(Repealed by Rule No. 1389)
Instruction No. 58 of 4 February 2008 on the organisation of official journeys[1]
Article 2: Management of budget appropriations for official journeys
Article 7: Incidental travel expenses
Article 8: Subsistence allowance
Article 9: Exceptional expenditure
Article 10: Advances for official journeys
Article 11: Certification of the completion of an official journey and settlement of expenses
Article 12: Adjustment of annual leave entitlement as a result of an official journey
Article 13: Council of Europe property transported by officials on official journeys
Article 14: Official-journey reports
Article 15: Official journeys "without expenses"
Article 17: Accidents sustained while on official journeys
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
HAVING REGARD to Article 42.1.a of the Staff Regulations;
HAVING REGARD to the Organisation's Travel Policy, which results in the following objectives by order of priority:
Safety (for example, approved airlines, insurance cover);
Reliability (for example, passengers should arrive at their destinations in good time for the events they are to attend);
Convenience (for example, acceptable travel times, waiting time at stopovers);
Budget (for example, direct and indirect costs incurred by the Organisation);
Comfort (for example, class of travel);
CONSIDERING that the rules on the organisation of official journeys undertaken by staff need to be updated;
BEARING IN MIND that the same rules apply to specially appointed officials, temporary staff and seconded officials;
CONSIDERING that it is necessary to have a single instrument for these four categories of officials of the Organisation;
HAVING CONSULTED the Staff Committee in accordance with Article 5, paragraph 3 of the Regulations on Staff Participation (Appendix I to the Staff Regulations);
D E C I D E S :
1. The rules governing the organisation of official journeys undertaken by specially appointed officials, staff coming under Article 1 of the Staff Regulations, temporary staff, as defined by the corresponding rules, and the officials referred to in Article 1a of the Regulations on Secondment of International or National, Regional or Local Officials to the Council of Europe (designated in this Instruction by the collective term "officials of the Organisation" or "officials") and the defrayal by the Organisation of official-journey expenses are set out hereunder.
2. Articles 4 to 15 only apply to official journeys to attend an activity taking place at least 50 km away from the official's duty station or official journeys to attend an activity within 50 km of the duty station lasting more than eight hours.
Article 2: Management of budget appropriations for official journeys
The Commitments Officer of each Major Administrative Entity shall be responsible for managing appropriations for official journeys relating to its functioning.
1. The Travel Office shall monitor the implementation of the Organisation's Travel Policy. It shall report on the application of this Instruction and may conduct random checks to that end.
2. The Travel Office shall deal with relations with the partner travel agency, including quality control of the contract and reporting requirements.
3. The Travel Office shall provide information to officials organising official journeys and assist them by liaising, where necessary, with the partner travel agency.
1. Official journeys shall be arranged by officials so as to cost as little as possible and conform with the Organisation's Travel Policy.
2. Usual means of transport
Officials shall be authorised to travel by air or by any other means of transport, to be determined by the Commitments Officer in the best interests of the Major Administrative Entity to which they belong (hereafter "the Major Administrative Entity concerned"), taking into account the cost and duration of the journey. The Commitments Officer may decide in the best interests of the Major Administrative Entity concerned that officials undertaking an official journey shall travel as a group.[2]
3. Officials may not be obliged to travel between 11 pm and 7 am, except where no other solution can be found or they do so by personal choice and in the best interests of the Major Administrative Entity concerned.[3]
4. Commitments Officers shall grant officials obliged to undertake their return journey[4] between 11 pm and 7 am compensatory leave equal to one half-day within the half-day following the journey.
5. Officials may be authorised to use a private car to undertake an official journey in accordance with this Instruction if they are covered by a motor insurance policy for professional journeys and third-party risks.
Article 5: Mission order[5]
1. An official journey by an official shall be subject to approval by the Major Administrative Entity concerned. To this end, the official shall submit an application for a mission order.
2. Except in duly justified urgent cases, an application for a mission order shall be drawn up not later than two weeks before the official journey is due to commence.
3. So as to make the travel arrangements, the official undertaking the official journey or the Major Administrative Entity concerned shall inform the partner travel agency of the following (via the reservation tools made available) with a view to obtaining travel proposals: the date, time and place of the activity for which the official has to make the journey (hereafter the "activity") and any fare reduction to which the official concerned is entitled.
