Sarkozy Urged to Help Bring Curtain Down on Two Seat Farce

Strasbourg, 13th November 2007 -- The Conservative Leader in the European Parliament today called on French President Nicolas Sarkozy to help end the anomaly of having two European Parliament seats in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The cost of maintaining a presence in both countries is accepted to be more than £100 million a year - and the monthly Brussels to Strasbourg commute produces an enormous carbon footprint when Europe is legislating on cuts in greenhouse emissions.

Conservative MEPs have long campaigned for one seat, and in a letter handed to President Sarkozy during his visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, leader Timothy Kirkhope MEP urged the President to take a lead in this issue, as preparations are made for the French Presidency of the EU in 2008.

Timothy said: "Recently, more than one million European citizens signed an online petition calling for the European Parliament to be based in one place. I believe they are right.

"Most MEPs would welcome a positive initiative on the issue and many millions of taxpayers would benefit from the savings accrued. Above all, solving this problem would demonstrate to citizens across the EU that politicians are serious not only about spending their money wisely, but that we care about the environment."

ENDS

Letter to President Sarkozy:

Mr President,

I welcome you to the European Parliament today and wish you well.

It is timely that you should be here in Strasbourg today. As you may know, there is a very large majority in this Parliament who support the principle of the European Parliament having one place where it meets to conduct business.

We understand the historical resonance of Strasbourg and the reasons why it was chosen to be the official seat of the Parliament. However, in the twenty-first century, it is becoming indefensible to have the work of Parliament conducted in two cities and two countries. The vast bulk of the parliamentary work we undertake is now centred in Brussels and, I believe it is now long overdue to end the anomaly of having two seats in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The cost of maintaining the presence in Brussels and Strasbourg is now widely accepted to be over £100 million per year. This sends all the wrong messages to our citizens. They, like me, cannot comprehend why so much taxpayers' money is used to pay for what many people now call 'the travelling circus'.

Further, there is the important issue of the environmental impact of the monthly commute between Brussels and Strasbourg for MEPs and the thousands of civil servants who have to make this unnecessary journey. In an authoritative report commissioned by Green MEPs earlier this year, it was shown that the Brussels-Strasbourg commute produces emissions equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced each year by the entire population of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the West Indies. Earlier this year, the EU agreed a target of cutting greenhouse emissions by 20% by 2020. This was a great step forward for the EU and showed that we are taking the climate change challenge seriously. Europe's governments should now ensure that we practice what we preach by ending the enormous carbon footprint that maintaining two Parliament seats produces.

You will also be aware that, recently over 1,000,000 European citizens signed an online petition calling for the European Parliament to be based in one place. I believe they are right and I urge you, as preparations are made for the French Presidency in 2008, to take a lead in this matter. Most MEPs would welcome a positive initiative on the issue and many millions of taxpayers would benefit from the savings accrued. Above all, solving this problem would demonstrate to citizens across the EU that politicians are serious not only about spending their money wisely, but that we care about the environment.

I trust that you will be able to take forward this issue to a successful conclusion.

Timothy Kirkhope MEP

Leader

Conservatives in the European Parliament