EU parliament to hold second plenary in Brussels

Parliament’s bosses have announced that this month’s second plenary will take place in Brussels.

They say the move is necessary because ongoing works to make safe the Strasbourg building, part of which collapsed during the summer, has not been completed in time.

Following the collapse of part of the suspended ceiling of the chamber on 7 August, parliament undertook work to repair it and ensure the whole ceiling was safe.

It also organised an inspection of all the suspended ceilings in meeting rooms, corridors, canteens and entrance halls in all the buildings.

Inquiries, though, have revealed two major issues of 'non-compliance' in the area of the walkways running either side of the central "garden corridor" of the Louise Weiss building.

A parliament spokesman confirmed, “It has not been possible, despite the efforts of parliament's services and the assistance of the French authorities, to remedy in time the situation of force-majeure which prevents the institution from meeting all the conditions for safe use of the Strasbourg site.

“The complete set of reports from independent experts, including those on the parts of the buildings still being inspected, will not be ready until 22 September.

“On the basis of a recommendation from parliament's bureau and from the institution's secretary general, parliament’s president, Hans-Gert Pöttering, considers it necessary to move its activities during the second September session from 22 to 25 September to Brussels for reasons of safety."

Reaction to the move was swift with German Socialist deputy Jo Leinen saying, "This decision will be welcomed by members of parliament and officials with great relief. The travelling circus consumes too much personal and financial resources.

“The issue of parliament's place of work has to be put on the political agenda.

"The French presidency should engage in a dialogue with parliament in order to find an acceptable solution for the future.

“Parliament must be in the position to decide by itself on its location", demanded Leinen, who is chairman of the constitutional affairs committee.

“With a single seat not only taxpayer's money could be saved but the environment would benefit too.

"If parliament were to convene in only one city, its work could be organised much more flexibly and efficiently than with the current monthly plenary weeks in Strasbourg."

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