Changes from plenary report to adopted text

Directorate-General for the Presidency

39. Recalls that the Directorate-General for the Presidency (DG PRES) provides expertise and facilitates the legislative and parliamentary work of the President, the Plenary and Parliament's governing bodies and Members at each stage of the parliamentary and legislative process; recalls that it is also responsible for inter-institutional relations, for protocol support to official visits and events sponsored by the President, for the management of classified Union information, and for the management of official and registered mail; notes that by 31 December 2024, there were 406 members of staff, of which 320 were officials, 29 were temporary agents, 55 were contract agents, 1 seconded national expert and 1 agency member of staff;

40. Notes that DG PRES’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 2 970 957 in 2024, representing 0,2 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 2 930 107 was committed; welcomes the high use of appropriations;

41. Notes that DG PRES’ activities were influenced by the end of the ninth and the start of the tenth legislative term, which caused challenges for the plenary planning and finalisation capacity at the end of the ninth term given the very high number of ordinary legislative procedure files agreed in the last months of the term, and the constitution of the new Parliament at the start of the tenth term with the election of the President and the Bureau;

42. Commends DG PRES for its activities concerning the implementation and follow-up of the new rules on integrity and transparency which included a first overall assessment of the technical implementation of the reform, and awareness-raising activities and provision of technical expertise and services on transparency, integrity and accountability issues; further welcomes the role of the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members in monitoring how Members comply with the Code of Conduct and its implementing measures;

44. Welcomes that DG PRES continued its effective cooperation with the Council and Commission on all elements concerning the interinstitutional secretariat of the transparency register, with a view to continuing to keep enhancing the operation of the Register;

45. Highlights the persistent delays in the Commission’s handling of Parliamentary questions for written answers in recent years; regrets that the process has become increasingly bureaucratic and slow, resulting in systematic lack of respect for the deadlines laid down in Rule 144 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure; notes with concern that in 2024 the Commission replied within the deadlines set in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure to only a limited proportion of written questions, including a particularly low rate for priority questions, and in many cases after the deadline; stresses that the longest reply time was 475 days; recalls that timely replies are an essential element of parliamentary scrutiny and democratic accountability; welcomes the efforts made by DG PRES in recent years to meet the deadlines set; calls upon DG PRES to work to ensure full compliance with the deadlines set by Parliament and to pursue, including at political level, more binding arrangements with the Commission on replying to written questions within the deadlines and to report to the discharge authority on the progress that is made, with the aim of restoring Parliamentary questions for written answers as an effective oversight instrument;

46. Notes that internal processing, including editing, translation and admissibility checks, contributes to the overall transmission time of written questions; calls on the administration to continue streamlining these procedures, while fully respecting linguistic quality and data protection requirements, in order to support Members’ scrutiny work more effectively;

47. Calls on DG PRES to actively engage with parliaments of other Member States and third countries to develop proposals for effective scrutiny mechanisms, as well as ways to improve the quality and attendance at plenary debates within Parliament; calls on DG PRES to draw lessons from the structure of congressional hearings;

48. Welcomes that Parliament recently initiated the legislative procedure to amend the Union electoral law in order to introduce a new temporary proxy voting option for Members during late pregnancy and early motherhood; welcomes that, with its vote on 13 November 2025 in plenary, Parliament committed to gender equality, inclusivity and work-life balance despite the fact that broader parental leave is not covered by the act;

49. Notes that up-to-date attendance data at Committee level is currently unavailable; calls on the Parliament’s services to publish these attendance figures at Committee level annually aggregated per Committee;

Directorate-General for Communication

50. Notes that Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM)’s mission is to ensure that citizens understand the importance of Parliament so that they can improve engagement in the European democratic process; highlights that its key tasks are to collaborate with the media, to inform, explain and enhance the visibility of Parliament’s work, to increase awareness of Parliament among citizens in all Member States, stakeholders and opinion leaders through the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs) located in the Member States, to foster interaction with citizens through enhanced visitor projects, events and information campaigns and its presence on social media, and to provide expertise to Members and political groups on topics such as media intelligence and public opinion monitoring;

51. Notes that DG COMM’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 137 463 777 in 2024, representing 5,8 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 137 467 355 was committed; welcomes the high use of appropriations;

52. Recognises that communication regarding the European elections was at the forefront of DG COMM’s activities in 2024, most notably with the successful ‘Go-to-vote’ communication campaign, partnerships with over 300 civil society organisations and more than 18 000 journalists briefed; notes that all of DG COMM’s strategic projects in 2024, with a 94 % completion rate, were aimed at the European elections, with the remaining 6 % relating to the implementation of the new website structure;