4. Commitments Officers shall be authorised to give prior approval for direct purchases made by officials themselves via the Internet or another travel agency in so far as such purchases are consistent with the Organisation's Travel Policy.
5i. The application for a mission order shall contain all necessary information concerning the official journey, including the activity, the place where it will be held, the date and time of its beginning and end, the itinerary, the means of transport (staff members wishing to travel in the private car of a colleague also undertaking the official journey shall expressly state so), the place where the official will stay and a contact address and telephone number. It shall also mention the number of the relevant purchase order, a mission order number and a CCM number.
ii. The following shall also be specified where applicable:
§ any difference between the dates and times on which the calculation of the official-journey expenses is to be based and the actual dates and times of the journey;
§ any decision prescribing group travel;
§ the nature and the approximate total of any foreseeable exceptional expenditure to be incurred in the interests of the Major Administrative Entity concerned;
§ accommodation expenses exceeding 60% of the daily subsistence allowance;
§ any request for an advance in accordance with Article 10;
§ any arrangement whereby accommodation and/or meal costs are borne by a government or another organisation;
§ any Council of Europe property which the official is responsible for transporting;
§ any fare reduction to which the official is personally entitled.
6. If mission orders for several officials are applied for in connection with the same meeting, the applications shall be submitted together or, failing that, the names of all the officials concerned shall be given, even where they belong to different major administrative entities.
7. The application for a mission order shall be submitted for approval to the Commitments Officer, who may, at the request of the official undertaking the journey, authorise departures from the provisions of Article 4 in exceptional, duly justified cases.
8i. Following the Commitments Officer's approval the application becomes the mission order proper, authorising the official to travel and to be absent from his/her place of work for the time specified. All applications for mission orders must be registered in the system set up by the Directorate of Programmes, Finance and Linguistic Services (“DPFL”) of the Directorate General of Administration.
ii. Without a mission order bearing a purchase order number officials shall have no authorisation to request the issue of a ticket.
iii. Without a mission order bearing a purchase order number the DPFL shall not be authorised to pay any advance or to reimburse official-journey expenses.
9. A formal mission order, bearing the official stamp of the Organisation, may if necessary be issued in the name of the Secretary General in the two official languages of the Organisation and/or the language(s) of the country(ies) to be visited by an official.[6]
1. Travel expenses incurred for official journeys shall be defrayed as follows:
i. Air travel:
a. Officials shall travel "economy class" at the cheapest rate available.
b. Officials shall be authorised to travel "business class" when the journey involves more than seven hours' flying time for a direct flight, or more than fifteen hours for one or more flights with stopovers. They shall also be authorised to travel "business class" for medical reasons duly justified by a doctor's certificate.
The following officials shall be authorised to travel "business class" in all cases:
o the Secretary General;
o the Deputy Secretary General;
o the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
o the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
c. Officials may not be obliged to spend Saturday night away from their duty station for the sole purpose of obtaining a fare based on this criterion.
d. Charges for excess baggage shall be defrayed only where the baggage limit has to be exceeded for official reasons.
ii. Rail travel:
a. Officials shall be authorised to travel first class.
b. If the journey takes place between 10 pm and 7 am, officials shall be authorised to travel by first-class sleeper.
iii. Travel by ship:
Officials may travel first class but shall not be entitled to "luxury class" cabins.
iv. Travel by private car:
a. Officials authorised to use their private cars in the interests of the Major Administrative Entity concerned shall be entitled to a kilometric allowance calculated on the basis of the shortest route they can reasonably be expected to take.
b. If the route taken involves special expenses (tolls, car-ferry fares, etc.) these shall be refundable on production of vouchers.
c. Officials using their private cars for reasons of personal convenience shall receive a flat-rate reimbursement corresponding to the first-class train fare or the "economy class" air fare, or the fare for the usual means of transport for the route, whichever costs less, also taking into account their daily allowances entitlement.
d. Where officials are authorised to convey other officials on a journey as passengers, they shall receive a supplementary kilometric allowance equal to 10% of the amount payable in accordance with paragraphs a. and c. above for the first passenger and 8% for each additional passenger.
e. An official authorised to travel in a colleague's private car may not claim a refund of travel expenses.
v. Journeys made, for reasons of personal convenience, by a means of transport other than the usual one:
Travel expenses refunded to officials authorised to use, for reasons of personal convenience, a means of transport other than the usual one shall not exceed the travel expenses that would have been refundable if the usual means of transport had been used.
