The dangers of the sovereign debt crisis still loom large over the eurozone - Portugal is likely to need a bail-out soon.
EU member states are working out how best to help Japan deal with the aftermath of the worst earthquake in the country's history.
Meanwhile, trust in the EU is at an all time low in many countries across Europe.
Mundane issues such as these should not, of course, distract from the really important issue - maintaining MEPs' €180 million/20,000 CO2 a year Strasbourg seat (in addition to their ordinary seat in Brussels and their secretariat in Luxembourg).
At least, that's how France sees it. The French government has said it will challenge the decision at the ECJ, taken by a majority of MEPs to scrap one - we repeat just one - of Strasbourg's annual sessions (the EP holds two plenary sessions in the autumn to compensate for MEPs' extended holiday season.)
The French Europe Minister Laurent Wauquiez explains why:
"The parliament building in Strasbourg is the symbol of a Europe closer to citizens, a Europe that is proud of its symbols. The government will not accept the knife-attack on the contract which is in the treaties."Well of course. Now it all makes sense.
Succinctly put and cleverly highlighting the daily farce we all in the EU are forced to powerlessly watch with increasing astonishment. Now even Juncker says the following according to Reuters:
ReplyDelete"Not as chaiman of the Eurogroup, but as Luxembourg prime minister I don't like this link between the corporate tax issue and the so-called Irish package,"
Does Juncker not yet realise, such is the very essence of the present EU?
Surely Open Europe's controllers must re-appraise their support for a continuation of this growing tyrannical monstrosity?
You other idiots in the EU. You are clearly anti-French, the most, indeed the only truly glorious country in the EU. Be careful, we produced the Terror which took care of anyone with an IQ over 75 and established our famous French gene pool today. Be careful we produced one of the greatest democrats the world has known, our revered Napoleone Buonoparti.
ReplyDeleteIt says in the Treaties that the EU will buy space and services in Stasbourg. We will scream and scream until we are sick. Hopefully we will stick to our principles and if you don't use Strasbourg we will leave the EU.
Closer to the citizen at a cost of € 180 million. Thanks to Mr Laurent Wauquiez, we now know how grateful we must be, but how does he think he 'll come closer to - for instance- someone in Denmark, from Strasbourg instead of Brussles?
ReplyDeleteWhy does the EU go through the farcical election of 627 MEP's at enormous cost to the tax-payer if they have no power to enforce their decision to cancel just one of their bi-annual trips (along with their entourage) on the elite gravy train to Strasbourg ?
ReplyDeleteThe parliament building in Strasbourg is the symbol of a Europe closer to citizens, a Europe that is proud of its symbols.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of bull. I thought that the Union was to drop it's symbols (Rag and dirge) when they changed the Constitution to the Lisbon Treaty. Or is it only expensive irrelevant symbols in France that matter?