Gifts made to European Parliament employees.
Dear European Parliament,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:
I am writing to request information concerning gifts made to employees of the European parliament. In order to assist you with this request, I am outlining my query as specifically as possible.
I would like to know details of:
All documented cases of European Parliament employees receiving gifts from both public and private organisations and individuals, including other EU institutions.
An employee is understood to be anyone who receives a salary or has their expenses and/or costs paid by EU institutions.
For this purpose a gift is understood to mean:
1. A sum of money and/or any physical object.
2. Complimentary tickets or entry to events, either public or private, which would normally only be accessible for financial payments.
3. Covering any costs incurred by the employee during their working or private lives e.g transport costs.
If you need further clarification, please contact me by email. My preferred format to receive the information is electronically, but I can accept hard copies.
Some parts of this request may be easier to answer than others, and in such case I would ask that you release available data as soon as possible rather than delay the entire request.
If requests of a similar nature have been asked already, please could you include your responses to those requests?
I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Carter
OUR REF. A(2015)7880
Dear Mr Carter,
European Parliament acknowledges receipt of your request, which will be processed as quickly as possible. You will receive a reply within 15 working days.
Best regards,
TRANSPARENCY – ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service Directorate for the Library
[email address]
OUR REF. A(2015)7880
Dear Mr Carter,
In reply to your request of 17 June we would like to inform you that the
"Rights and Obligations" of EU Officials under the Staff Regulations
([1]http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/E...
provide (Article 11(2)):
“An official shall not without the permission of the appointing authority
accept from any government or from any other source outside the
institution to which he belongs any honour, decoration, favour, gift or
payment of any kind whatever, except for services rendered either before
his appointment or during special leave for military or other national
service and in respect of such service.”
The Code of Conduct for Officials of the European Parliament
([2]http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/PD...) provides
precisions on the issue in its Art. 3(a) of Chapter I. (General
Obligations), Subchapter A. (Obligations) as regards independence:
“3. To guarantee such independence, Articles 11, 11a, 12b and 13 of the
Staff Regulations lay down a system of express authorisation and
notification obligations. Since they have to cooperate faithfully with
Parliament, officials and other staff must, on their own initiative,
notify information concerning their personal situation or seek the
necessary permission.
(a) Permission to receive honours, decorations, favours or gifts
1. Permission must be obtained from the appropriate authority before
officials may accept from any government or from any source outside the
institution 'any honour, decoration, favour, gift or payment of any kind
whatever, except for services rendered either before [their] appointment
or during special leave for military or other national service and in
respect of such service' (Staff Regulations, Article 11, second
subparagraph).
2. Officials or other servants wishing to benefit from one of those
advantages must seek authorisation from the proper authority through the
official channels, using the appropriate form (see form in Annex 1). Only
gifts or presents worth less than EUR 100 may be accepted without a prior
request for authorisation. When the value involved exceeds that limit,
officials and other servants are advised to discourage outside parties
from offering them gifts if they are connected with work performed in the
line of duty.
3. Officials and other servants need to be keenly aware of the risks to
which they might be exposed (not least from the disciplinary point of
view) on account of the aggressive business practices of certain companies
or possible offers of employment in the private sector after they have
left Parliament's service.
4. It follows that, when dealing with the pressure groups or lobbies that
keep a close watch on Parliament's activities, officials or other servants
must behave in the manner required by the independence of their position
and the principle of integrity.
5. Given that Parliament’s growing role and powers are attracting interest
in certain quarters, officials and other servants need to proceed with the
utmost caution whenever the occasion demands.
6. Finally, the reference to ‘honours’ in Article 11 covers any form of
reward (including gratuities) that might blur the distinction between
private dealings and the responsibilities incumbent upon an official or
other servant.”
On the basis of these rules, Parliament's officials are required to
request authorisation to accept a gift in case it is worth more than EUR
100. The relevant service within the Parliament processes the requests and
provides the necessary follow-up. The underlying documents, which contain
personal data, are kept for a period of 3 years.
Please find in attachment the documented cases.
We hope this information is useful to you.
Best regards
[3]LOGO_EP TRANSPARENCY UNIT
European Parliament
Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services
Directorate for the Library
[4][email address]
[5]http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegistreWeb
References
Visible links
1. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/E...
2. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/PD...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegistreWeb