European Economic and Social Committee
Brussels, 8 May 2014
To the members of the Budget Group
________________________________
The secretary-general of the European Economic and Social Committee is pleased to enclose the
DRAFT MINUTES
of the
Budget Group meeting
held at the Committee building in Brussels
on
15 April 2014
_____________
EESC-2014-02531-00-00-PV item 2.a) (EN)
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 — 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel — BELGIQUE/BELGIË
Tel. +32 25469011 — Fax +32 25134893 — Internet: http://www.eesc.europa.eu
EN
The Budget Group met on Tuesday 15 April 2014 from 2.30 to 3.30 p.m. with Mr Wilms in the
chair.
ATTENDANCE LIST
Budget Group Members
Ms Angelova
Mr Clever
Mr Confalonieri
Mr Dimitrov
Mr Kallio
Ms Le Nouail Marlière
Ms Sharma
Mr Stöhr
Mr Wilms
Present
X
Absent
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
President's Private Office
Ms Arvidsson
Directorate for Finance, Budgets and Accounts
Mr Smet, director
Mr Kind, BUD
Mr Webers, BUD
Mr Montes, BUD
Group secretariats
Mr Thyssen, Group I
Ms Paesmans, Group I
Ms Florio, Group II
Mr Beffort, Group III
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I.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
The agenda (EESC-2014-01837-00-00-LET-TRA) was unanimously adopted.
II.
APPROVAL OF DRAFT MINUTES
Following a discussion, the Budget group approved the draft minutes of the meeting held on
17 March 2014 (EESC-2014-01837-00-00-PV-TRA) with the modifications proposed by
Ms Sharma concerning points IV.E) and VI.B) and Ms Angelova concerning point V.A).
The Budget group took note of the minutes of the meeting held on 18 February 2014 as revised
in the meeting on 17 March 2014 (EESC-2014-01252-00-01-PV-TRA).
III.
PREVIOUS BUDGET YEARS
A) 2012 discharge
The Chairman informed the members of the Budget Group that the EP voted on 3 April to
grant the EESC secretary-general discharge for the implementation of the 2012 budget.
The Budget Group took note of the EP's report on discharge in respect of the
implementation of the general budget of the EU for 2012, Section VI (EESC-2014-0183700-00-ADMIN-TRA). The Chairman highlighted the EP's observation concerning the
videoconferencing tool, which it considers a very useful mechanism to make budgetary
savings and be efficient, to which due follow up needed to be given. In the context of the
EP's observation that more in-depth information on the improvements of the IT
infrastructure should be provided in the annual activity report, Ms Sharma recalled that the
state of play of the IT audit continued to be on the list of issues requiring follow-up.
IV.
CURRENT BUDGET YEAR (2014)
A) General trends including transfers
The Budget Group took note of the general trends including transfers (EESC-2014-0183706-00-GB-REF). Concerning chapter 20 (building and associated costs) the Budget Group
requested a list of scheduled projects for buildings.
The Budget Group had no observation on the proposed internal transfer of appropriations
EESC No INT1/2014 from item 2548 (interpretation) to item 2542 (conference costs)
(EESC-2014-01837-07-00-GB-REF).
B) Items and Articles 1004, 1008, 1422, 162, 2542 and 2548
The Budget Group took note of the reports on items 1004 (EESC-2014-01837-00-00-GBREF), 1008 (EESC-2014-01837-01-00-GB-REF), 1422 (EESC-2014-01837-02-00-GB-
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REF), 2542 (EESC-2014-01837-04-00-GB-REF) and 2458 (EESC-2014-01837-05-00-GBREF), and article 162 (EESC-2014-01837-03-00-GB-REF), and the estimated consumption
of available appropriations for activities encoded under these budget lines.
It also took note of the memo on unused interpretation slots (EESC-2014-01837-05-00GB-TRA).
C) Requests by sections and other bodies: new and modified requests
The Budget Group approved the following new requests:







Europe Day in Helsinki (EESC-2014-01837-07-00-ANN-TRA)
New strategies for Broadband roll-out in the EU 2014-2020 (EESC-2014-01837-1100-ANN-TRA)
3rd Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EESC-2014-01837-1500-ANN-TRA)
EU Strategy Baltic Sea Region Annual Forum (EESC-2014-01837-16-00-ANN-TRA)
Joint meeting of the ECO bureau (EESC-2014-01837-17-00-ANN-TRA)
Conference on industrial policy (EESC-2014-01837-25-00-ANN-TRA)
Mission – Schuman day (EESC-2014-01837-26-00-ANN-TRA)
The Budget Group invited the President's private office to clarify the number of
participants in the different scheduled meetings.


