MEPs campaign for single EP seat
A group of MEPs yesterday launched a new campaign against the so-called "Strasbourg Circus", in favour of Brussels becoming the only seat of the European Parliament instead of the current system of shifting every month to the French city for its formal...
A group of MEPs yesterday launched a new campaign against the so-called "Strasbourg Circus", in favour of Brussels becoming the only seat of the European Parliament instead of the current system of shifting every month to the French city for its formal plenary session.
MEPs from several political groups announced the formation of the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR) and launched a new website (www.oneseat.eu) to publicise their campaign.
Although the EU Constitution is nowhere near being adopted, the MEPs are hoping that the European Commission will agree to recognise in advance the right to petition included in the draft Constitution.
During a press conference in Brussels, MEPs said that if they get a million EU citizens to sign the petition, the European Commission will have to include the matter on its agenda.
Swedish Liberal MEP Cecilia Malmstrom said that there are already 6,000 signatures on the recently launched website and explained that the campaign is hoping to gather a million signatures before the end of the year.
She said that the issue was a question that had been shaming the EU for a long time, with all the lorry-loads of boxes belonging to MEPs and the huge travelling expenses involved in moving from Brussels to Strasbourg.
The president of the campaign, Alexander Alvaro, a German Liberal MEP, said that taxpayers' money was being squandered because of a secret compromise deal among the member states and the campaign had to do all it could to get governments to understand that this is not the kind of European Union wanted in the future.
MEPs from the two largest political groups, the European People's Party and the Socialists, are also backing the campaign.
The question of the European Parliament having a headquarters in Strasbourg, guaranteed by the EU treaties, regularly comes up but has never been resolved. France is adamant that the situation should remain as it is, as the monthly Strasbourg week of the European Union provides a massive economic boost to the city.