Statement on Transparency and Parliament's recent reply to the European Ombudsman

Following Parliament's reply to the European Ombudsman with a view to reaching a friendly solution on 29 February 2008, Ms. Wallis, who is responsible for transparency and access to documents within Parliament's Bureau, said:

"Parliament's answer to the Ombudsman now has a positive starting point. It is clear that as regards transparency we have to do better. Accordingly, Parliament will now publish on its website and systematically update all rules relating to MEP expenses and present them a citizen-friendly manner. It must be absolutely clear to those we represent what monies we are entitled to in carrying out our role on their behalf.

Furthermore, Parliament's position is absolutely in line with the practice of a large majority of national parliaments in the 27 Member States, whose rules on transparency were studied in detail. That practice is to reveal general detail of expenses members are entitled to, but not actual payments and breakdowns in respect of individual members.

There were also data protection issues concerning MEP assistants'. It was felt impossible to protect the privacy of their earnings, merely by blanking out names on information released; it should be remembered that assistants are not elected public representatives.

The start of the next parliamentary mandate in 2009 will be an opportunity for Parliament to revisit its rules on transparency and to go further. By then, there will be a common statute for all MEPs, and we need to start work now on an assistants' statute.

I also made sure that Parliament's reply to the Ombudsman left the option for individuals or national delegations to go further in terms of transparency if they want to, particularly if this is in line with their national practice, and that is precisely what I have done personally."

notes:

Currently, MEP assistants' relationship with Members is a purely private and contractual one, to which Parliament is not a party.

The report from Parliament's auditors concerning the assistance allowance for 2004-2005 is concerned precisely with auditing and not transparency, which is a different issue from the subject of the European Ombudsman's draft recommendation considered here. The auditing aspect has considerably improved since those years, and doubtless could be improved further, particularly through a Statute for Assistants.

The Ombudsman's draft recommendation is available here: http://ombudsman.europa.eu/recommen/en/053643.htm