Every month, members of the European Parliament travel from Brussels to Strasbourg for a plenary session. Amid the energy price crisis in Europe, some propose abandoning the costly “travelling circus”.
Like the other EU institutions, the European Parliament (EP) has its headquarters in Brussels, where most of its decisions are taken.
However, once a month, hundreds of politicians flock to the EP’s second headquarters in France’s Strasbourg for the four-day plenary sessions. They are accompanied by a large group of journalists, staff, and the European Commission president with her entire cabinet.
MEPs and staff are transported from Brussels to Strasbourg by chartered trains. Those who miss them have to take regular trains, often with a change in Paris. The journey can cost up to 400 euros.
The “travelling circus” that arrives in Strasbourg fills the city’s hotels, where one night’s stay cost several hundred euros, depending on the location and room type.
The costs are reimbursed from the EP’s budget, while MEPs and other staff also receive a daily allowance. At the end of the four-day plenary session, the Strasbourg EP buildings remain virtually empty, with only around 100 people working there permanently.
Nobody likes travelling
Constant travelling between Brussels and Strasbourg is tiring and unnecessary, say Lithuanian MEPs.
“I arrived very late yesterday because my plane was delayed for 2.5 hours. There are problems, and everyone who works here knows very well that it would be much easier if there was one workplace instead of two,” MEP Juozas Olekas told LRT.lt during the plenary session in Strasbourg.
According to him, it would be appropriate to do away with such travels amid the energy price crisis in Europe. A similar decision was taken at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the MEPs met only remotely or in Brussels for more than a year, Olekas stressed.
MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė pointed out that Strasbourg is also an inconvenient location – the city is relatively small, and few trains and flights go there.
“Brussels has better infrastructure, better working conditions, and better transport links. Money is wasted on travelling, and it does not bring any benefits,” she said.
Foreign politicians have also urged the EU leaders to abandon the monthly commute to Strasbourg. For example, German MEP Daniel Freund of the Group of the Greens told Politico that spending money on heating and lighting huge buildings when millions of Europeans are worried about energy bills is unacceptable.
However, MEP Aušra Maldeikienė argues that while trips to Strasbourg are tiring and inefficient, it is important to maintain unity in the face of the crisis.
“It seems to me that when there is a crisis, it is not about saving billions but about maintaining a friendship. France is a very important player. And this presence in Strasbourg is a demonstration of who we all are together,” she said.
Never empty
According to the EP spokesperson Jaume Duch Guillot, the debate on travelling to Strasbourg is very old. However, the largest EU countries oppose the proposals to abandon the second headquarters.
“The last time, a majority of MEPs voted to hold meetings in one city. But if you asked the French authorities, they would say Strasbourg should be this city,” Duch Guillot told LRT.lt.
When Strasbourg is not holding plenary sessions, the EP building is used for other purposes, the spokesperson stressed.
“Part of the building is not heated when Strasbourg is not in session, while the other part is used because we receive thousands of visitors and organise conferences. The building is never empty,” he said.
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