2. If an official undertaking an official journey is authorised to take leave immediately before or after the journey (or decides to make a detour), the Organisation shall defray the cost of travel by the usual means of transport between his/her duty station and the place of the activity. The amount refunded shall in no event exceed the actual expenditure incurred by the official, account being taken of any reduction obtained as a result of a longer stay.
3. If an official on leave is instructed to undertake an official journey, the cost of travel from the place of leave to the place of the activity and back (or between the place of leave, the place of the activity and the duty station if the end of the official journey coincides with the end of the period of leave) shall be borne by the Organisation.
Article 7: Incidental travel expenses
1. Transit costs when changing means of transport, fares for travel from the duty station or the place of the activity to the local station or airport and fares for use of local transport while the activity is taking place shall be covered by the 20% share of the daily subsistence allowance intended to defray sundry expenses and shall accordingly not be refunded directly.
2. For this type of travel, expenditure incurred for use of a private car shall also be covered by the 20% share of the daily subsistence allowance intended to defray sundry expenses and shall accordingly not be refunded directly. Nonetheless, parking fees shall be refunded on production of vouchers.
3. Where incidental travel expenses exceed 20% of the total daily allowances, the Commitments Officer may authorise the refunding of an additional amount on production of vouchers.
Article 8: Subsistence allowance[8]
1. A daily subsistence allowance shall be payable for official journeys at the rates shown in the scale adopted by the Committee of Ministers.
2. Rules applicable to all journeys, whatever the means of transport:
i. Officials undertaking an official journey shall be entitled to a daily subsistence allowance for each 24-hour period covered by the duration of their journey.
ii. The daily subsistence allowance shall not be payable for any period of less than four hours.
iii. Where the duration of the official journey is equal to or more than four hours but less than eight hours, the official concerned shall be paid a quarter of the daily subsistence allowance. The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than four hours, but less than eight hours, in excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
iv. Where the duration of the official journey is equal to or more than eight hours but less than 24 hours and no hotel stay is involved, the official concerned shall be paid half the daily subsistence allowance. The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than eight hours, but less than 24 hours, in excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
v. Where the duration of the official journey is equal to or more than four hours but less than 24 hours and a hotel stay is involved, the official concerned shall be paid the full amount of the daily subsistence allowance. The same shall apply to any period equal to or more than four hours, but less than 24 hours, in excess of 24 hours or any multiple of 24 hours.
3. Special rules governing journeys made, for reasons of personal convenience, by private car or by a means of transport other than the usual one:
Officials who, for reasons of personal convenience, use a private car or a means of transport other than the usual one shall have no subsistence allowance entitlement for any period in excess of the duration of the same journey by the usual means of transport taken as the basis for refunding travel expenses.
4. If an official is authorised to take leave immediately before or after an official journey (or decides to make a detour), the subsistence allowance shall be calculated as if he/she had made a direct return journey between his/her duty station and the place of the activity. However, if by taking leave (or making a detour) the official becomes entitled to a less expensive fare, the official's subsistence allowance entitlement shall be extended to cover the entire period of his/her absence provided that the overall official journey expenses are reduced as a consequence.
5i. The subsistence allowances payable shall be deemed to cover all expenditure liable to be incurred by officials on an official journey, apart from non-incidental travel expenses.
ii. However, where accommodation costs (room, breakfast and related taxes) amount to more than 60% of the total subsistence allowance, the Commitments Officer may grant a refund of all or part of the difference upon production of vouchers and on condition that it is shown that such additional expenditure was justifiable. This additional reimbursement shall not normally exceed 30% of the total subsistence allowance.
iii. The accommodation costs to be taken into consideration for this purpose are those relating to the entire duration of the official journey, irrespective of whether it involved visiting one or several locations.