53. Notes that DG COMM facilitated coverage of the European elections, which reached a record volume of reporting (+18 % compared to the previous elections), which DG COMM reports as particularly noteworthy in the final moments of the election cycle with election night (on 9 June 2024) covered by 149 television channels across 51 countries, and a majority of reporting online;

54. Notes the role of the EPLOs in liaising between Parliament and the public and stakeholders in the Member States in general, and in communicating about the European Elections; notes that all EPLOs have been equipped with audiovisual services for the Members, political groups and third parties to use in the Member States;

55. Calls for adequate monitoring of expenditure of the EPLOs and Europa Experience Centres;

56. Emphasises the critical role of the EPLO in Washington for fostering transatlantic relations and enhancing the connection between the US and Union parliaments; highlights that, in light of the new US administration and emerging global challenges, the role of the EPLO in Washington is even more crucial; calls for an adequate budget and staffing to support the EPLO’s activities in Washington;

57. Notes 14 Europa Experience centres were open in 2024, attracting a total number of 957 209 visitors, with a wide range of visitor numbers, with Strasbourg (381 687) and Berlin (122 672) attracting the highest numbers of visitors, and Copenhagen (18 182) and Dublin (8 312) the lowest, however the Dublin centre only opened in October 2024; notes the remark that Europa Experience centres are used as a Union hub for democratic engagement by EPLOs in the respective Member States and that they offer opportunities to attract a wider audience for Parliament’s messages;

58. Underlines the importance of thoroughly evaluating the lessons learned with the Europa Experience centres so far, in particular regarding the search for adequate buildings and how target groups can be reached effectively, identifying best practices, and adapting the future development of the Europa Experience centres to local needs and demonstrated impact; stresses that this reassessment should guide future adjustments or reconsiderations in further expansion, ensuring that all future investments are more efficient in serving their intended purpose of bringing Parliament closer to citizens and improving their understanding of the Union’s democratic process;

59. Recalls that new rules on payment of subsidies for sponsored visitor groups were adopted by the Bureau on 11 September 2023, with an entry into force date of 1 January 2024; notes that in 2024, 300 000 sponsored and non-sponsored visitors were invited by Members in Brussels and Strasbourg; notes that subsidies for such visitors’ groups amounted to 17 % of DG COMM’s expenditure in 2024; notes the additional efforts implemented by political groups supporting their Members in interacting with citizens, including young people, in order to ensure an adequate information about Members’ work in Strasbourg and Brussels with the financing from funds under budget item 400;

60. Notes the constant struggle that the Union faces with regard to safeguarding Union values and the integrity of the democratic process; acknowledges the growing attempts by foreign actors to influence the work of Parliament and emphasises the need for vigilance in countering disinformation originating outside the Union; recalls in that regard the European Parliament Resolutions of 1 June 2023 on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation (2022/2075(INI)), and of 23 January 2025 on Russia’s disinformation and historical falsification to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine (2024/2988(RSP)); welcomes the actions taken by Parliament to prevent and react to disinformation; while recognising that no significant incident has yet occurred, stresses the importance of maintaining proactive measures to preserve the integrity of Parliament's public debate and votes; highlights the added value of initiatives like fact-checking meetings and summits, which play a crucial role in fostering transparency, equipping stakeholders with tools to counter misinformation, and strengthening collaboration among fact-checking organisations within and beyond the Union;

Directorate-General for Personnel

61. Recalls that the Directorate-General for Personnel (DG PERS) is responsible for the appropriate and efficient management of human resources within Parliament and ensures that Members are supported by a highly skilled workforce to enable them to duly fulfil their mandate; notes that by 31 December 2024, there were 499 members of staff, of which 290 were officials, 82 were temporary agents, 120 were contract agents, 2 seconded national experts and 5 agency members of staff;

62. Notes that DG PERS’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 1 225 341 375 in 2024 (EUR 1 163 329 780 in 2023), representing 51,4 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 1 160 835 147 was committed; welcomes the high use of appropriations;

63. Welcomes that, in 2024, DG PERS continued to organise competitions and selection procedures, handling an increasing pool of applicants, and it also organised four nationality-specific competitions; welcomes the efforts made by DG PERS to organise competitions, ensuring their timely completion and maintaining the necessary quality standards; welcomes that over 441 candidates were successfully shortlisted on reserve lists; regrets however that the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has encountered systematic issues with the organisation of competitions and the lack of an available pool of candidates suited to Parliament’s needs; regrets that the average duration between publication of the notice of competition and the final interview for each competition, is more than a year; acknowledges the general difficulties encountered by DG PERS and other directorates-general in attracting and retaining talent, which has an impact on the performance of Parliament’s workforce; calls for more efficient, better targeted and shorter selection procedures that would result in increasing the attractiveness of Parliament as an employer and allow the directorates-general to speedily recruit the specialist profiles needed to support their work; stresses that selection procedures must be conducted in full respect of the principles of equal treatment and geographical balance, ensuring fair representation of all Member States;

