Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:00:00 GMT The States General of Europe <p class="normal"><span lang="EN-GB">The States General of Europe (EGE) has offered a forum for European citizens, opened to the public on the subject of Europe, its challenges and future. A program of cultural, sporting and fun activities to complement the 18 panels and workshops that provides an opportunity for all generations to speak. They are organized at the initiative of an independent civil society with a pluralistic and participatory approach.</span></p> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:00:00 GMT The Plenary Session of the European Parliament from April 19th to April 22nd <p class="normal"><span lang="EN-GB">The plenary session of the European Parliament will be held in Strasbourg from March 8th to March 11th.

The agenda for this session will include: debates on the general bodies of the European Union as well as on the Common Legislative and Work Program for 2010, questions for the President of the European Commission and a debate and vote on breaches of human rights, democracy and rule of law as well as other issues.</span></p> Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:00:00 GMT The Plenary Session of the European Parliament from March 8th to March 11th The plenary session of the European Parliament will be held in Strasbourg from March 8th to March 11th. The agenda for this session will include: consumer protection, long-stay visas, competition policy, the mobilization of the European Globalization Adjustment, the Common Foreign and Security Policy as well as other issues. Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 14-17 december in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues.

The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels. Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 23-26 november in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 19-22 october in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels.

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Session - 28 september - 2 october in Strasbourg The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the Council of Europe’s two main statutory bodies and represents the main political tendencies in its member states. The Assembly sees itself as the driving force in extending European co-operation to all democratic states throughout Europe. Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 14-17 september in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels.

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT Summer-show "Among the stars" <div style="text-align: justify;">This show evokes the identity and the history of Strasbourg, and its European identity, through aquatic, pyrotechnic and multimedia sumptuous special effects.<br/></div> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:00:00 GMT Summer-show "Highlights at the Cathedral's square" <div style="text-align: justify;">The Cathedral of Strasbourg is illuminated every evening to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Council of Europe. Every evening from July, the 12th till August, the 23rd, come and assist to a show of sounds and lights.<br/></div> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 13-16 july in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues.

The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:00:00 GMT Parliamentary Assembly Summer Session - 22-26 june in Strasbourg The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the Council of Europe’s two main statutory bodies and represents the main political tendencies in its member states. The Assembly sees itself as the driving force in extending European co-operation to all democratic states throughout Europe. Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:00:00 GMT European Picnic <div style="text-align: left;">Come with family or friends to the European Picnic, sponsored by the City of Strasbourg May 17, at <em>Jardin des Deux Rives</em>.

<p class="normal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br/> </span></p> </div> Sat, 16 May 2009 22:00:00 GMT Objective Europe: Club Europe Member Pierre Tubach Official Blog <div style="text-align: left;">Pierre Tubach, a self-proclaimed European, by birth and reason, was born early enough to witness the armed conflicts and their devastating effects on the European continent, but late enough to observe and appreciate the remedies to these effects. <br/> <br/><br/></div> Wed, 13 May 2009 22:00:00 GMT Launching of Internet Site to Celebrate the Council of Europe's 60th Year <div style="text-align: left;">For its 60th anniversary, the Council of Europe has created a site dedicated to its 60 years of history.

To retrace the history or understand the functioning and structure of the institution, simply visit “<a href="" class="link" xml:lang="en" lang="en">60 Years of History</a>” <br/></div> Tue, 05 May 2009 22:00:00 GMT May 3-17: Celebrate Europe in Strasbourg! <div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="normal"><span lang="EN-US">The year 2009 is a milestone year for Europe, marking several anniversaries of European institutions including the 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Council of Europe, the 50<sup>th</sup> of the European Court of Human Rights, the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the International Convention of Children’s Rights. It is in this perspective that Europe Day: Celebrate Europe, will be held for 15 days in Strasbourg.

Residents of the city and urban community as well as the Strasbourg Euro-District are invited to participate in the many diverse activities.</span></p> </div> Sat, 02 May 2009 22:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 4-7 may in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels. Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT Sunday March 3, 2009: Open Doors of European Parliament in Strasbourg <div style="text-align: left;">Each year, around Europe Day (May 9), the European Parliament opens its doors to the public. Numerous parliamentary political groups as well as non-partisan groups will have information stands assembled, offering a wide array of information on the Parliament and the upcoming European elections. <br/>Come and discover the European Parliament May 3, 2009 from 10 a.m.

to 6 p.m.<br/></div> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT Second Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Strasbourg— the 27 through 30 of April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will convene in Strasbourg at the Palais de l’Europe for the second parliamentary session of 2009. Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session - 27-30 april in Strasbourg The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the Council of Europe’s two main statutory bodies and represents the main political tendencies in its member states. The Assembly sees itself as the driving force in extending European co-operation to all democratic states throughout Europe.

