By Martin Banks - 17th September 2008
It is too early to quantify the cost of the missed parliamentary sessions but, clearly, the absence of so many people here each month is going to have a detrimental impact on the city’s economy
spokesman for the Strasbourg chamber of commerce
The Mayor of Strasbourg has made a thinly-veiled plea for parliament to return to the city "as soon a possible."
The building in the French city cannot be used because part its hemicycle ceiling collapsed during the summer. The cave in forced parliament's first two post-recess plenary sessions to be held in Brussels.
EU law obliges the parliament to meet in Strasbourg 12 times a year and the total annual cost of the Strasbourg shuttle is estimated to be €203m.
Campaigners say moving everything the 352km from Brussels to Strasbourg is a waste of time and money and brand it a "travelling circus" while the Greens say the monthly trips also produce about 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
But to others, not least the French, basing parliament in Strasbourg is symbolically hugely important.
Now the Mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries, has weighed into the debate with what amounts to an appeal for parliamentary business to speedily resume so that that the local economy does not suffer.
He told this website that repairs to the building is well on track, the closure is only temporary and there was "no reason" why the monthly plenary sessions cannot resume in the "very near future."
He also suggested that those campaigning for a single seat for parliament should "seriously consider" moving parliament permanently, not to Brussels, but to his city.
His comments were echoed by a spokesman for the Strasbourg chamber of commerce who said that businesses, including hoteliers, restaurants and taxi drivers, would "welcome an early resumption" of parliament’s activities there.
"It is too early to quantify the cost of the missed parliamentary sessions but, clearly, the absence of so many people here each month is going to have a detrimental impact on the city’s economy."
A parliament spokesman said it was expected that the repair work will be completed in time for the October plenary to be held in Strasbourg.
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