Keeping the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, even in an adapted and streamlined format, is still the official line of the European institution, which is gradually resuming its service after the summer break.
“The Conference of Presidents (CoP) of the European Parliament decided in July, in consultation with the French authorities, that the next plenary sessions will again be held in Strasbourg, the seat of the Parliament”, said Parliament spokesman Jaume Duch on Friday 28 August. “If, in the future, developments require further decisions to be taken, it would be up to the President and the CoP to decide”, he added.
The decision will be taken by the CoP on 10 September at the latest, which will adopt the final agenda for the plenary session.
The first session of the new Parliament is important because it includes the first State of the Union address by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, scheduled for Wednesday 16 September. In July, it was a question of holding political debates in the morning and meetings of the political groups in the afternoon.
As of 28 August, the Belgian authorities required increased vigilance for travel to the French department of Bas-Rhin, where Strasbourg is located, which is classified as an orange zone. They only require quarantine for returns from a red zone, such as certain French departments or Spanish communities.
According to an e-mail from its Director General, Kristian Knudsen, sent to staff on Thursday 27 August and consulted by EUROPE, Parliament’s Human Resources Department asks anyone “returning from a red or orange zone” (according to the classification of the Belgian authorities) to observe a strict 14-day quarantine by teleworking at home.
Staff returning from an orange zone with a function totally incompatible with teleworking may, if necessary, be invited by their department to return to Parliament before that time, after a thorough risk analysis by the medical teams. But “the Parliament’s doctor’s offices and the Interinstitutional Medical Board recommend the utmost caution”, the e-mail points out.
Parliament’s Human Resources Department points out that the Belgian national quarantine measures apply to staff of international organisations such as the European Parliament, with the exception of essential activities directly related to their function.
Entry to the European Parliament is prohibited with a body temperature above 37.7°C
During the summer recess, Parliament tightened its entry conditions into its premises.
In addition to the usual safety checks, wearing a mask when moving around inside the premises and physical distancing are mandatory, as is temperature taking both on entry and exit. “Access to Parliament will be denied to anyone whose body temperature reaches or exceeds 37.7°C, or who refuses to have their body temperature measured”, according to new guidelines adopted on Wednesday 26 August by Parliament President David Sassoli, of which EUROPE has been given a copy. These guidelines are in effect until at least 25 September.
The same applies to anyone who is known to have been in contact with a person with coronavirus and has not received medical confirmation of good health.
Numerous postponed works
Faced with such a situation, the work of Parliament cannot proceed normally. Thus, until further notice, meetings of delegations (except at a distance in urgent cases), hearings in parliamentary committees, election observation missions outside the EU, staff missions, seminars – including for the press, any cultural event organised on Parliament premises – including individual events organised by an MEP after 8 p.m. and for which a derogation had been granted, remain prohibited.
Finally, in Brussels, the serial numbers of laptops will be noted at each entrance to cope with the increase in theft of equipment observed during lockdown.
See Mr Sassoli’s decision: https://bit.ly/2QwKlsD (Original version in English by Mathieu Bion)