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT Launching of Website Devoted to the 50 years of the European Court of Human Rights <div style="text-align: left;">The 50th anniversary of the European Court of Human Rights is celebrated this year through a series of initiatives, one of which is the creation of a internet site devoted to the 50 years of the Court. The launching of the site corresponds to the formal inauguration of the Court on April 20, 1959.<br/><br/></div> Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 20-24 april in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels.

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT March 23-26: Plenary Session of the European Parliament <div style="text-align: left;">For the March plenary session of the European Parliament, deputies will convene in Strasbourg to discuss several critical issues, among them including the midterm assessment of the 2007-2013 fiscal term, European food prices, political cohesion of the EU, customs exemptions within the European Community, the enforcement of security and fundamental liberties online, as well as multilingualism.<br/> <br/><br/></div> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 23-26 march in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues. The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels.

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT International Women's Day: Figures & Initiatives The Robert Schuman Foundation, in recognition of International Women’s Day, collected and compiled statistics on the gender parity in European government(s).<br/>In the twenty-seven national governments, on average, one out of four ministers is female (twenty-five percent). Finland leads the way with over fifty percent of its national government comprised of female ministers. Sweden and the Netherlands also have a strong female presence, with over forty percent representation. France, however, is under the European average with 18.5 percent female representation. Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 9-12 march in Strasbourg This plenary session of the European Parliament will be center largely around the current global economic financial crisis, in particular stimulating the EU economy and repairing its financial markets.

Other agenda includes preparation for the approaching European Council, March 19-20; decreasing industrial emissions; the accession negotiations of Croatia, Turkey, and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; as well as strategies to develop a more transparent EU.<br/>March 9, Simone Veil, former President of the European Parliament will speak in honor of International Women's Day as well as the 30th anniversary of the first European parliamentary, universal suffrage elections. Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT March 3-5: Plenary Session of the Congress of Local & Regional Powers This week's plenary session of the Congress of Local &amp; Regional Powers will hear several debates, on a wide arrange of topics. Topics to be discussed include, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, public water and sewer services for sustainable development, domestic violence, as well as democratic issues in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Thursday, the Congress will hold a debate on the continuing international economic crisis and its consequences on territorial Europe.<br/><br/><a href="" class="link" xml:lang="en" lang="en">For more information</a> Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT 18 Nominations for Eurimage-Supported films at the 2009 Cesars <div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US">“<em>Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,” </em>directed by Phillipe Claudel ; “Faubourg 36,” directed by Christophe Barratier; “Home,” directed by Ursula Meier; “<em>Les Grandes Personnes</em>,” directed by Anna Novion; “<em>Les Enfants de Timpelbach</em>,” directed by Nicolas Bary; “<em>Eldorado,</em>” directed by Bouli Lanners; and “<em>Le Silence de Lorna,</em>” directed by the Dardennes Brothers, are films supported by the Eurimage fund of the Council of Europe for the 20

09 Cesars.</span><a href="" class="link" xml:lang="en" lang="en"></a> <span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div> Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:00:00 GMT European Elections 2009: You Decide!

<div style="text-align: left;">In June 2009, 375 million constituents, of 27 member states will partake in the European parliamentary elections. Citizens will be voting for the 736 parliamentary deputies that will represent close to 500 million Europeans. For more information on the upcoming elections please visit the <a href="" class="link" xml:lang="en" lang="en">European Parliament web page.</a></div> Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT Parliamentary Assembly Winter Session - 26-30 january in Strasbourg The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the Council of Europe’s two main statutory bodies and represents the main political tendencies in its member states. The Assembly sees itself as the driving force in extending European co-operation to all democratic states throughout Europe. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary session of the European Parliament - 2-5 february in Strasbourg The plenary session of the European Parliament is where the Parliament formally sits to vote on EU legislation and adopt its position on political issues.

The plenary sessions take place 12 times a year in Strasbourg and there are also 6 mini-plenary sessions held in Brussels. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT Plenary Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe December 1 to 3 the autumn session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe will take place in Strasbourg. The Congress is a political assembly composed of representatives holding an electoral mandate as members of a local or regional authority in one of the member states. Its 318 full members and 318 substitute members represent over 200 000 European municipalities and regions. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Fourth part of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe September 29 to October 3, 2008 the fourth session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will take place in Strasbourg. The parliamentarians who make up PACE come from the national parliaments of the Organisation's 47 member states.

