One Seat for the European Parliament

This week in Strasbourg, prominent ALDE MEPs Edward McMillan Scott and Alexander Alvaro host a conference on the question of a single seat for the European Parliament (EP). As stated in the Treaties, the European Parliament has three places of work: Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. Liberal MEPs and ELDR have long called for just one seat. The European Parliament is obliged by the governments of the EU member states to travel there for 12 four-day sessions a year, at an extra cost of €180 million and 19,000 tonnes of CO₂  each year.

On Tuesday 23 October, MEPs have voted overwhelmingly to invoke their new powers under the Lisbon Treaty to propose treaty changes. By 615 - 64, MEPs voted for a change to Protocol 6 of the Treaties which obliges the Parliament to travel twelve times a year to hold plenary sessions in Strasbourg and to include the issue in upcoming discussions with Member States on the EU's long term budget.

Mr McMillan-Scott said: "The Parliament is telling national governments that we will use our new powers to turn the corner on the anachronistic arrangement which keeps us away from the political capital of Europe - Brussels - for one week a month. This is in the [British government] Coalition agreement and we are trying to turn it into political practice. Ahead of the 2014 European elections, it is important that MEPs show their readiness to back greater efficiency by supporting consolidation of Parliament's own activities in a single seat. I hold no personal animosity towards Strasbourg as a city - on the contrary - but the other European institutions, Council and Commission, with which we have regular interaction, are based in Brussels."

In order to cut costs, MEPs previously voted to merge two Strasbourg sessions into one week this month. However, France is taking the European Parliament to the European Court of Justice over this arrangement with a judgement expected later this year.

The conference entitled "Towards 2014: A Single Seat and the European Elections" will look at the voting behaviour of MEPs, discuss how to initiate Treaty change with legal experts and look at alternatives for Strasbourg as well as ways to communicate with members of national parliaments and the media on this issue. A web stream is available on Wednesday 24 October between 13.30 and 15.30.

The Single Seat campaign is co-chaired by McMillan Scott and Alvaro. Find out more and to support the campaign: http://www.singleseat.eu