API held its annual general assembly 2015 on Tuesday 15 December 2015 in the Residence Palace, under the chairmanship of Tom Weingärtner, API’s president. There were about twenty members present.
1. The assembly approved the annual accounts for 2015 and the report by the commissioners (Hajo Friedrich and Tomas Miglierina) who found no discrepancies in the presented documents and tables. The assembly also approved the draft budget for 2016. Expenses were down in coimparison with 2013 – this was the result caused by a recalculation and refund of the rent for the API office by the Residence Palace (The relevant documents are attached to this report).
Treasurer Ann Cahill stated that API is doing quite well financially, and has a solid credit in the bank, due to proper management of API’s resources. As for 2015: the expenses for API’s 40th anniversary celebration were partly paid by sponsors, and partly from our own reserves. However, not all sponsors have already paid the promised amounts. They will again be approach with a request to deliver on their promises. The 2015 accounts will be on the table in API’s next general assembly. They will be sent to the members on time before the assembly.
(This next assembly will be held in the spring of 2016. In recent years the annual general assembly was always held in november or december. But in accordance with the statutes, and because of the big time-gap between the assembly and the year for which the accounts have to be discussed and approved, it has been decided to from now on have the AGA in February/March. The 2015 accounts will then be presented.)
2. The API membership fee is again confirmed at 120 euros for fully emplyed members, and 70 euros for freelancers and active pensioners.
3. The general secretary gave an overview of API’s activities in 2015, with API’s 40th anniversary celebration as one of its highlights.
4. Lorenzo Robustelli was confirmed as the formal representative of the Italian national group in the API Council, replacing Giuseppina Paternitti, who has left Brussels and returned to Rome. The president notes that the German national group also has to appoint a new Council member, now Isabel Guzmán has left journalism to work in the European Parliament. The French API-members have still not nominated a new representative as replacement for Nathalie Vandystadt, now EC spokesperson. Also the Chinese and American groups are now so big that they are invited to nominate a candidate for the API Council.
5. Nagayo Taniguchi is unanimously re-elected as API vice-president for another two year term. There were no counter-candidates.
6. The API Council wants to hear the opinions of all colleagues about the spokespersons service (SPP) of the European Commission, now that they are one year in office and an evaluation will take place between API and Margaritis Schinas in early 2016. The president states that, after a positive start, the number of problems and issues with the SPP seems to be on the rise again. Ann Cahill sees a trend: less communication, more PR. As an example she points at the lack of communication from the EC side at the recent climate summit in Paris. In January API will send a questionnaire to all accredited correspondents to hear their views and experiences. Any time that anything does not go well, API would like to be informed.
API also does not agree with the proposed new security arrangements in the Berlaymont, especially concerning the limits to ad hoc access by people who do not have the yellow interinstitutional badge on them, as well as the rules for revokling the accreditation of those who violate the accreditation rules. A special meeting with the SPP about this issue will take place soon.
7. Colleage Filippo Giuffrida asks for API’s intervention in his attempts to renew his official EC accreditation, now that the institutions seem to have rejected his application. A solution is not in sight. The secretary-general will look into this again.