They meet four times a year to discuss topical issues and ask European governments to take initiatives and report back... Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT “Donate an organ, save a life” support online the proposal submitted to the European Union by the Lycée Robert Schuman in Haguenau This action proposal for the European Union was selected by an internet-based vote in May and June 2008 on all the proposals made by Alsatian high school students during the project: “Europe blog: Europe for and by high schools students”. This proposal was translated into all 23 official languages of the European Union and is now turned into an <a href="" class="link" xml:lang="en" lang="en">online petition</a> which all European citizens can support. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:00:00 GMT Launch of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union On the 1st of July, France will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. On the agenda, four main priorities : sustainable development and energy, immigration, defence and common agricultural policy.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Plenary session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg from 19 to 22 May On the agenda of the Plenary session of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg on 19 and 22 May: Climate change, prohibition of mercury exports from 2011, protection of the environment through criminal law, road transport, maritime policy, Common Agricultural Policy, animal health, equal-opportunities and non-discrimination, employment guidelines, consumer protection strategy, sustainable development and SME... MEPs will also vote on the dates of the Strasbourg and Brussels plenary sessions for 2009. Relating to international affairs, the European Parliament will debate on reform progress in Turkey, aid transport to Myanmar, the earthquake in China, rising food prices and development aid. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sweden takes over chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe The Chairmanship was transferred from Slovakia to Sweden in Strasbourg on 7 May at a meeting of the Ministers' Deputies of the 47 member states.

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Survey of the April plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg From 21 to 24 April, the European Parliament pleanry session took place in Strasbourg. These are the principal subjects the European deputies discussed about: question of the world food crisis, actions on the European level in the range of organ donation and transplantation, China’s policy in Africa, reinfocement of the statute of the European Ombudsman, sourcing of the European satellite navigation system Galileo...<br/>During this session the European deputies also received the Slovenian President Danilo Türk who adressed the European parliamentaries on Wednesday. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Official visit of Bernard Kouchner in the Council of Europe Bernard Kouchner, France’s Foreign Minister and Minister for European Affairs, has been received by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Thursday, 17 April, on the occasion of the second Plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly. He made a speech on Human rights, peace and Europe.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT From 14 to 18 April : Spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the Council of Europe’s two main statutory bodies and represents the main political tendencies in its member states. The Assembly sees itself as the driving force in extending European co-operation to all democratic states throughout Europe. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Survey of the Plenary session of the European Parliament in March From 10 to 13 March, the European Parliament met for the third time this year in Strasbourg. A highlight of this session has been the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Alsatian capital on 19 March 1958.<br/><br/>During this Plenary session, the European deputies also held a debate with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on the Spring Summit of the European Council in Brussels on 13 and 14 March. They honoured the victims of Eufor in Darfur.

The Parliament applied once again for the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt. Concerning every day life, the Parliament adopted a new regulation that aims to ensure a high level of aviation security throughout the EU and deals with in-flight-security measures, such as the deployment of “sky marshals”. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Council of Europe’s new building voted World’s Best Business Centre On 13 March 2008, the Council of Europe’s new building was voted Best Office Building in the World by a panel of professionals at the property industry's Annual Convention in Cannes. The Architects responsible for the building are Art + Build (Brussels), who worked in partnership with Denu + Paradon (Strasbourg).<br/><br/>The building - baptized AGORA after a vote of the agents of the Council of Europe was inaugurated on Tuesday, 17 April 2008, by Bernard Kouchner, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT European Parliament Prize of Journalism For the first time, the European Parliament will give a prize to journalists.

There will be four different categories: written press, television, radio and internet and the prize will be given to journalists who have dealt with major issues of European politics and have contributed in this way to a better communication between the citizens and the European institutions. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Jan Figel, Member of the European Commission for Education, Training, Culture and Youth meets Alsatian pupils Jan Figel, Member of the European Commission for Education, Training, Culture and Youth met two classes that participate in the project "l'Europe en blog : l'Europe pour et par les lycéens" (Europe for and by the pupils).

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT The European Parliament celebrates its 50th anniversary On 19 March 1958, the 142 deputies of the newly constituted European Parliamentary Assembly met for the first time in Strasbourg.<br/>In its <a href="" class="link popup" xml:lang="en" lang="en" onclick="return accessiblePopup(this);" title="(opens in new window)">50 years</a> of existence, the power of this assembly, which decides in 1963 to become the European Parliament, have grown continuously. In its origins the Parliament has been a simple consultative body and today it participates fully in the adoption of European legislation. Its 785 deputies meet one time a month in the Plenary session in Strasbourg, official chair of the Parliament.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Plenary session in the European Parliament from 18 to 21 February in Strasbourg <strong>Most important agenda idems of the February session:</strong><br/>- Presentation of several reports with the objective of adopting a common framework for the commercialisation of products,<br/>- Debates on the future of Europe with the participation of the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, member of the European Council,<br/>- Presentation of the report of Íñigo Méndez de Vigo and Richard Corbett about the Lisbon Treaty,<br/>- Presentation of the report of Françoise Castex about the demographic future of Europe ("L'avenir démographique de l'Europe "),<br/>- Solemn session: speech of John Agyekum Kufuor (photo European Commission), President of Ghana and President of the Council of the African League.<br/>Find here t<a href="" class="link popup" xml:lang="en" lang="en" onclick="return accessiblePopup(this);" title="(opens in new window)">he agenda of the next plenary session</a> Mon, 18

 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Heads of State or Government of the 27 Member States signed the Treaty in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 At the long-awaited signing of the new EU treaty, leaders from each of the 27 member countries put pen to treaty paper in a clear show of their willingness to take Europe into the 21st century.

