A poll conducted by the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR) has revealed an overwhelming majority, 89% of MEPs, not only want one permanent seat for the European Parliament but also that 81% want the seat to be in Brussels. 84% also believed the Parliament should be able to decide on its own the location of its seat. Gary Titley, Labour's Leader in Europe, said: "Strasbourg costs £200 million a year and leaves a massive carbon footprint. The monthly move of the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg is producing 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 13,000 round-trip flights from London to New York.[i] As long as we have to travel to Strasbourg, people will rightly say that the EU is wasting money - Strasbourg is a waste of taxpayers money." "I hope that the results of this vote and the 1million citizens signing the oneseat.eu petition, will make the members of the European Council act." Labour Members of the European Parliament fully support the move of the European Parliament to one seat.  

Brian says: It is a nonsense that we have to travel once a month to trasbourg.  Everything in the Brussels offices gets transported to Strasbourg in large trunks, they then get transported back to Brussels for the next three weeks of the month!!  What a farce, not to mention the cost!!

Brian reiterates the words of Catherine Stihler MEP who said:  "This poll confirms MEPs' opposition to the Strasbourg travelling circus. It is time for national governments to bite the bullet and end the wasteful monthly commute and to give the European Parliament a long overdue permanent home in Brussels. This poll shows us that if the decision was up to MEPs the European Parliament would be based in Brussels for good."