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Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Will MEPs vote to keep the circus travelling?

The Parliament reports that only 235 MEPs have signed a written declaration calling for an end to the so-called “travelling circus” between Brussels and Strasbourg, which costs EU taxpayers €203m per year.

That is well short of the 393 MEPs, or more than half of the assembly’s deputies, needed for it to have a chance of becoming formal EU policy.

Slow-moving MEPs have until 15 January to sign it, so next week’s plenary in Strasbourg will be crucial.

One MEP, German ALDE member Alexander Alvaro, accused those colleagues who privately endorse the one-seat campaign but have yet to sign the declaration, of “hypocrisy”. He said, “They should stand up and be counted."

Hear hear.

5 comments:

CC said...

Might we have a list of those UK MEPs who haven't done so, if there are any?

Open Europe blog team said...

We're working on it... Watch this space

Anonymous said...

Surely if we must continue with this worthless body, it should be based in strasbourg, along side the real rulers of the eu, the unelected commission, close down brussells.

Anonymous said...

51 UK MEPs have signed, 7 out of 13Irish, 15 out of 19 Swedish, 11 out of 14 Danish, 7 out of 14 Finnish, 21 out of 27 Dutch, etc.

UK MEPs who have not signed are:
- those elected on a UKIP ticket, except for Tom Wise who did sign;
- Michael Cashman, as the only Labour MEP;
- Jean Lambert, as one of the two Green MEPs;
- Dan Hannan, who now sits with the non-attached (Roger Helmer did sign);
- Baroness Nicholson and high-fliers Graham Watson and Diana Wallis, of LidDem;
-Beazley, Bushill-Matthews, Elles, Jonathan Evans, Syed Kamall, Heaton-Harris, Sajjad Karim, Neil Parish, and John Purvis.

As far as political groups go, 58 out of 100 "liberal" (ALDE group) MEPs signed; 66 EPP-ED; 21 out of 43 Greens; 57 iyt if 217 PES group, etc.

Anonymous said...

AS TAX PAYERS WHO FOOT THE BILL FOR THE EXTRAVANCES OF THE EU IT IS WE WHO SHOULD DECIDE WHERE THE EU PARLIMENT IS TO BE LOCATED. THERE SHOULD DEFINATELY NOT BE TWO LOCATIONS AND THE CITIZENS OF THE UN SHOULD HAVE A POLL AS TO WHICH ONE IT SHOULD BE. THERE MUST BE A MONETARY ADVANTAGE TO THE MEMBERS WHO ARE PART OF THIS CIRCUS AND WHO WANT TO STICK WITH THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENTS. THIS REDICULOUS DARTING AROUND EUROPE SHOULD BE ON THE TOP OF THE AGENDA TO BE STOPPED. THE QUESTION IS HOW ARE WE TO GO ABOUT IT, WHO WILL LEAD THE WAY????? ALAN CURRIE