SINGLE MEETING PLACE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PART-SESSIONS WILL BE HELD IN STRASBOURG .
42 IN THAT RESPECT IT MUST BE OBSERVED THAT ALTHOUGH THE HOLDING OF SESSIONS OF THE PARLIAMENT IS NOT EXPRESSLY MENTIONED IN THE DECISION OF 8 APRIL 1965 , ARTICLE 1 THEREOF STATES THAT ' ' LUXEMBOURG , BRUSSELS AND STRASBOURG SHALL REMAIN THE PROVISIONAL PLACES OF WORK OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY ' ' . AT THE TIME THE HOLDING OF THE PLENARY SITTINGS OF THE PARLIAMENT WAS THE ONLY ACTIVITY OF THE COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS WHICH REGULARLY TOOK PLACE IN STRASBOURG . THE DECLARATIONS ADOPTED BY THE MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE ENTRY INTO FORCE BOTH OF THE ECSC TREATY AND THE EEC AND EAEC TREATIES HAD ALREADY CLEARLY SHOWN THE INTENTION OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES THAT THE ' ' ASSEMBLY WILL MEET IN STRASBOURG ' ' .
43 IT IS TRUE THAT AS FROM 1967 THE PARLIAMENT ADOPTED THE PRACTICE OF HOLDING UP TO HALF ITS PLENARY SITTINGS IN LUXEMBOURG . IT IS ON THAT PRACTICE AND THE DECISION TAKEN IN 1981 TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO THAT THE LUXEMBOURG GOVERNMENT RELIES IN CLAIMING THAT THE DECISION TO HOLD ALL THE PLENARY SITTINGS IN STRASBOURG IS CONTRARY TO THE DECISIONS OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES IN THE MATTER .
44 IT IS APPROPRIATE NEVERTHELESS TO OBSERVE THAT THE PRACTICE HAD BEEN DECIDED UPON BY THE PARLIAMENT OF ITS OWN MOTION AND HAD NEVER BEEN APPROVED EITHER EXPRESSLY OR BY IMPLICATION BY THE MEMBER STATES . ON THE CONTRARY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT SEVERAL TIMES DENIED THAT THE PRACTICE WAS COMPATIBLE WITH THE DECISIONS OF THE MEMBER STATES AND REQUESTED THAT IT BE CHANGED . THE LUXEMBOURG GOVERNMENT IS THEREFORE WRONG IN ALLEGING THAT THE PRACTICE HAD CREATED A CUSTOM IN ITS FAVOUR SUPPLEMENTING THE DECISIONS OF THE MEMBER STATES IN THE MATTER AND REQUIRING THE PARLIAMENT TO HOLD PART OF ITS PLENARY SITTINGS IN LUXEMBOURG .
45 THAT ASSESSMENT IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE CONFERENCE ON THE SEAT OF THE INSTITUTIONS WHICH TOOK PLACE IN 1981 . IN VIEW OF THE DIFFERENCES EXISTING WITH REGARD TO ITS CONCLUSIONS AND THE ABSENCE OF ANY ALTERATION IN THE DECISIONS TAKEN PREVIOUSLY , THE DECLARATION TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO WITH WHICH THE CONFERENCE ENDED CAN BE UNDERSTOOD ONLY AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE INTENTION NOT TO CHANGE THE PREVIOUS LEGAL POSITION . THAT DECLARATION DOES NOT THEREFORE PREVENT THE PARLIAMENT FROM ABANDONING A PRACTICE WHICH IT HAD BEGUN OF ITS OWN MOTION .
46 IT FOLLOWS THAT THE DECISION OF THE PARLIAMENT TO HOLD IN FUTURE ALL PLENARY SITTINGS IN STRASBOURG IS NOT CONTRARY TO THE DECISIONS OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES IN THE MATTER AND IS NOT BEYOND THE POWERS OF THE PARLIAMENT .
( C ) THE HOLDING OF MEETINGS OF COMMITTEES AND POLITICAL GROUPS IN BRUSSELS
47 IN THE SECOND PLACE THE DISPUTED RESOLUTION RECORDS IN PARAGRAPH 3 ( B ) THE