New treaty must bring curtain down on Strasbourg travelling circus
Posted, July 10, 2007 @ 16:00
Conservatives urge Treaty conference to abolish the Strasbourg seat of the European Parliament as the two-seat farce continues to pump 20,000 tons of CO2 into our atmosphere
Strasbourg: 11th July -- Conservatives will force a vote in the European Parliament today aimed at re-opening the Inter-Governmental Conference agenda in order to finally deal with the so-called Strasbourg "travelling circus".
One million European citizens have signed a petition calling for the European Parliament to have one seat only in Brussels. This was a major expression of the will of the people, not only because abolishing the 12 annual trips from Brussels to Strasbourg would save taxpayers about £140 million a year, but also cut 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
However, change can only happen with the consent of all member states as the Strasbourg location is legally enshrined in the Amsterdam Treaty.
Timothy Kirkhope MEP, Conservative Leader in the European Parliament, who was the first major UK party leader to sign the one seat petition aimed at removing the European Parliament from Strasbourg says: "Having a second parliamentary seat effectively means pouring millions of pounds paid by British taxpayers down the plughole and such nonsense destroys voters' trust in the EU. The amendment to the IGC resolution we will vote on today calls for the issue of Parliament's two seats to be included in the mandate. I believe this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that Europe is listening to the people. The continuing vast expense of shuttling between Brussels and Strasbourg undermines the standing of this Parliament and should be resolved soon."
Richard Ashworth MEP, Conservative Budget Spokesman, said:
"French national grandstanding is hastening climate change and undermining EU efforts to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, the target adopted in March this year.
"However, this is an issue that can be addressed only by the Intergovernmental Conference. I therefore urge this Parliament to take action on this matter and to raise the subject in advance of the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference. Surely the time has come for this Parliament to listen to and respond to the concerns and the demands of one million European citizens and to debate this issue properly."
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