64. Welcomes Parliament's nationality-specific competitions with a view to improving the geographical balance among Parliament's staff by creating a wider pool of candidates from under-represented Member States; notes, however, that an analysis of data on Parliament staff by nationality and function group reveals a persistent imbalance in career progression, whereby staff from certain Member States, although well represented in the administration, remain under-represented in senior function groups and in decision-making positions; regrets the geographical imbalance in Parliament's senior and middle management; recruitment shall always be based on merit and should always respect fundamental principles such as equality, non-discrimination and proportionality; emphasises that improvement is needed, and calls on the Secretary-General, in cooperation with DG PERS, to present concrete, measurable and time-bound measures to address these imbalances and to report regularly to Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control and the discharge authority on the progress achieved in correcting the geographical imbalance within Parliament’s staff; calls on the Secretary-General and DG PERS to include in the regular reporting to the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control information beyond the overall staff count and include data on, in particular, career development and promotions by nationality and function group, the appointment of management and senior positions, participation in talent management and leadership programmes and the use of temporary appointments and duties as part of career development paths;

65. Notes DG PERS’ key achievement of the efficient recruitment of an unprecedented number of 1 339 Accredited Parliamentary Assistants (APAs) by the July constitutive session, with the total number of APAs holding effective contracts by the end of the year increasing to 2 024, and the off-boarding of about 800 APAs; considers APAs to be a great asset to the Institution and commends DG PERS in its efforts in supporting efficient and effective recruitment by the Members;

66. Acknowledges that the work of APAs is an integral part of the work of Members and therefore of Parliament; notes that following the adoption of the APA statute in 2009, their status over the years has been protected by the rules; notes the efforts made by Parliament to create a framework for providing support to APAs; calls for due adherence to the rules in place; notes, that since then, APAs participate in official missions to Parliament’s three places of work; welcomes that the rules concerning the reimbursement of APA’s missions between the three place of work have been aligned with those applicable to officials, ensuring equality of treatment for APAs; calls on the Bureau and on Parliament’s administration to formally consult the APA Committee on revisions and reforms that directly impact the rights of APAs; calls on Parliament's administration to explore the feasibility of introducing a notice period within APA's contracts in the event of the unexpected departure of a Member; reiterates its call on the Conference of Presidents and the Bureau to revise the implementing provisions governing the work of delegations and missions outside the Union; underlines that such a revision should consider the possibility for APAs, subject to certain conditions, to accompany Members on official Parliament delegations and missions; highlights that this change would not result in any change to the envelope and would be budget neutral;

69. Notes with great concern the reports of a data breach centred on Parliament’s recruitment application PEOPLE, affecting mainly non-permanent members of Parliament staff, including APAs; regrets that the data breach involved ID card details, birth certificates, diplomas, employment history, medical records, rights to entitlements, insurance and documents related to proof of work dating back 10 years in some cases; welcomes the reimbursement scheme that the Secretary-General introduced, in line with Parliament’s duty of care, to cover the costs of replacing ID cards and/or passports of affected PEOPLE application users, with EUR 51 874 paid to date; regrets that the cost of the travel to the country of origin for these administrative procedures was not covered; calls on the administration to ensure that support measures are effective and equitable, including clear one-stop guidance, identity-protection support and reimbursement that does not leave affected persons bearing unavoidable administrative costs linked to document replacement procedures; notes that the administration provided its analysis of the reasons for the breach to the discharge authority; calls on the administration to provide to the affected staff, including former members of staff, a clear analysis of the reasons for the breach and the measures taken to recover the system concerned; is fully aware that Parliament will remain a target for cyber-attacks in the future and that utmost vigilance is essential; welcomes the measures taken by the administration to further reinforce the cyber-security maturity and governance of its IT environment;

70. Notes that DG PERS has implemented a new APA-People IT system, enhancing the recruitment process by centralising contract management and enabling Members’ access, alongside a fully digitalised procedure for medical recruitment check-ups; calls on DG PERS, in cooperation with DG ITEC, to make sure the cybersecurity of this system is up to standard, preventing leaks of personal data; considers that the cybersecurity of IT systems containing the personal data of all members of staff is of the utmost importance and calls on DG PERS to closely cooperate with DG ITEC to achieve this;

