Joint General Assembly of Staff Interpreters and Conference Interpreters Auxiliaries (A.I.C.)

The staff interpreters of the European Parliament and their A.I.C. colleagues, meeting in a Joint General Assembly on 12 June 2002,

- having regard to the note from the Secretary General (PE 315.703/BUR), adopted by the Bureau of the European Parliament on 29 May 2002, advocating the introduction of remote interpretation in our institution;

- having regard to the position of their delegations on the use of remote interpretation in the European Parliament;

A. whereas the reports on the remote interpreting tests conducted in January and December 2001 conclude that, with current technology, the use of this method of interpretation cannot be considered a viable option at the European Parliament;

B. deplore the fact that the above-mentioned note from the Secretary General completely ignores the conclusions adopted on 6 February 2002 by the Working Party on "Remote Interpretation - New Buildings in Brussels", set up under the auspices of DG VI;

C. whereas, in its note to the Director General of DG VI of 2 May 2002, the Interpretation Directorate points out that under present conditions remote interpreting cannot be considered an acceptable solution for interpreters, even on an occasional or back-up basis;

D. whereas all the other European Institutions have decided not to base future buildings policy on the use of this method;

E. whereas the AIIC "Code for the Use of New Technologies in Conference Interpretation" states that remote interpretation as envisaged by the European Parliament is unacceptable;

F. whereas this Code is recognised by the European Institutions in article 29 of the "Convention fixing the working conditions and pay of I.A.S. and Free-Lance interpreters (I.F.L.) recruited by the Institutions of the European Union";

G. stressing that this method of interpretation raises problems of a technical nature and as regards working conditions;

H. stressing that no detailed medical and ergonomic studies exist on the effects of remote interpretation on interpreters' health;

I. wishing to avoid any situation which might disrupt the smooth functioning of the Parliament's activities;

1. refuse to accept the imposition of remote interpretation against the advice of several bodies, particularly since alternatives exist which would allow the European Parliament to cover its future booth requirements;

2. call upon the Bureau to review its decision regarding the interpretation systems in existing meeting rooms;

3. insist that a full financial evaluation be carried out of the costs of introducing remote interpreting, in terms both of initial outlay and of the use of human resources, in particular the interpreters' working conditions;

4. confirm their absolute commitment to the principle of consultation and insist that their delegations be fully involved in any decisions regarding the design of meeting rooms and interpretation equipment in future buildings of the European Parliament as well as in modifications to existing rooms;

5. call for the setting up of an official working party made up of top-level representatives of the parties concerned in order to find a professionally, politically and financially viable solution enabling the European Parliament to cover its future interpreting needs;

6. determine that their representatives on this working party shall be appointed by the Delegation of Staff Interpreters and AIIC;

7. demand that this working party meet as soon as possible;

8. call for a detailed report from their representatives by September 2002;

9. reserve the right, should the above demands not be met, to take action by all appropriate legal and institutional means;

10. instruct the President of the General Assembly of Staff Interpreters and the AIIC Delegation to forward this resolution to the Director of Interpretation, to the Director General of DG VI, to the Secretary General of Parliament, to the President of Parliament, to the Bureau of Parliament and to the Staff Committee.