Fittingly, the ceremony took place in the ornate Jeronimo monastery in Lisbon. Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Proclamation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights by the three European Institutions José Manuel Barroso, Commission President, Hans-Gert Pöttering, European Parliament President and José Sócrates, Portuguese Prime Minister and President-in-office of the EU Council, signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Sakharov Prize winner is Salih Mahmoud Osman Salih Mahmoud Osman is this year's winner of the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.<br/><span style="text-align: justify;">The €50,000 Sakharov prize has been presented in a ceremony on 11 December in Strasbourg, during the Parliament's plenary session.</span> Why the EU parliament must stay in Strasbourg - The Local Why the EU parliament must stay in Strasbourg The Local/AFP The European parliament in Strasbourg, but should it move to Brussells?

Photo: Salim Shadid The Local/AFP 21 November 2013 17:53 CET+01:00 A campaign by MEPs to move the European Parliament from Strasbourg - leaving it with only its Brussels base - gained momentum this week. One French MEP tells The Local why it must remain in the symbolic city on the border with Germany - and says his view has nothing to do with him being French. When the European Parliament debated whether to move permanently from Strasbourg to Brussels this week British MEP Ashley Fox, one of the backers of the move, noted that only four MEPs stood up to voice their opposition "and they were all French." It seems barmy to many that in a time of economic crisis in Europe the parliament, at present, meets either in the Belgian capital or in the eastern French city of Strasbourg. More than 700 deputies and officials commute between the two for a few days a month. Not only that but administration of the parliament is based separately in a third country - Luxembourg.

But the growing support for the parliament to be based permanently in Brussels was seen clearly on Wednesday when MEPs adopted a text by 483 votes to 141 that backs changing the European Union treaty to allow the parliament itself, rather than member states, to decide on where it sits. 'A symbol of reconciliation' Paris sees it as step in the wrong direction and French MEP Philippe Boulland has slammed the move but tells The Local that it has nothing to do with his nationality and all to do with reconciliation. “It is not just because I am French that I am against the move. Yes many French MEPs are against the idea of leaving Strasbourg, because it is a city that is symbolic of reconciliation in Europe. “This is a city on the border between France and Germany, who not so long ago were in a conflict with each other. "Strasbourg is a symbol of their reconciliation and it is appropriate the parliament is here because France and Germany were the two founders of the united Europe and they are the two driving forces behind the EU. It’s also important to have a diversity in the locations of the institutions of the EU and not have them all centred in Brussels.

“It is true that having the parliament in two places complicates things, but we have to rise above that. "The symbolism of Strasbourg is more important. It is not even about protecting the city itself, the local officials can do that. If it was based in another French city or in a German city I would also be demanding that it remains there. “We have German and Greek deputies who support us," he added. Cost of split parliament '€204 million a year' The text supporting a move points to the fact the parliament would be "more effective, cost-efficient and respectful of the environment if it were located in a single place.” It estimated extra annual costs of the shuttle between the two cities at €156-204 million ($210-275 million), including the additional cost of the Strasbourg site at €103 million. But Boulland dismisses these arguments, insisting the campaign is being led by eurosceptics. “The cost of the European Parliament is between €51 and €55 million each year, which represents 0.4 percent of the EU budget. That works out a cost of 10 centimes per person, per year for people living in the EU.

It’s a false argument to talk about figures," he said. Those who back the move also point to the levels of carbon dioxide emissions linked to the to-ing and fro-ing, which are estimated at between 11,000 and 19,000 tonnes. Boulland however believes the authors of the report are greatly exaggerating this issue and also slammed them for presenting their petition, which claims to have 1.2 million names on it, of which the French MEP, says many are duplicates. He does however recognise that day to day life would be much simpler if the parliament was permanently in Brussels and that “it is much more comfortable to work there”, but other things are simply more important. “We can recognise that with the other institutions there, having the parliament in Brussels makes it much easier, but recognising history is important for building for the future," he said. What do you know about the European Parliament? | Anglia - ITV News 19 November 2013 at 3:25pm What do you know about the European Parliament?

The European Parliament chamber in Strasbourg, France Photo: ITV News Anglia / David Hughes It’s six months to the next European Elections in May 2014 but do we really know what goes on in the European Union and what MEPs get up to? The UK is split up into huge super constituencies which elect several Euro MPs using a proportional representation system of voting. That ensures all the main parties are represented and some of the smaller parties. In the East of England, there are seven MEPs representing the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. In the west of the Anglia region, people in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland have five MEPs representing the East Midlands while the Milton Keynes area is in a huge South East constituency with ten MEPs. Last time we voted for Members of the European Parliament in 2009 nearly two-thirds of people didn’t bother to vote.