71. Notes that, in 2024, DG PERS supported the implementation of gender and diversity roadmaps and developed training courses on diversity and inclusion for all members of staff; welcomes that the Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Unit (EIDU) of DG PERS streamlined its internal reasonable accommodation procedure in 2024, fostering equality, inclusion and diversity, and also provided advice to the Learning & Development Unit on reasonable accommodation for training courses; welcomes that the unit also organised 20 training courses and awareness events for 2 334 participants, including a new diversity and inclusion course for all members of staff, and hosted events on gender equality, disability and LGBTQI+ inclusion;

72. Welcomes the adoption of a common inter-institutional decision regarding a housing allowance for lower-grade staff living in Luxembourg; considers it a necessary instrument to support lower-grade staff to balance the disproportionately high housing costs, as well as a necessary tool to increase the attractiveness of Parliament’s Luxembourg site; notes that the instrument is temporary and calls on Parliament to ensure long-term predictability for the staff concerned;

73. Recalls the launch of the Parliament wide anti-harassment campaign ‘United against Harassment’ on 22 October 2024, contributing to a safe work environment; welcomes that, in addition to the information campaign, the training course ‘Respect and dignity at work - Preventing conflict and harassment in the workplace’ for Members was mandatory and completed by Members in the first year of the legislature; highlights that the effectiveness of these measures should be evaluated;

74. Welcomes the possibility for members of staff to telework away from the place of employment; notes that Parliament’s members of staff can use this form of telework for five days per year; notes that other Union institutions on average provide for 15 days per year; calls for a proactive monitoring and evaluation of the new ways of working; recalls the importance of a genuine dialogue with members of staff on crucial matters related to new ways of working;

75. Stresses that quality childcare services provided to the Members and staff are crucial measures to ensure the effective implementation of the work-life balance policy; draws attention to the fact that quality of the services provided by the Wayenberg childcare facility in Brussels for pre-school age children has been suffering in quality due to the frequent change of service provider since 2020; calls in this respect to consider the need to adopt high-quality standards;

76. Recalls Parliament's recommendation to the Commission in European Parliament resolution of 18 April 2018 on the integrity policy of the Commission, in particular the appointment of the Secretary-General of the European Commission (2018/2624(RSP)) ‘to review its administrative procedure for the appointment of senior officials with the objective of fully ensuring that the best candidates are selected within a framework of maximum transparency and equal opportunities’; is of the opinion that Parliament, with regard to appointment procedures, should always meet the highest standards in terms of transparency, accountability and good administration;

77. Invites Parliament to optimise the use of its human resources, including through the implementation of appropriate ongoing training measures, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of internal services; calls on providing first aid training at beginner and intermediate level regularly, as well as making first aid training a voluntary part of the onboarding program for new staff; calls on the administration to explore the possibility of installing additional defibrillators in view of enhancing health and safety for Members and staff, including the provision of training;

Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics

78. Recalls that the Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics (DG INLO) is responsible for Parliament’s buildings, works, facility management, and logistics; notes that DG INLO also provides catering and transport, and manages and equips Parliament’s office and meeting spaces; recalls that DG INLO most notably managed Parliament's building portfolio of around 1.3 million m² in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, the Liaison Offices and Europa Experience facilities in the Member States; notes that by 31 December 2024, DG INLO was made up of 635 members of staff, of which 311 were officials, 20 were temporary staff, and 326 were contract staff;

79. Notes that DG INLO’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 258 638 966 in 2024, representing 10,9 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 256 935 431 was committed; notes the high use of appropriations;

80. Recalls the support expressed by the vast majority of Parliament for a single seat; notes that according to the TEU, Parliament shall have its seat in Strasbourg, where the 12 periods of monthly plenary sessions shall be held and that any change to the Treaties requires the unanimity of the Member States; notes that within the current Treaty framework through the optimisation of operations savings can be attained; calls for the establishment of concrete milestones and an action plan for achieving identified cost-reductions;

81. Encourages the administration to continue to assess the quality, pricing and range of catering services offered within Parliament, with a view to ensuring that procurement criteria adequately balance price and quality considerations; invites DG INLO to explore options to enhance competition among catering service providers in order to improve service standards, choice and cost-effectiveness, particularly in the context of official events and visitors’ services; calls on Parliament’s administration to report back to Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on the outcome;

