Euro-MPs celebrate anniversary with cash-saving call

12th March 2008

WALES Euro-MPs Glenys Kinnock and Eluned Morgan today marked the European Parliament's 50th anniversary with a call to abolish the Parliament's Strasbourg seat - and save taxpayers €200 million a year.

The European Parliament was founded exactly half a century ago to enable more democratic EU decision making. Today its 785 members work to ensure the EU addresses the needs of its people.

However, under European Treaty arrangements made binding by John Major in 1992, each month more than 700 MEPs and staff must travel from Brussels to Strasbourg for four days work.

Speaking from Strasbourg, GLENYS KINNOCK said:

"The development of a European Parliament, a diverse multilingual body representing the people of 27 countries is a unique and unprecedented achievement in international cooperation and it should be celebrated.

"But the fact is that a two-seat Parliament is no longer workable, nor is it necessary. Strasbourg costs €200 million a year - money which would be far better spent on investment in jobs or on more help for the developing world."

ELUNED MORGAN added:

"The best way to celebrate 50 years of the European Parliament is to establish one seat and to get rid of the current travelling circus between Brussels and Strasbourg."

When it was created in 1958 as the European Assembly, it had 142 members and limited consultation powers. Since then several reforms in the EU decision making process have made it into a key player in the legislative and budgetary processes of the EU, and a democratic counterweight to the European Commission.

The Lisbon Treaty, which is in an EU wide process of ratification, will further increase the efficiency and input of the European Parliament in 2009.