The European Parliament meets in the French city of Strasbourg for one week a month Credit: ITV News Anglia / David Hughes There are 766 MEPs from 28 countries The UK has 73 MEPs the second highest number after Germany with 99 There are 23 official languages of the EU and the European Parliament employs around 700 full-time translators The European Parliament has three homes in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. The European Parliament has three main roles. It can debate and pass new European laws in conjunction with the Council of Ministers, which is made up of the governments of the members states. It also scrutinises the works of other EU institutions particularly the European Commission and it can also set the EU's budget along with ministers. Why does the European Parliament have three homes? The European Parliament meets for one week a month in the French city of Strasbourg and the rest of the time the MEPs are in Brussels or their constituencies. Some of the Parliament's staff work in Luxembourg. The EU Treaty stipulates the Parliament should meet in Strasbourg with committee meetings held in Brussels. MEPs are pushing for the Parliament to decide where they meet so they can end the monthly journey along the autoroute between Belgium and France.

With staff, equipment and paperwork having to make the monthly journey it costs about £8.4 million for each of the 12 plenary sessions a year held in Strasbourg. Last updated Tue 19 Nov 2013 From Brussels To Strasbourg: The European Parliament's Traveling Circus From Brussels To Strasbourg: The European Parliament's Traveling Circus April 23, 2012 Rikard Jozwiak Some studies have shown that holding a European Parliament session in Strasbourg every month costs EU taxpayers 180 million euros a year. (file photo) Share See comments BRUSSELS -- Along the corridors of European Parliament in Brussels, janitors are making their way from floor to floor, pushing trolleys loaded with black plastic trunks. It will take them five hours of work to cart some 6,000 cases down to the basement before loading them on to eight large trucks bound for Strasbourg. The black plastic trunks are essentially the mobile offices of approximately 5,000 staffers.

"On a Friday you open the trunk and you load it with the files you will need in Strasbourg the week after -- which you do not have electronically or which you prefer to have just with you," says Rosalie Biesemans, an MEP's assistant at the European Parliament. When the trunks arrive in the French city, the contents are unloaded and used in the Strasbourg offices of the European Parliament for a week, before they're packed up again and sent travelling 440 kilometers back to the Belgian capital. This cycle, which repeats itself every month, has become one of the European Union's odder features. The European Parliament's main base is in Brussels, where the majority of its work takes place in committees and political group meetings. But the EU treaty stipulates that one plenary session per month has to take place in Strasbourg. Additionally, the parliament's secretariat is located in Luxembourg. Losing Time And Money The European Parliament's travelling circus, as some here have dubbed it, is more than just an oddity. Form many it is a time-consuming and labor intensive nuisance -- and it is increasingly, coming under criticism. One problem, Biesemans points out, is lost man-hours.

"In that Strasbourg week, you lose a day by travelling," she says. "Everybody, every individual loses at least one day. The assistants are lucky in that respect that we only lose half day going there and half a day back but some of the MEPs don't get there in one day." Thousands of cases of material are carted back and forth between Strasbourg and Brussels each month Most parliamentarians and staffers drive from Brussels to Strasbourg, although some 740 of them cut their travel time by taking a fast train, subsidized by France's national rail company, which gets them there in four hours. Cost is also an issue. Studies have shown that holding a monthly session in Strasbourg costs EU taxpayers 180 million euros a year. Parliamentarians are becoming increasingly vocal in opposition to the arrangement. Nonbinding secret ballot votes on the issue show a clear majority favor one location for parliament, and for that location to be in Brussels, alongside other EU institutions. Tackling French Pride Biesemans' boss, the British MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, is the co-chairman of the Single Seat Campaign, a multi-party effort fighting to keep the parliament permanently in Brussels.

And despite France's obvious disposition to veto any changes, he remains confident the change will eventually be implemented. "Quite clearly there is French pride attached to this and we fully accept that," he says. "On the other hand we would like France to understand that it is only a matter of time before the European Parliament decides to move and I would advise the French to think very carefully for the alternatives for the city of Strasbourg and the buildings that exist there." McMillan-Scott hopes the change can be enacted by invoking an article in the EU treaty that stipulates MEPs can formally propose changes in this document to the governments of member states. In fact, some changes to the treaty have already passed in parliament. Last year MEPs voted to hold two monthly plenary sessions in Strasbourg in the same week in 2012 and 2013, thereby reducing the number of times they must travel from 12 to 11. But France and Luxembourg have challenged the move in the European Court of Justice. The verdict, expected this autumn, might set the scene for future battles. Other MEPs remain skeptical about forcing the issue.

