In 1989 the Commission decided to apply Article 78 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants to the freelance interpreters it recruits, thus subjecting them to Community tax. This was done to bring them into line with the session auxiliary interpreters at the European Parliament.
For nine years this arrangement suited the institutions and the vast majority of the interpreters.
In July 1998 the Court of First Instance confirmed the validity of the status given by the European Parliament to its interpreters, but declared unlawful the arrangement at the Commission because it lacked a legal base.
In June 1999 the Commission presented a proposal to Council to restore equal treatment of all interpreters working for the various European Institutions.
On 14th February 2000, against all expectation, this proposal did not achieve a qualified majority at the General Affairs Council.
After 19 months of fortitude and sacrifice, freelance interpreters, with the support of their staff colleagues, feel obliged use work stoppages at Council meetings both to draw attention to the current discrimination of which they are victim and to signal the need for a quick solution so they can continue to provide quality interpretation to all delegates.
Today interpreters call on the Council to adopt swiftly the Commission proposal aimed at restoring equal treatment between all interpreters who work for the different European institutions.