82. Welcomes that, in 2024, the administration implemented Parliament’s ‘Building Strategy Beyond 2019’, and achieved its main objectives; notes with satisfaction that DG INLO, after years of expansion brought on by the growth of Parliament’s institutional powers, now concentrates on the consolidation of Parliament’s building stock and renovation of existing premises, welcomes DG INLO’s commitment to further developing Parliament’s role in the cities of Strasbourg, Brussels, and Luxembourg, fostering projects of common interest, and connecting the sites to the surrounding areas;

83. Calls on Parliament’s administration to continue to pursue an active building strategy, integrating infrastructural and logistical needs, reviewing cost-saving measures, such as the use of hybrid meeting technologies, and the consolidation of parliamentary activities; calls on Parliament to ensure that its biodiversity-mainstreaming objectives are also taken into consideration in building management and renovation projects, including an estimation of the associated costs; notes that major building projects involve complex negotiations and significant legal scrutiny; calls on Parliament’s administration to ensure structured ex-post reporting to the discharge authority on such projects, including negotiation processes, risk-mitigation measures and legal assessments, in order to strengthen transparency and institutional learning;

84. Notes with concern the persistent shortage of meeting and seminar rooms within Parliament, which makes booking spaces increasingly difficult and requires planning far in advance; regrets that this situation hinders the efficient organisation of parliamentary work and limits flexibility for Members and members of staff; takes note of the upcoming renovation of the SPAAK building which is in line with Union’s energy performance requirements; calls on Parliament’s administration to implement measures to mitigate the impact of the renovation and to ensure that sufficient facilities are available to support Parliament’s operational needs;

85. Takes note of building projects in 2024, and in particular, the completion of the West Wing of the ADENAUER II building in Luxembourg, bringing all Parliament’s members of staff and services together under the same roof; notes that the new security and visitors’ reception pavilion in the WEISS building in Strasbourg was completed in time for the start of the new legislature in July 2024; notes the acquisition of the TRÈVES II building in Brussels, further consolidating Parliament’s stock of buildings in the city’s European quarter; requests to be provided with an updated timetable for the interconnection of the TRÈVES I and TRÈVES II to the main central buildings in Brussels; requests to address some structural problems that are still pending in the TRÈVES I building such as the unstable heating system, the lack of air conditioning and toilets for persons with reduced mobility, the poor sound proofing, as well as the sewage problem; encourages more frequent cleaning of heating air vents in the SPINELLI building to prevent the build-up of dust and mould in offices and to improve the health of staff at work;

86. Recalls that during its meeting on 12 June 2023, the Bureau discussed the steps for the renovation of the SPAAK building; notes that the Bureau expressed a preference for a comprehensive environmental renovation and approved the project on 11 December 2023; notes that DG INLO has made progress with the preliminary projects in connection with the renovation of SPAAK building by launching studies in connection with the new central technical room of the Directorate-General for Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences (DG LINC), the reorganisation of the Print Shop, the move of the Cabinets and the media and press area;

87. Takes note that EUR 4 million is included in the 2026 estimates for studies and the contractor's preparatory works related to the renovation of the SPAAK building while the overall costs are estimated at EUR 36 million; notes therefore that EUR 32 million of costs related to the renovation of the SPAAK building are not included in the 2026 estimates; notes that the Secretary-General intends to cover these costs by a mopping-up transfer or the use of a loan; requests the Secretary-General to provide Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control with detailed information on a possible loan to cover these costs as soon as possible; notes that as of December 2024, the direct costs of the SPAAK project amounted to EUR 14,12 million; is of the opinion that the evolution of costs of the renovation of the SPAAK building must be closely and carefully monitored;

88. Notes that DG INLO develops a concept for optimisation of office space with the aim to use current offices in a manner which uses the full potential of Parliament’s members of staff and keeps them socially engaged inside Parliament; notes that for this concept the MARTENS, TRÈVES II and ARENDT buildings in Brussels are used as an inspiration, focusing on an 'activity-based workplace' including social areas for meetings, informal gatherings and exchanges; notes that a general concept was also studied for the KOHL building, taking into account its structural limitations and budgetary constraints; calls on DG INLO to make the perspectives of users central to the development of this concept and to prioritise its implementation in buildings where optimisation is most needed, and always in consultation with the staff representatives;

89. Points out that a large share of the seats available in the vehicle fleet commuting between Brussels and Strasbourg for plenary sessions remained unoccupied in 2024; calls on the Parliament's administration to look into widening the user group making more efficient use of the service fleet, while making sure that Member's seats are secured;

90. Encourages the gym to offer more courses that support physical and mental well-being, in order to reach a wider range of staff;

Directorate-General for Finance