Brussels, 26/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - On 25 September in Brussels, the Belgian Liberal MP, Fientje Moerman, launched an appeal to Belgian Members of the European Convention to put a halt to the European Parliament using three places to carry out its work (Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg). She is therefore proposing to revise Article 289 of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which obliges the Parliament to use these three places, and effectively focus its activities uniquely in Brussels where the other EU institutions are based.
In this connection, Ms Moerman referred to the report of the Secretary General of the European Parliament, concerning the annual cost of maintaining three EP workplaces and which has been sent to Members of the European Convention (see EUROPE yesterday p 15). According to this report, the annual cost of geographical dispersion over the three places of work of the European Parliament amounts to EUR 169 million, more than 16% of Parliament's annual operating costs (personnel, infrastructure, miscellaneous). After enlargement, this will further increase to EUR 203 million. Ms Moerman says that she is "shocked" by the costs and that this is, "an unacceptable waste of the European taxpayer's money".
Speaking at a press conference, Ms Moerman explained that the money saved by focusing work in Brussels could be used more effectively in maintaining the principle of the equality of languages at the EP. "The use of the so-called "small" languages is under threat, but the cost of maintaining the use of all languages in the EP after enlargement would be far less than the surplus operating cost of maintaining three places of work (EUR 153 million". Ms Moerman also declared that the European Parliament is made up of local politicians whom they would not expect to systematically know several different languages. She explained that it was not like the European Commission where officials who work there are required to know three languages or more to carry out their work. The Liberal MP said that the ideal situation would be for the EP to meet exclusively in Brussels as it was the least expensive solution and that in the past she had worked over a number of year as a Liberal politician at the European Parliament. Ms Moerman repeated that the proposal put forward by several Belgian MEPs regarding the holding of Parliamentary sessions in Berlin (after enlargement it would in the centre of the EU) would be extremely expensive because they would need to build an Assembly building.