The Czech MEP Libor Roucek claims he's in favor of a single seat but that parliament should instead focus its energies in the short term on making Strasbourg more easily accessible to MEPs and their staffs. "We can't decide it. If somebody wants to change it, the governments, in other words the Council, has to discuss it, change it and agreed on it. That means all 27 governments would have to agree. At the moment I think it is absolutely pointless to have a discussion about where to have the seat of the parliament." Rikard Jozwiak Rikard Jozwiak covers the European Union and NATO for RFE/RL from his base in Brussels.​ Write to him at rikard.jozwiak@gmail.com The farce of the EU travelling circus - Telegraph Europe The farce of the EU travelling circus The full cost of the travelling circus that sees MEPs decamp once a month from Brussels to Strasbourg can be disclosed.

And even though MEPs have voted to scrap a second parliament, the French government has the power to block any such move The cost of the European Parliament decamping from Belgium to Strasbourg, France, (pictured) once a month runs to more than £100m Photo: ALAMY By Robert Mendick , Chief Reporter 10:45PM GMT 11 Jan 2014 Follow It is perhaps the most outlandish of the European Union’s excesses; a £130 million travelling circus that once a month sees the European Parliament decamp from Belgium to France. Over the course of the weekend, some 2,500 plastic trunks will be loaded on to five lorries and driven almost 300 miles from Brussels to Strasbourg. On Monday, about 1,000 politicians, officials and translators will then make the same journey on two specially chartered trains hired at taxpayers’ expense. A few thousand more will go to Strasbourg by other means, as the European Parliament switches from Brussels, its permanent base, to its “official” home in northern France.

For the first time, the full detail of this “madness”, contained in official European documents, can be disclosed today by The Telegraph – and the price to taxpayers is astonishing. Related Articles Clegg: British people would not vote for EU exit 12 Jan 2014 In all, the EU admits that the monthly Strasbourg sitting, which lasts just four days, costs an additional £93 million a year. The Conservative Party in Europe, which is leading a campaign to abandon it, estimates the cost a little higher at £130 million, or about £928 million in the seven-year cycle of an EU budget. Among the costs are £250,000 a year to transport the plastic boxes containing documents, diaries and other items from Brussels to Strasbourg and back again. The boxes are left outside offices in Brussels on a Friday evening, collected by a courier company and driven to Strasbourg, where they are unloaded and left outside offices there. The process is repeated in reverse on Thursday evening. It is thought it costs up to £200,000 for the EU to charter two express trains to take officials, MEPs and others there on a Monday morning and back on a Thursday afternoon.

The trains stop only once at an airport in Paris to collect or drop MEPs and no ordinary member of the public can get on board, for a train which arrives in time for parliamentary sessions beginning in the afternoon. Many of the details are contained within a report into the “financial and environmental impact” of operating two parliaments , which was overseen by Klaus Welle, the secretary-general to the European Parliament, its top civil servant. Mr Welle had been requested by MEPs to give an accurate figure on the costs of two parliaments amid a growing clamour to scrap one of them. The report shows how taxpayers foot the £2.5 million bill for relocating freelance translators from Brussels to Strasbourg and back again, including costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses. Providing catering services in Strasbourg costs an additional £1 million, while extra medical support comes to some £330,000. In Strasbourg, extra money is needed for computers and IT support and for maintenance and security of the sleek parliament building, which was completed in 1999. In total, the cost of looking after the French buildings and infrastructure and other charges comes to about £50 million a year.

One source suggested that before each session begins, a maintenance crew visits every bathroom and turns on and off every tap to make sure no pipes have been blocked since they were last used and to rid the pipes of stale water. A spokesman said that the maintenance teams looked after the building just like any other. About 100 people are employed in Strasbourg full-time, even though the European Parliament meets for 12 sessions, each lasting four days, a total of only 48 days each year. But during those four-day sessions, the circus is in town. About 5,500 people pour into Strasbourg; not only politicians and officials but lobbyists, too. Hotels in Strasbourg typically double their rates when the EU comes to stay. Last week, the Hilton Hotel in Strasbourg was offering rooms at £82 for Sunday night, but this rose to a cheapest rate of £161 a night for Monday, when the sessions begin. One MEP said he booked his accommodation a staggering five years in advance to ensure obtaining a room at a reasonable rate.

For an EU obsessed by climate change and its possible effects, more embarrassing is the report’s admission that “10,200 tonnes of CO2 per year would be saved if Strasbourg were no longer used as a place of work”. That is the equivalent of 12,000 cars driving around the circumference of the world. In an attempt to cut emissions, at the end of last year MEPs were sent an email from the parliament’s helpdesk, informing them that, from now on, all televisions in Strasbourg would be switched off between plenary sessions. In other words, it suggests that for the previous 14 years, televisions had been left on for weeks at a time, even when MEPs were in Brussels rather than France. It goes on to explain how MEPs can switch their televisions back on. The helpdesk email. which has been passed to The Telegraph, states: “We hereby inform you that we took the initiative to turn off all the TV sets in Strasbourg between the sessions. “Apart from the substantial reduction of energy consumption, this action will also provide for a better protection of these devices in case of sudden electrical incident.

