR to increase the impact it could have on the legislative process were of
great interest.
* *
*
The meeting closed at 13.20 hours
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