Bid to create uniformity in expenses

Date: 20/03/1997

RULES determining the set-rate daily expenses paid to staff from different Union institutions travelling on official business are to be brought into line for the first time.

The initiative, overwhelmingly approved by MEPs last week, is designed to set more uniform standards for the system of travel and accommodation allowances which this year will account for at least 63 million ecu out of the 90-billion-ecu annual EU budget.

Over the past four years, the addition of new member states, staff and policies to the Union has led to a 16&percent; expansion in the annual mission and travel expenses of all EU officials.

The greatest increases have occurred in the European Commission and Parliament. The former has set aside 38.7 million ecu for travel expenses this year (an 11&percent; increase), while the latter's per diem budget for officials away on business has climbed 25&percent; to 18.9 million ecu. In contrast, the 220,000 ecu which has been allocated to the European Court of Justice is 12&percent; less than in 1994 and the Council of Ministers' allowances have remained stable at 2.9 million ecu.

The new rules will introduce an annual review of the allowances to take account of any changes in price indices in the hotel and catering sectors. The European Parliament adopted this method ten years ago, but other institutions have not conducted such a revision since 1991.

This has resulted in differences in the scales used by the Parliament and other institutions for calculating staff expenses, while currency movements have also affected the value of the allowances.

“There is absolutely no suggestion that anyone has benefited from these anomalies. But the changes will mean that different institutions will no longer use different systems. There will now be a harmonised system on the basis of a standard index for reviewing the allowances every year during the annual budget negotiations,” explained a parliamentary official.