Political and administrative agreement between the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee

On Wednesday 22 January 2014, the EESC Bureau decided by majority vote to give its President mandate to sign an agreement with the European Parliament. 

The members of the Workers' Group who serve on the Committee's Bureau voted by an overwhelming majority against this decision. It is not that they are opposed to such an agreement. Most of them express concern about the working conditions of the translators, whose transfer or secondment the European Parliament asks for, and about the legal basis of this operation.

They believe that it was in the interest of both institutions to take the time to draft a much more accurate and suitable text both from a political and an administrative point of view.

They fear that the proposed text in its current version may be inapplicable as regards certain points and that it may create legal and technical uncertainties that will cost energy and time. Unfortunately, it is already clear that due to its inaccuracies, the current text has become a source of legitimate concern for the Committee's staff and for a large part of its members. The very existence of the European Economic and Social Committee could be at stake.