MEPs called to vote on future of EU parliament

MEPs were given their first chance to make a direct comment on the future of the European parliament this week by a group campaigning for reform.

The group, led by German MEP Alexander Alvaro, was behind the highly successful web-based campaign, www.oneseat.eu, that garnered over a million signatures backing its call for an end to parliament’s Strasbourg seat.

The ballot, which took place on 4 June, was the first time that MEPs have been asked directly for their opinion on parliament’s double seat dilemma.

MEPs were asked if parliament should have just one seat, whether it should be in Brussels or Strasbourg and whether parliament should have the sole right to decide where it sits.

The European parliament is the only parliament in the world with two seats and no sovereign right to decide where to sit – that right belongs to member states.

Alvaro is hoping that the results of the poll – due to be revealed soon – will send a strong signal about the need for reform.

“For 48 days every year, the European parliament treks from Brussels to Strasbourg, MEPs and staff pack up entire offices, book thousands of euros worth of air, rail, car and hotels and spend on average ten hours travelling to an otherwise deserted building,” Alvaro told The Parliament Magazine.

“The two-seat arrangement is responsible for thousands of tons of completely unnecessary additional carbon dioxide emissions, more than some countries’ entire emissions.”

The ballot is an attempt to put the call for reform back to the top of parliament’s agenda after the petitions committee failed to act on the request for a formal response to the oneseat.eu campaign.

Alvaro is under no illusions as to the likelihood of change if decisions on the location of EU institutions remain subject to unanimity among member states, however.

“Qualified majority voting should be introduced in the council when it comes to deciding the seat of the EU institutions.”

“Such a move would not only allow parliament to save over a billion euros in each parliamentary term but would also ensure that MEPs, who are responsible for approving the EU’s budget, also have a say on how the money in their own institution is spent.”

The full article by Alexander Alvaro can be found here.

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