“When arriving to your office at Strasbourg, you will have to turn on again the TV before using the remote control to select your channel (the switch is located behind the TV set). “Please note that individual requests to turn on again your TV before your arrival can be addressed to the LSU MEP Helpdesk. Please also remember to turn off as many devices as you can before leaving your EP office in Brussels as well as in Strasbourg for the reasons explained above. “We are convinced as well as you that the sum of small actions can contribute to a better environment, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.” MEPs are fed up with the upheaval and cost created by the Strasbourg circus. At the end of last year, they voted for the two-parliament system to be scrapped by a three-to-one majority. But change is unlikely to happen soon. The problem is simple: the French government, which has a power of veto, will not budge. The French insist on maintaining Strasbourg’s role because of the substantial amount of money the travelling circus brings to the region. Its status is set in stone under a European treaty signed in 1992, which can only be revoked should all member states agree it.

Ashley Fox, the Conservative MEP for the South West, who organised the vote to scrap one of the parliaments, said: “This craziness has to stop. They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. We go to Strasbourg every month and every time it costs millions of pounds and wastes tons of carbon. Now how mad is that? When the city was chosen as a seat of the parliament, it was a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Now it is a symbol of waste and stupidity – the perfect example of all that is wrong with the EU.” On Wednesday, Mr Fox will table an amendment to cut the number of days the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg from four to three. It is likely to be ruled unlawful because of the treaty in place protecting Strasbourg’s status. Calls to scrap the Strasbourg parliament will be reinforced at a major conference on EU reform this week, which will be hosted by Open Europe, a think tank, and attended by ministers, MPs and business leaders from across Europe.

Stephen Booth, the research director of Open Europe, said: “The European Parliament’s travelling circus represents all that is wrong about the EU in the eyes of electorates across Europe: the unnecessary waste and the political stalemate that perpetuates it. “With new European elections this year, now is the time for EU leaders to put an end to this PR disaster.” A spokesman for the European Parliament said: “A recent study by the European Parliament shows that €103 million (£85 million) could be saved each year if all European Parliament operations were transferred from Strasbourg to Brussels.” She added: “Since the European Parliament owns its buildings in Strasbourg and most of those it uses in Brussels, many of the operating costs incurred during a Strasbourg session would also be incurred, at least in part, if the session were to be held in Brussels, for example: MEPs’ travel expenses, interpretation and translation costs, audiovisual costs.

“Other costs, such as those of transporting documents to Strasbourg or mission costs for parliament’s staff or MEPs’ assistants, are incurred only if Parliament travels to Strasbourg.” Top EU official brands Strasbourg shuttle 'insane' | World news | The Guardian Top EU official brands Strasbourg shuttle 'insane' Monday 4 September 2006 19.04 EDT First published on Monday 4 September 2006 19.04 EDT Share on Messenger Close The campaign to end the European parliament's expensive monthly commute to Strasbourg received a boost yesterday when a European commissioner criticised it as a sign of "insanity".

Margot Wallstrom, a commission vice-president, said: "Something that was once a very positive symbol of the European Union , reuniting France and Germany, has now become a negative symbol - of wasting money, bureaucracy and the insanity of the Brussels institutions." In an interview with the Brussels magazine E!Sharp, Ms Wallstrom added: "One has to try both to explain why it was placed there and pay respect to that, but also say that times have changed and now this is impractical and too expensive." Ms Wallstrom's remarks will be welcomed by the organisers of a petition to save the EU at least £150m a year by stopping the European parliament sitting in Strasbourg and basing it permanently in Brussels alongside the other main EU institutions. Under EU law the parliament has to sit 12 times a year in the Alsatian city, which is a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation. All EU institutions close in August, which means the parliament has to meet twice in Strasbourg in September. Jose Manuel Barroso, the European commission's president, who today chairs a meeting of the commission in Strasbourg, has refused to comment on the petition because he is powerless to act.

The Strasbourg sittings can end only if EU law is changed, and France has a veto which it would use. Peter Mandelson, the trade commissioner, told E!Sharp last month: "I like the parliament in Strasbourg. But it is very hard to justify the cost." Nearly 1 million people have visited oneseat.eu and signed a petition. The European Parliament in Strasbourg - OneEurope The European Parliament in Strasbourg Controversy of Strasbourg to remain a seat of European Parliament 20 Mar 2014 Robin Alves European Parliament European elections will be held between May 22 and 25. One of election stakes is obviously the renewal of the European political class, but also the kind of Europe the voters wish to have. For my part, I am more interested in the European Parliament itself and its issues. For some time, considerable controversy moved about the choice of the place of Parliament. Strasbourg is considered as an important symbolic city, but presents a deficit of structure, especially in transport. Therefore, most MEPs call for a single seat in Brussels in order to save costs simplifying all administrative and practical approach. But is it really a wise choice, what is the scope of the place of the European Parliament?

