Pressure mounts for delegation reforms

Date: 05/09/1996

REFORMERS in the European Parliament face an uphill battle against vested interests as they try to streamline the cumbersome structure of over a score of interparliamentary delegations.

The Parliament's political groups have been given until the end of the month to devise new ways of injecting greater efficiency into the work of the various delegations of MEPs who ensure regular contacts with other parliaments around the world.

“The whole idea is to make the system more workable, more flexible and less expensive,” explains German Christian Democrat MEP Günter Rinsche, the leading advocate of reform.

Rinsche is the most senior of the 21 delegation leaders and heads the parliamentary group which liaises with the Association of South East Asian Nations and the Republic of Korea. He outlined his reform ideas to political group leaders in July and is now canvassing support among parliamentary colleagues.

He favours cutting the number of MEPs per delegation, making the groups more flexible and limiting the number of interpreters and staff accompanying Euro MPs on their overseas visits.

Any reforms would first have to be supported by political group leaders next month and then approved by at least 314 MEPs.

If approved, the innovations could be introduced when the new memberships of all the delegations are selected early next year.

The pressures for reform are undeniable. With major delegations containing 36 members and back-up staff more than doubling that number, travel and accommodation costs of this network alone will cost the Parliament more than 4 million ecu this year.

“The European Parliament is the only parliament that sends so many people. They invariably outnumber their opposite numbers and the system can be a drain on other countries' resources when MEPs and staff visit them,” complained one parliamentary source.

But many MEPs regard the ability to travel on a delegation as a right, and grass-roots support for change is distinctly lukewarm.

“We have gone round this circle several times. It is a bit like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas. The enthusiasm of members to have fewer privileges is not very high. Some think the system could be improved by getting MEPs to make out a case for being on a particular delegation rather than just being nominated by their group,” said one senior MEP.

Opponents of change argue that if delegation opportunities were more limited, MEPs would not be treated equally, since some members would invariably be excluded from contacts with third countries.

Some of the Parliament's smaller political groups raise different concerns. The Greens, in particular, want to make sure that small groups are not squeezed out in the process.