Leden EP roepen op tot schrappen vergaderingen in Straatsburg (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - MEPs have for the first time officially called for the Strasbourg seat of the European Parliament to be scrapped.

Members of the powerful Budgetary Control Committee voted yesterday (17 March) in favour of turning the Strasbourg building into a Pan-European university.

One of the main gripes by MEPs is the costs involved with having three seats for the European Parliament - in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg.

The overall annual cost is 185 million euro - "an unacceptable cost of taxpayers' money," says a report drawn up by Dutch MEP Michiel Van Hulten.

The report also said that the cost of maintaining the three places of work would rise to over 200 million euro per year following the accession of the 10 new Member States on 1 May.

The Budgetary Committee's call is the first formal step by the Parliament asking for Brussels to be the main seat.

"This is a historic vote. For the first time ever, Parliament has expressed a clear preference for Brussels as the location of its seat", said Mr van Hulten

Clearing up other issues

The report passed by the Committee yesterday also makes some other recommendations.

If the Parliament wants to enjoy true credibility and a good turnout at the European elections, it must get rid of its reputation for wasting taxpayers money. "The Parliament must now put its own house in order", says the report.

It criticised the fact "that on the basis of the existing rules, the difference between travel expenses paid out by the Parliament and actual costs incurred by a Member can amount to several tens of thousands of Euro per year."

However, Mr van Hulten'ss original call to change the system "without delay" and for it "to enter into effect at the beginning of the next parlament" was not adopted.

MEPs in the Budget Control Committee, also took out a passage contained in the draft version calling for taking away a taxi reimbursement scheme and for reforming the general allowances system to make it less opaque.