What compromise does it seem interested to adopt? I. Introductory Elements Firstly, we point out the Edinburgh European Council of 11 and 12 December 1992 when the Governments of Member States reached an agreement on the seats of the institutions, which provides: 1. Parliament has its seat in Strasbourg with the twelve periods of session. 2. Periods of additional plenary session held in Brussels; 3. Parliamentary committees meet in Brussels; 4. General Secretariat and its departments shall remain in Luxembourg. This decision was criticized by the Parliament. However, the Court of Justice in its judgment of 1 October 1997 in case C-345/95 confirmed that Parliament's seat was fixed in accordance with Article 289 of the EC Treaty. The content of this decision was included in the Treaty of Amsterdam in the form of a Protocol annexed to the Treaties. What is actually the controversy? In an article published in the French newspaper “Le Figaro”, the blogger Fabien Cazenave explains that most participants (Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Ireland) were forced to stop in Frankfurt to catch a bus until Alsace.

For the Portuguese, they must pass over the city for travelling to Frankfurt to take the bus. In the same view, it lacks an important transport links between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. It is not normal to make a train ride from 06:30 with a stop at 1:30 to travel from Brussels to Strasbourg whereas 400 miles separate the two cities. Some even go to Paris or take their car, which is more economical. Accordingly, sessions that would last four days are reduced to two and a half days. Brussels intends to keep their members by offering many appointments, activities in order to abandon Strasbourg. Consequently, The European Parliament has called for an EU treaty change to stop MEPs' and instead make Brussels the parliament's permanent home. The costs and CO2 emissions have grown as the parliament has got bigger and more powerful over the years, they say. Unanimity is required for a treaty change, so France can still block it. Only EU Governments, jointly called the Council, currently have the power to change a treaty.

The current Strasbourg shuttle requires 766 MEPs and more than 3,000 members of staff to move their offices entirely to the French city on the Rhine for a few days every month. The border city symbolised European reconciliation after World War 2, with Germany on the opposite bank. Businesses in Strasbourg thrive on the monthly influx of MEPs, lobbyists and others involved in the parliament's work. MEPs overwhelmingly backed a report by the UK Conservative MEP Ashley Fox and a German Green MEP Gerald Häfner , which calls for a treaty change to "allow Parliament to decide on the location of its seat and its internal organisation". As the EU body, which most directly represents European citizens, the report says, Parliament "should be granted the prerogative of determining its own working arrangements, including the right to decide where and when it holds its meetings". The report was adopted with 483 votes for and 141 against. There were 34 abstentions. British MEPs are in the vanguard of the campaign to stop what they call the "travelling circus".

The Single Seat campaign website says that every year the Strasbourg shuttle wastes at least 180m Euros (£150m; $243m) and generates 19,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The campaigners point out that more than one million EU citizens have signed a petition calling for the parliament to have a single seat in Brussels. The EU can already introduce legislation if at least one million citizens request it, through the Citizen's Initiative procedure. The Fox/Häfner report says the monthly migration to Strasbourg is detrimental to the EU's reputation, "especially at a time when the financial crisis has led to serious and painful expenditure cuts in the member states". Why should Strasbourg remain the seat of the European Parliament? Despite of these arguments, we consider that Strasbourg must remain the seat of the European Union. Indeed, Strasbourg has unchallenged legitimacy as Seat of the European Parliament. The treaties officially enshrine this legitimacy and establish the different places of work in accordance with principle of geographical diversity. Far away from Brussels, Strasbourg embodies European democracy and independence. It reflects the institution’s principle of geographical diversity.

The plenary sessions enjoy an atmosphere conducive to parliamentary work and the city is spared with criticism, so strident in this election campaign period, of Europe being in its “Eurocratic bubble” embodied by Brussels. Also, a report by the European association of young entrepreneurs has deciphered the Parliament’s budgetary documents, indicating that the annual cost and carbon footprint are four to five times lower than the figures circulated. 51,5 million Euros, equivalent to 10 cents per annum per citizen, 0,04% of the budget of the European Union, less than the cost of postage stamp, and 3250 tons of Co2 for the carbon footprint. Accordingly, access to Strasbourg is constantly improving. The travel times for rail travel are decreasing. At “Strasbourg-Entzheim” Airport, 17 new air routes have been opened since January 2012 with the welcome arrival of 6 new low-cost airlines. Also, accommodation is improving with a growing number of beds and the increased room capacity close to the Parliament in the “Wacken European district”. Additionally, the project «Eurocap-Rail» is critical in order to reduce the transport time in train between Brussels and Strasbourg with one hour.

Thus, if François Hollande wants to save the beautiful symbolic Strasbourg- border town with two countries which are committed in two wars, he should bring other arguments that the seat of Strasbourg is guaranteed by treaties. He has to assure that Strasbourg will gain a European future. So, Strasbourg is not a question but the answer. Strasbourg is not a problem, but the solution. Sources:

Question: The European parliament meets in Strasbourg and which other city?
Answer: Brussels