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Call to Halt European Parliament "Travelling Circus"
April 27, 2004 5:33 PM
Sarah Ludford MEP and the Liberal Democrats are campaigning for reforms to make Europe work for you
London's LibDem Euro-MP Baroness Sarah Ludford is campaigning to save taxpayers £140 million (€200 million) a year by ending the European Parliament's 'travelling circus'.
This is the cost of the present farce of a monthly movement of more than 3,000 MEPs, assistants, officials and interpreters from Brussels in Belgium - the Parliament's main base, at the heart of the EU institutions - and Strasbourg in France. Brussels is used for all committee meetings and the Strasbourg parliament building is used for only 4 days a month, standing empty for more than 300 days each year.
MEPs are not able to decide their own place of work and are forced to trek to Strasbourg by a 1992 treaty agreed by former Conservative Prime Minister John Major, ratified by the British parliament and never challenged by Tony Blair.
Sarah Ludford accused Tony Blair of failing to make reform a priority in his discussions with other EU governments:
"The responsibilities of the European Parliament are growing all the time, Euro-MPs now have more influence over the making of many laws than backbench MPs at Westminster, and a huge majority of MEPs want to change these ridiculous travel arrangements. Yet we are forced to continue because the current Prime Minister has failed to push for change."
Liberal Democrats are key founders of the Campaign for Parliament Reform, which aims to make the work of the European Parliament more open and efficient. It already has the support of 90 Euro-parliamentarians from 13 different countries and Sarah Ludford was an early signatory. Every candidate standing in the European elections in June is being asked to pledge support for a single base in Brussels and reform of the system for travel expenses so they are reimbursed at cost*.
Baroness Ludford added:
"It is ridiculous that taxpayers' money should be wasted by having two separate places to meet. I have signed the pledge and urge other candidates of all parties to do likewise so voters know who is really committed to making Europe work for them."
Note
*The text of the pledge is as follows:
If elected Member of the European Parliament in June 2004, I pledge to work for
• Greater Efficiency by demanding an end to the European Parliament's three working places arrangement, and giving it a single seat - in Brussels;
• Enhanced Transparency through reform of the system of expenses, including the reimbursement of travel expenses only on the basis of costs actually incurred;
• Improved Accountability, through the introduction of a strengthened code of conduct setting out MEPs' rights and responsibilities, and through further reform of Parliament's Rules of Procedure.
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