Personnel & Administration - Informations Administratives

NEW GUIDE TO MISSIONS

The new Guide to Missions was adopted by the Commission on 23 May 2003 and is therefore applicable to all missions commencing on or after 24 May 2003.

For many of us, going on mission is an integral part of our working lives (more than 80 000 missions take place every year to represent Commission interests).

A new Guide to Missions was deemed necessary to take account of the important changes in the travel industry as well as in the internal procedures of the Commission.

Compared to the earlier edition (1995) several amendments have been made to the rules without impinging on the Staff Regulations.

The main changes are:

AS REGARDS TRAVEL
1.1. air travel
more flexible conditions for authorising business class travel with a minimum of 6 hours actual flying time required;
1.2. hotel costs
reimbursement limited, even with a special authorisation, to double the ceiling for grades A1-A3 for countries in the EU and to a maximum of EUR 300 per night for all grades for countries outside the EU;
1.3. taxis
standardising the times for early morning departures/late returns eligible for reimbursement and updating the ceilings for Brussels and Luxembourg;
1.4. missions combined with leave
more flexible rules and the possibility, exceptionally, of combining a mission with more than three working days' leave;
1.5. missions lasting one calendar day
limited to a maximum of 12 hours of mission;
AS REGARDS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
1. the time limit for submitting applications for reimbursement of mission expenses has been reduced from 12 to 6 months maximum;
2. clarification of responsibilities between the role of authorising officer and authorising officer by subdelegation;
3. generalised use of the corporate credit card and strict limitation of access to advances;
4. clarification of all administrative procedures (in particular relating to missions paid for by the organisers), and electronic versions of these procedures available.

The new measures, now more than ever, call for responsibility and cooperation from all staff going on mission and from authorising officers. Taking strict advantage of the preferential rates offered to the Commission will allow the best possible use to be made of the budget resources available.

Horst REICHENBACH


	N° 40-2003 / 04.06.2003