MEPs to Strasbourg: ‘We’ll take Brussels, thanks’

MEPs to Strasbourg: ‘We’ll take Brussels, thanks’: "

There are plenty of things to like about Strasbourg – the Christmas market, the soaring cathedral and the ambient spirit of Franco-German reconciliation. But you might not want to visit the place 12 times a year.

That appears to be the verdict of members of the European Parliament, who – in one of the European Union’s stranger rituals – decamp to the Alsatian capital roughly once a month for a plenary session. Accompanying them on their journey from Brussels are thousands of journalists, assistants and diplomats – as well as a special trainload of files.

But a new study commissioned by Briton Edward McMillan-Scott, a Liberal Democrat MEP, indicates that 91 per cent of MEPs and their staff find the trip intolerable and would prefer to stay put in Brussels. Schlepping to Strasbourg is inefficient, they say, and takes a toll on their work and emotional life.

The study, carried out by the University of Zurich, concluded that scrapping the Parliament’s Strasbourg sessions would save 180m euros a year while sparing 19,000 tonnes in carbon emissions.

Mr McMillan-Scott called the arrangement “an anachronism” – particularly at a time of savage austerity in much of the EU. “In today’s climate, the economic and environmental cost of two seats can no longer be justified,” he said. Now that MEPs have sweeping new powers with the Lisbon Treaty, they should at least be able to decide where they work, he suggested.

The UK government is throwing its weight behind the report, saying it “makes clear what a huge and unnecessary waste of time and resource it is for the European Parliament to have a seat both in Brussels and in Strasbourg.”

Brussels blog can also add a few personal complaints to Mr McMillan-Scott’s campaign. For starters, the exorbitant rates charged by Strasbourg’s hotels are a big drain on our travel budget, and suggest the locals are motivated by something other than the spirit of reconciliation. We also tend to get hopelessly lost in the Strasbourg Parliament building, which has a unique ability to make one feel as though they have been trapped in an Escher print. It would also be nice if someone thought to sell food or water on the five-hour train journey from Brussels.

Sensible as they may seem, though, Mr McMillan-Scott’s efforts are probably in vain. The city has already resisted a slew of campaigns to unseat it. One of the most forceful was a petition that has garnered more than 1m signatures from European citizens. It has also proven impervious to acts of nature. Last year’s volcanic ash cloud, which grounded flights across the continent and forced the cancellation of several ministerial meetings, was not enough to halt the Parliament’s Strasbourg plenary session. Ditto for an outbreak of Legionnaires disease and a collapsed roof in the chamber where MEPs vote.

As much as MEPs may dislike it, the city’s status is enshrined in the European treaties. Changing that would require unanimous approval from all 27 member states – something that France would never allow. So, like many other quirks of EU life, Strasbourg’s opponents should probably stop dreaming about defeating it and try to make the best of it. Speaking of which, did we mention the lovely Christmas market?

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