EP Forum in Prague (EESC-2014-01837-32-00-ANN-TRA)
Information Seminar 2014 - Greek trade unionists (EESC-2014-01837-33-00-ANNTRA)
and forwarded the following request to the Bureau for decision:

Joint Seminar with EU-Russia Civil Society Forum (EESC-2014-01837-19-00-ANNTRA)
The Budget Group invited the Chairman of the REX Section to provide additional
information whether the meeting would be postponed or the request be withdrawn and
on the role of the EIDHR (European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights).
The Budget Group approved the following modified requests:


Conference on extractive industry as a source for regional development (EESC-201401837-09-00-ANN-TRA)
Extra guest participants at TEN section meetings (EESC-2014-01837-10-00-ANNTRA)
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





SDO Side Event to the meeting of the UN Open Working Group on the Sustainable
Development Goals (EESC-2014-01837-18-00-ANN-TRA)
Follow-up Committee on International Trade (EESC-2014-01837-20-00-ANN-TRA)
33rd meeting of the EU-Turkey JCC (EESC-2014-01837-21-00-ANN-TRA)
Preparatory meeting of the 33rd meeting of the EU-Turkey JCC (EESC-2014-0183722-00-ANN-TRA)
14th EU-China Round Table (EESC-2014-01837-23-00-ANN-TRA)
Preparatory meeting of the 14th EU-China Round Table (EESC-2014-01837-24-00ANN-TRA)
and forwarded the following request to the Bureau for decision:

2014 EESC Civil Society Prize: award ceremony – promotion, implementation and
follow-up (EESC-2014-01254-10-00-GB-TRA).
The Budget Group questioned the amount of EUR 37 000 for a video film of winners
including shooting in winners' countries and requested to be informed about the
impact of similar videos.
D) Requests by sections and other bodies: information on previous requests (p.m.)
E) Requests by sections and other bodies: regularisation (p.m.)
F) Meetings already authorised (submitted for information)
The Budget Group took note of the urgent requests approved by the Budget Group
chairman and the president:




Europe 2020 Steering Committee - 17th meeting (EESC-2014-01837-00-00-ANNTRA)
DAG/DTC – Ad hoc group "Action plan for Europe" (EESC-2014-01837-02-00ANN-TRA)
Co-organisation of a conference on added value in the food supply chain (EESC2014-01837-12-00-ANN-TRA)
Hearing and first meeting as part of the ECO/364 study group's work (EESC-201401837-01-00-ANN-TRA)
The Budget Group considered the number of urgent request to be excessive and
recommended to limit the number of urgent requests as possible.
It also took note of the requests for up to three additional participants approved by the
president:
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





Ad Hoc Group on Disability (EESC-2014-01837-03-00-ANN-TRA)
Meeting of the EESC's SMEs, Crafts and Professions Category (EESC-2014-0183704-00-ANN-TRA)
Europe 2020 Steering Committee 16th meeting – regularisation (EESC-2014-0183705-00-ANN-TRA)
Civil Society Day 2014 (EESC-2014-01837-06-00-ANN-TRA)
TEN Members' Debate on User Protection in the Digital Environment (EESC-201401837-13-00-ANN-TRA)
Impact of services on Industry (EESC-2014-01837-14-00-ANN-TRA)
G) Members' training courses
The Budget Group approved the applications for Members' training courses (EESC-201401837-03-00-GB-TRA).
H) List of own-initiative opinions
New own-initiative opinions
 Situation after the expiry of the milk-quota system in 2015 (EESC-2014-01837-2900-ANN-TRA)
 Sport and European Values (EESC-2014-01837-31-00-ANN-TRA)
The Budget Group recommended considering these requests in the context of the list
prepared by the Registry and presented to the Bureau twice a year.
I)
Project proposals
New projects (p.m.)
Modified projects
The Budget group forwarded the following project proposals to the Bureau for decision:

Continuous representation of the EESC at the Platform of the EU outermost regions'
civil society organisations (EESC-2014-01837-30-00-ANN-TRA)
The Budget Group questioned the political relevance of the project in the current
economic situation and whether its costs could be justified against the background of
the EESC's mission.
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V.
FUTURE BUDGET YEARS
 Preparation of the 2015 budget
The Budget Group took note of the document Preparation of the 2015 Budget – Section VI
(EESC-2014-01837-01-00-ADMIN-REF), which the secretariat had prepared under the
control of the Chairman.
VI.
GENERAL ISSUES
A) Expiry of the EESC-CoR administrative cooperation agreement
Against the background of the extension by one year of the expiring cooperation
agreement, the Budget Group chairman announced his participation in a hearing of
services concerned by the cooperation with the CoR scheduled for 7 May. The Chairman
expressed his concern about the current state of cooperation between the two
administrations.
B) Internal standards for expenditure on catering costs
The Budget Group held a first exchange of views on the draft rules on the use of the
appropriations under budget items 2546 (representation expenses) and 2540-AD (internal
working meals) (EESC-2014-01837-27-00-ANN-TRA) as well as the draft code of conduct
for catering expenses in general (EESC-2014-01837-28-00-ANN-TRA).
The Budget Group supported the proposal of its Chairman to send a letter to the bureaux of
sections and groups in order to start a wide debate on this matter which should be drawn to
a close with the adoption of a code of conduct in the autumn.
VII. OTHER BUSINESS (p.m.)
VIII. OUTSTANDING ISSUES REQUIRING FOLLOW-UP


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
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


IT audit state of play (questions to be sent by Ms Angelova)
Transfer of offices between the VMA and the JDE building and ensuing costs: follow-up
and a new plan (date to be confirmed)
Discussion with the head of the Conferences and Interpretation Unit on the general policy
concerning the use of local interpretation in events held outside Brussels
Security service risk assessment (p.m.)
Establishing internal standards for expenditure on catering provided to external guests
(September)
Review of the consumption under the "Going local" sub-cost-centre (May)
Spending review update
Information on the unified methodology for measuring translation costs
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IX.
DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The date of the next meeting will be Wednesday, 21 May 2014 at 10.30 p.m. in room JDE 60.
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