6. The subsistence allowance shall be reduced in the following cases:
i. Where the Organisation covers the cost of meals or overnight accommodation, the subsistence allowance shall be reduced by 15% for each main meal and by 50% for the overnight accommodation included in the expenses. The same rule shall apply where the cost of overnight accommodation and/or meals is borne by a government, another organisation or an individual or where overnight accommodation is provided free of charge or by a person or establishment not expressly authorised to do so by the competent authority(ies).
ii. When submitting claims for reimbursement of official journey expenses, officials shall be required to indicate accommodation or meals defrayed by others. They shall also produce the originals of all overnight accommodation bills they have covered with their subsistence allowance. The bills in question shall have been issued by a person or establishment expressly authorised to provide overnight accommodation by the competent authority(ies). Without such bills, the subsistence allowance shall be reduced by 50%.
iii. In the case of official journeys lasting more than ninety days, special arrangements concerning the amount of subsistence allowances shall be made by Instruction of the Secretary General.
iv. If an official is hospitalised while on an official journey, the daily allowance payable during his/her stay in hospital shall depend on the proportion of the hospitalisation costs borne by the official's health insurance scheme.
Article 9: Exceptional expenditure
1. Entertainment costs incurred during an official journey shall be refunded only if the official concerned has obtained prior authorisation to incur them.
2. The following expenditure may be refunded, upon production of vouchers, where incurred in the interests of the Major Administrative Entity concerned:
§ long-distance telephone calls, Internet access fees and the cost of sending facsimiles, telegrams or telexes;
§ unforeseen expenditure incurred in cases of absolute necessity.
Article 10: Advances for official journeys
1. Officials may request an advance of 80% of the expenditure they can expect to incur for an official journey, in accordance with this Instruction. However, no such advance shall be granted if the official's total foreseeable expenditure is less than 200 euros.
2. Officials wishing to obtain such an advance shall be credited with the appropriate amount in euros by transfer to the bank account into which their salary is paid during the ten days preceding the start of the official journey.
Article 11: Certification of the completion of an official journey and settlement of expenses[9]
1. After completion of an official journey, a refund claim, to which all proofs of payment required under this Instruction shall be attached, shall be made out and certified true and correct by the official concerned. It shall be submitted for approval to the Commitments Officer, who shall perform an initial check on whether the claim satisfies the requirements of this Instruction. The refund claim must reach the DPFL, with a view to its settlement, within fifteen days of the official's return from the official journey.
2. In the event that the official’s refund claim is not submitted to the DPFL within three months of the official’s return, any advance credited to the official under Article 10 shall in principle be recovered from the official by the Organisation.
Article 12: Adjustment of annual leave entitlement as a result of an official journey[10]
1. Time spent travelling by an official on an official journey shall not constitute overtime within the meaning of the Regulations on Extra Duties and Night Work (Appendix VIII to the Staff Regulations) except if the journey takes place in particularly arduous circumstances.
2i. An official on an official journey shall adapt his/her working hours to the needs of the activity.
ii. Hours worked from Monday to Friday by an official on an official journey shall not constitute overtime.
3i. Hours worked on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or non-working days by an official on an official journey shall constitute overtime where they exceed half a day and are in performance of the official's normal professional duties.
ii. In such cases the provisions of Articles 6 and 7 of the Regulations on Extra Duties and Night Work (Appendix VIII to the Staff Regulations) shall apply.
iii. Mere attendance of an official function shall not be considered as overtime.
4. Where officials travelling on an official journey use their private cars for reasons of personal convenience, any period exceeding the length of the journey corresponding to the use of the usual means of transport shall be deducted from the official’s annual leave entitlement.
Article 13: Council of Europe property transported by officials on official journeys
1. The Commitments Officer may authorise an official to transport Council of Europe property by signing a mission order referring to specific objects the official will have responsibility for.
2. Officials shall have a duty of care in respect of objects transported.
3. Officials shall not be held liable for the loss or theft of such objects if it is established that they have taken all necessary precautions and have exercised due care.
4. In the event of theft, the official must produce a copy of the statement made to the police authorities of the place where the theft was reported (or if such a statement could not be made for reasons of force majeure, a statement made to an airport, station or port authority, as dictated by the circumstances).
