Strasbourg  'spinelessness' angers EU deputies

Rebel MEPs are set to fight a decision by centre-right and socialist European parliament leaders to drop the question of the EU assembly’s Strasbourg seat.

The move means that parliament president Josep Borrell was instructed to carry out a sharp U-turn that will anger many MEPs.

Liberals, Greens and eurosceptics have united in fury at an attempt by the EPP and socialist group leaderships to kill off debate over the parliament’s second seat in the French Alsace city.

Leader of the centre-right EPP bloc Hans Gert-Poettering secured the backing of Martin Schulz, leader of the parliament’s socialists, to drop the issue at a Thursday meeting of party chiefs.

But many rank-and-file centre-left deputies may rebel to join dissidents determined to keep the issue on the EU agenda - especially after earlier Schulz calls for a change.

The monthly travelling circus between Brussels and Strasbourg costs over €200m every year amid an ongoing rent scandal over the lease of parliament buildings there.

Over the last month alone, over 570,000 EU citizens have signed an online petition calling for a single Brussels seat for the parliament.

Liberal leader Graham Watson told TheParliament.com that between 75 to 80 per cent of his ALDE group believe MEPs should chose where the parliament meets.

“This not about Strasbourg, it is a question of where the European parliament sits. The ALDE group believes the parliament should decide on its own seat,” he said.

“We deplore the spinelessness of Schulz and Poettering on this issue. This will not go away.”

Borrell told journalists he had dropped the issue after writing to the EU presidency and being told a June 14 council of Europe’s leaders would not consider change.

“It is not on the agenda that we will return to this question. I do not think this is the most serious problem confronting the EU, there are many much more serious questions than this,” he said.

“We already have the views of the council, there is little point of returning and raising this question afresh.”

Watson disagrees with Borrell and argues that as the EU moves towards a new institutional settlement in 2008 the time is ripe.

“If we are going to negotiate a new treaty it would be madness not to include the question of parliament’s seat,” he said.

Co-leader of the eurosceptic Independence/Democracy groups of MEPs Jens-Peter Bonde told TheParliamenbt.com that rebel deputies will start meeting in Brussels even during Strasbourg sessions.

“Members of the parliament can decide to meet in Brussels, and this is nothing against the city of Strasbourg, to discuss proposals from the European commission’s weekly meetings,” he said.

“I think it will take a year for this proposal to gather momentum.”

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