This is a vote taking place on the 14th Council meeting of the European Pirate Party
Point on the agenda: 2c
discussion thread: Proposal for a relationship agreement with the Greens/EFA Group - #3 by Mab
Please vote by posting a message below containing your vote (yes/no/abstain) and indicating which Member you represent, and how many votes you carry.
Proposal: From the Board
The Board suggests that the Council approves the following agreement with the Greens/EFA Group.
Relationship agreement between the Greens/EFA Group and the European Pirate Party
§1 Purpose of the relationship agreement
- This relationship agreement is the expression of the political will of two separate and progressive European political families to co-operate in order to strengthen their mutual political interests in the European Parliament.
- The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate a constructive and mutually beneficial inclusion of the European Pirates in the Greens/EFA Group, and relies on both parties adhering to a sincere commitment, which is based on the principle of not harming the other part, and on mutual respect.
- This agreement builds on the realization that the Pirates share the overall political values governing the Group, while at the same time recognizing that the free mandate of each elected Member of Parliament to vote according to their own conviction allow the pirate delegation to adopt political positions, including voting lists, that diverge from the Majority position in the Group.
§2. Membership of the Group.
- All MEPs elected to the European Parliament on the lists supported by the European Pirate Party shall be granted membership in the Greens/EFA Group, and jointly form the Pirate delegation within the Group.
- Any MEP not elected to the European Parliament on the lists supported by the European Pirate Party, but who express interest to join the Pirate Delegation in the European Parliament, can be granted membership into the Group, as part of the pirate delegation, upon request by the Pirate delegation to the Bureau of the Group. Such request shall follow the same procedure for approval, including scrutiny of the prospective member by the Bureau, as for any independent MEP applying for membership in the Group.
§3. Presence in the Bureau of the Group
- The Group shall strive to ensure that one member of the Pirate delegation is also a member of the Bureau of the Group.
- Should no member of the Pirate delegation be elected as a part of the Bureau of the Group, they shall have the right to select one member to attend and participate in the affairs of the Bureau of the Group, without voting rights.
§4. Pirate Staff arrangements
- The Pirate delegation shall be supported by a Team of dedicated Group staff. The size of the team shall, as a minimum, equal the numbers of MEPs in the Pirate delegation.
- Any change to the size of the Pirate staff team shall be carried out in such a way as to avoid any negative impact on current Group staff organigram. If this is not possible, the change shall, in agreement with the Pirate delegation, be delayed until this condition can be met.
- The Pirate staff shall, as a rule, be recruited as contractual agents, unless impossible for statutory reasons, with grades on par with equivalent roles in the Group secretariat.
- The job description(s) and recruitment(s) of the Pirate staff shall be done in collaboration between the Pirate delegation and the Group Secretariat***.***
- Pirate staff who work on Committees shall be fully integrated in the Committee WGs of the Group, in the same way as the regular Group staff.
- The Pirate Staff shall, upon request, be supported by one trainee. This trainee shall be selected by the Group Secretariat, among candidates suggested by the Pirate delegation. In all other aspects, the trainee
sshall follow the same rules as the regular Group trainees.
§5 Budget
- The Pirate MEPs shall follow the same distribution for budget line 400 between individual MEP and Group budget as the rest of the Group.
- In case of the Pirate delegation consisting of at least four members, the Group shall adopt a separate budget line in the Group budget dedicated to costs specifically tied to activities of the pirates.
§6. Work in Committees
- The Group shall endeavor to ensure that Pirate members, if possible, can have seats in committees of their preference.
- Pirate MEPs shall be fully incorporated in the Group WGs of the Committees where they are members, and share the same opportunities and responsibilities as other members of the group.
§7 Visibility
- The Group shall ensure that the Group website clearly indicate that the European Pirates act as a distinct subgroup within the Group.
- This distinction of the Pirate delegation can also, when agreed between the Pirate Delegation and the Group, be extended to material produced by the Group.
- This agreement shall not be understood as having any bearing on the name or logo of the Group, or the use of, or the rules governing the use of said name and logo.
§8 Pirate delegation meetings
- The Pirate Members will follow the rhythm of meetings proposed by the Greens. The Pirate Delegation may hold separate meetings when needed.
§9 dissolution or changes to this agreement
- This agreement shall, barring the dissolution of the Greens/EFA Group, stay in force perpetually, unless either part decides to withdraw from the agreement, or if it is replaced by another document codifying the relationship between the Greens/EFA Group and the European Pirate party. This agreement can be changed at any time, by both parties consenting to the change.
- In the case that the Pirate delegation should at any time constitute either a) at least 15% of the Members of the Group, or b) a minimum of 8 Members of the European Parliament, this shall trigger a negotiation between the European Pirate Party and the Greens/EFA Group to redefine the relationship to better reflect the size of the pirates within the group.