Article 14: Official-journey reports
1. A concise report summarising the objectives and results of the journey and any suggestions for further action shall be drawn up following any journey for which a mission order has been issued. Heads of major administrative entities may waive this requirement in respect of official journeys undertaken by their officials to attend meetings organised by the Council of Europe.
2. Where several officials participate in the same journey a single report shall be drawn up under the responsibility of the highest-ranking official.
3. This report shall be submitted by the official, at the latest eight days after completion of the official journey, to the head of the Major Administrative Entity to which he/she belongs, who shall, where necessary, forward a copy together with his/her observations to the Secretary General.
4. Copies of the report shall be sent by the head of the Major Administrative Entity concerned to those major administrative entities and officials to whom it is of interest.
5. Heads of major administrative entities shall submit their reports directly to the Secretary General.
Article 15: Official journeys "without expenses"
1. Applications for official journeys "without expenses" shall be submitted to the head of the Major Administrative Entity concerned or, in the case of heads of major administrative entities, to the Secretary General. They shall be duly substantiated and specify by whom the cost is to be borne. The head of the Major Administrative Entity concerned - or, for heads of major administrative entities, the Secretary General - shall not be entitled to authorise an official journey "without expenses" if the costs to be borne by the organisers can be reasonably estimated to exceed twice the amount the official journey would have cost if organised in accordance with this Instruction.
2. All other procedures and rules set forth in Articles 4, 5 and 12 to 14 of this Instruction shall apply mutatis mutandis to official journeys "without expenses".
Article 16: Official journeys lasting less than eight hours to attend activities within 50 km of the duty station
1. Officials undertaking an official journey lasting less than eight hours to attend an activity taking place within 50 km of their duty station shall receive a special authorisation from the Commitments Officer stating the date, approximate duration, purpose and destination(s) of the official journey and containing a reference to the Organisation's travel insurance policy.
2. However, if the official wishes to claim a refund of travelling expenses, a mission order shall be issued. The claim shall be refundable subject to the following conditions:
i. Travel by bus or rail:
An official who has travelled by bus or rail shall be required to produce his/her ticket.
ii. Travel by taxi:
Taxis shall be used only by express order of the Commitments Officer either for reasons of urgency or because travel by public transport (bus or rail) is impractical. The official shall be required to produce a receipt.
iii. Private car:
Officials may use their private cars - if they are covered by a motor insurance policy for professional journeys and third-party risks - in the same cases as a taxi. They may transport a colleague who is in the same circumstances. A journey made by private car shall be refundable on the basis of Article 6, paragraph 1 iv of this Instruction.
3. Officials undertaking an official journey lasting less than eight hours to attend an activity taking place within 50 km of their duty station shall not be entitled to a daily subsistence allowance.
Article 17: Accidents sustained while on official journeys
1. An accident sustained during an official journey shall be deemed to constitute an accident at work.
2. An accident sustained during the outward or return journey, where an official journey is preceded or followed by a period of leave, shall also be deemed to constitute an accident at work, provided that the official concerned has complied with the mission order.
The Organisation shall provide insurance cover regarding the following risks to which officials may be exposed in the course of official journeys:
§ medical care;
§ death;
§ total or partial permanent invalidity;
§ loss or theft of luggage and personal belongings;
§ seriously delayed luggage;
§ cancellation or alteration of the journey;
§ seriously delayed journey.
Article 19: Entry into force
This Instruction shall enter into force on the first day of the month following its signature by the Secretary General. It shall repeal Instruction No. 54 of 4 February 2006 (to which Rule No. 1275 of 18 April 2007 should no longer refer) and Instruction No. 56 of 16 November 2006. All references to Instructions Nos. 40, 54 and 56 contained in other instruments shall be read as making reference to this Instruction.
Strasbourg, 4 February 2008
The Secretary General
Terry Davis
[1] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[2] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[3] Article 8 of the Regulations on Extra Duties and Night Work (Appendix VIII to the Staff Regulations) must be complied with.
[4] For lack of any other solution.
[5] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[6] Formal mission orders can be obtained via the Organisation's Intranet site.
[7] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[8] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[9] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.
[10] Note: as amended by Instruction No. 63 of 3 February 2015, with effect from 1 March 2015.