Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Added33. Takes note of, in the interest of transparency, the obligatory publication of meetings and declarations of private interests, in particular declarations of material and financial support; notes, however, that the current framework experiences recurring issues relating to completeness and clarity, which may reduce its overall effectiveness; considers that improved guidance to Members, as well as proportionate and consistent follow-up by the administration where declarations appear to be inaccurate or inconsistent, deserves careful attention, particularly in light of concerns related to foreign interference;

Added34. Expresses serious concern regarding allegations that Member States have engaged in spying and targeted Parliament; notes that the Commission has established an internal group to investigate these claims; urges close cooperation between Parliament and the Commission, and urges the Commission to share the working group’s findings with Parliament, provided that such sharing does not compromise any ongoing or potential legal proceedings;

Added35. Calls on Parliament to strengthen protective measures, including secure device management, rapid incident reporting channels for Members and staff, and regular threat-briefings in cooperation with CERT-EU and relevant Union bodies, while ensuring full respect for fundamental rights and data protection;

Added36. Notes the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for ensuring accurate and transparent information within the Union and its institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, while appropriately designed and governed AI systems can help detect and mitigate misinformation and disinformation, promotes accountability and upholds high standards of transparency in order to maintain public trust and strengthen democratic governance; is worried by the dominance of AI tools from companies in third countries and by data protection and confidentiality considerations when making use of third-party AI tools; calls for full transparency regarding the use of AI systems in the Parliament’s decisions and procedures, including the publication of detailed information on algorithms, and impact assessments; calls on Parliament’s administration to make a suite of AI tools available to both Members and Parliament staff, adapted to the needs of each category, that answers to business needs of Members and guarantees confidentiality, integrity and availability of data processed by it by using on-premise infrastructure to prevent data leaks, and does not disclose information to third parties, in line with the current policies regarding the use of AI;

Added37. Notes the increasing use of AI and large-language-model tools in human-resource management and recognises the potential it has for efficiency gains which should be further explored; stresses at the same time the need for clear governance, human oversight, transparency and robust data protection safeguards; calls on the administration to inform the discharge authority of the scope, risk assessment and ethical safeguards of such tools;

Added38. Notes that according to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, a secret ballot is generally used for elections and for votes concerning individual persons; further notes that voting shall also be taken by secret ballot if this is requested by Members or a political group or groups reaching at least the high threshold; takes note in this context that the Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs has been tasked with assessing the use of the latter option and awaits the conclusions and proposals of the committee; considers that roll-call votes constitute a key instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability towards Union citizens; calls on Parliament to present measures that avoid abuse of voting by the secret ballot procedure;

Added39. Welcomes the progress made on gender mainstreaming and budgeting and the adoption of the 2025 Gender Action Plan; calls for this action plan to be made public and swiftly implemented via its gender action plan roadmap and thoroughly assessed with regular reports monitoring the progress made; urges consistent gender budgeting in Parliament’s budget and the incorporation of a gender mainstreaming guide; welcomes the work of the Gender Mainstreaming Network in Parliament; further calls for strengthened gender mainstreaming across parliamentary committees;

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Directorate-General for the Presidency

40. 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;

41. 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;

42. 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;

Change 14

Changed33.43. 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;

Change 15

Changed34.44. Calls for the continuation and strengthening of interinstitutional cooperation and dialogue on integrity, transparency,integrity and ethical standardstransparency, within the Union institutions;

Change 16

Removed35. Highlights the persistent delays in the Commission’s handling of Parliamentary questions for written answer 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; stresses that the longest reply time was 475 days; welcomes the efforts made by DG PRES in recent years; calls upon DG PRES to work on their internal services and ensure full compliance with the deadlines established by Parliament and restore the Parliamentary questions for written answers system as an effective oversight instrument;

Added45. 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;

Added46. 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;

Added47. 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;

48. 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;

Change 17

Added49. 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;

Added50. 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;

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Directorate-General for Communication

51. 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;

52. 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;

53. 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;

54. 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;

55. 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;

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Removed42. Notes 14 Europa Experience centres were open in 2024, attracting a total number of 957 209 visitors, with widely ranging visitor numbers, with Strasbourg (381 687) and Berlin (122 672) attracting the largest numbers of visitors, and Copenhagen (18 182) and Dublin (8 312) the lowest; notes the remark that Europa Experience centres are used as an EU hub for democratic engagement by EPLOs in the respective Member States that offer opportunities to attract a wider audience for Parliament’s messages;

Added56. Calls for adequate monitoring of expenditure of the EPLOs and Europa Experience Centres;

Added57. 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;

Added58. 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;

59. 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;

Change 19

Changed44.60. 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; considersnotes thatthe additional efforts are implemented by political groups which also supportsupporting their Members in the activitiesinteracting attractingwith citizens, and especiallyincluding young people, in order to beensure informedan adequate information about Members’ work in Strasbourg and Brussels with the financing from funds under budget item 400;

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61. 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

62. 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;

63. 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;

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Changed48.64. Welcomes that, in 2024, DG PERS continued to organise competitions and selection processes,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 forto 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;

Change 21

Removed49. Welcomes Parliament’s nationality-specific competitions with the aim of improving the geographical balance of Parliament’s staff members by offering a wider pool of candidates from underrepresented Member States; regrets the lack of geographical balance within Parliament’s senior and middle management; insists that improvements are needed and asks the Secretary-General to report back on the progress achieved in correcting the geographical imbalance within Parliament’s staff to the discharge authority;

Added65. 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;

66. 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;

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Changed51.67. 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;

Change 23

Removed52. Notes with great concern the reports of a data breach centered on Parliament’s recruitment application PEOPLE, affecting mainly non-permanent members of Parliament staff, including APAs, and the long delay between the breach and the information and compensation to the data subjects of the breach; 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 for up to 10 years; 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; considers that the administration has not provided a clear analysis to the discharge authority of the reasons for the breach, the measures taken to recover the system concerned, or the measures taken to prevent a similar breach from happening again;

Added68. Recalls that APAs cannot participate in Parliament’s internal competitions; invites the Bureau to explore the possibility of allowing APAs, under yet to be determined conditions, to participate in internal competitions in a similar way toParliament’s staff; stresses that stronger involvement of APAs in the internal structures of Parliament could lead to more inclusive, diverse and geographically balanced workforce; highlights the importance of knowledge retention and transfer within Parliament in relation to the internal working methods;

Added69. 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;

Change 24

Changed55.72. 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 theParliament’s Luxembourg sitesite; ofnotes that the Parliament;instrument is temporary and calls on Parliament to ensure long-term predictability for the staff concerned;

Change 25

Changed56.73. Recalls the launch of the Parliament wide anti-harassment campaign ‘United against Harassment’ on 22 October 2024, contributing to a safe work environment; welcomes thatthat, 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;

Change 26

Changed57.74. Welcomes the possibility for members of staff to telework away from abroadthe 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;

Change 27

Added75. 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;

Added76. 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;

Added77. 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;

Change 28

Changed59.79. 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; welcomesnotes the high use of appropriations;

Change 29

Removed60. Welcomes that, in 2024, the administration implemented Parliament’s ‘Building Strategy Beyond 2019’, and achieved its main objectives; notes 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;

Added80. 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;

Removed61. 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; expresses concern that the upcoming renovation of the SPAAK building, while necessary, will exacerbate the existing room shortage; 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;

Added81. 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;

Removed62. 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;