\nTHE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BASED FULL-TIME IN BRUSSELS!
\nBUT WITH A POLITICAL FUTURE FOR STRASBOURG!<\/p>\nTHE PROBLEM<\/p>\n
The European Parliament (EP) is the only parliament in the world that has more than one official seat. It is divided between Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Brussels with Strasbourg as its official meeting place. Unfortunately, the EP is also the only parliament in the world that does not have the right to decide upon the location of its seat. This right is exclusively reserved for European Heads of State and Government who can only revise their decision by unanimity. This means that the French would have to vote against Strasbourg themselves – which is so far a utopia.<\/p>\n
THE CONSEQUENCES IN PRACTISE<\/p>\n
Twelve times a year, the parliamentary ‚caravan‘ has to leave Brussels – its actual workplace where the deputies work three times as many days – to go to its official seat in Strasbourg. Every month, 785 MEPs, their assistants and a large part of the administration move – along with six trailers full of paperwork. The costs for the twelve relocations per year and the maintenance of buildings in Strasbourg during a whole year amount to 250 million euros. During one legislature, this represents 1.25 billion euros.<\/p>\n
In terms of C02 emissions, the trips to Strasbourg are absurd. Every year, they create 18.900 tonnes of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of 13.000 transatlantic flights.<\/p>\n
THE SOLUTION…<\/p>\n
In 2006 and 2007, more than a million Europeans have signed the online petition www.oneseat.eu which calls for a single seat for the European Parliament. However, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers have so far blocked this unprecedented pan-European initiative, referring to the previous decision in favour of Strasbourg.<\/p>\n
As initiators and supporters of the campaign for a single seat, we have great expectations of the new President of the Republic of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, who, during the first months of his presidency has demonstrated his capacity to cut ties with older and obsolete traditions.
\nIt is clear that a future „absence“ of the European Parliament in Strasbourg will require finding a solid alternative. In this perspective, we present some innovative ideas.<\/p>\n
1. „SCIENCEBOURG“ – STRASBOURG AS THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF SCIENCE<\/p>\n
In autumn 2007, the European Union decided to found the EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (EIT); the headquarter’s seat of the Institute will be decided over the next 18 months. Given the already existing strong, cutting edge research structures in Member States, the EIT will not be a centralized institution comparable to the American MIT, but an overarching structure. It will connect national networks amongst each other and with the economy.<\/p>\n
Similarly, without an official seat although already in use, the EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC) primarily coordinates fundamental research within the EU. Its innovative work that began in 2007 with the 7th Framework Program consists of investing billions of euros dedicated to research for viable projects. The synergies coinciding with the goals of EIT are considerable.<\/p>\n
THE EIT AND ERC CENTRES IN STRASBOURG will encourage competition on a global scale in research and teaching. It will further coordinate European research and tackle the brain drain; furthermore, European innovative and academic excellence will have a new and solid frame of reference.<\/p>\n
This new knowledge infrastructure in Strasbourg would be the ideal seat for the EUROPEAN PATENT COURT. Arbitrating over the raw materials of innovation with close proximity to Research centres and alongside the European Court of Human Rights would be very clever. The European Patent Office, situated in Munich is not dependent upon the location of the Court, as it is separated from the EU institutional structure. The German Justice Minister also supports the establishment of an autonomous European Patent Court.<\/p>\n
Another perspective: there are draft plans for a EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES. At Strasbourg, it could be based upon the traditional symbolism of a Union of peoples at the heart of Europe; furthermore, it would be a subtle complement to the natural sciences privileged by the EIT and the ERC. Such a University would bring students from across Europe to Strasbourg and would ultimately be the most far-reaching project for the future of „Sciencebourg“.<\/p>\n
2. STRASBOURG – AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF EUROPEAN POLITICS<\/p>\n
The quarterly EUROPEAN SUMMITS that currently take place in Brussels would – once they are held in Strasbourg – bring at least as much or probably even more prestige and benefits than the monthly plenary sessions of the Parliament. The meetings of Heads of States and Government attract the international press like a magnet and this would emphasise the symbolic character of the city. European Summits far away from day-to-day political life in Brussels in a city that symbolises European unification would create a strong new synonym (such as ‚Davos‘) – especially if the political positioning of the city of Strasbourg was enforced by<\/p>\n
… the EUROPEAN CONGRESS. This new format of bi-annual European political summits would include Heads of State and Government, the European Commission, as well as representatives from the European Parliament and from the national parliaments of the Member States. The Congress would meet to discuss the status quo of the European Union and its future. It would develop a political culture acquired during the European Convention, in order to render European Union politics more democratic and open to citizens‘ concerns.<\/p>\n
3. „STRASBOURG DC“<\/p>\n
In order to develop a real European Common Foreign and Security Policy, and to get to know each other, building confidence between the national diplomatic services will be crucial. This is why the EP buildings in Strasbourg can have a ‚reinvigorated‘ function as a TRAINING CENTRE FOR DIPLOMATIC SERVICES. For a period of 6 months, the training of all diplomats from the 27 Member States should take place there. The offices of MEPs, which have private bathrooms could be used to accommodate the students while meeting rooms will be transformed into classrooms. In this way, the EP premises would be used to full capacity.<\/p>\n
4. OPERATIONAL AND COORDINATION CENTRE OF EUROPEAN ENERGY<\/p>\n
European energy issues are demanding more and more long-term cross-border solutions. As the European Agency for Nuclear Energy already has its seat in France, a further energy centre in Strasbourg would be a logical next step. Ludmila Petr\u00e1nov\u00e1, the former Director of the Czech Electrical Network Agency had already made a similar proposition during a public hearing on European Energy Policy at the European Parliament on 27 February 2007.<\/p>\n
5. THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE<\/p>\n
With the European Court of Human Rights already having its seat in Strasbourg, the European Court of Justice could also be established there. Strasbourg would therefore become a European Centre for Justice. Luxembourg, where the Court currently has its seat and which also hosts the administrative headquarters of the Parliament and the European Investment Bank would thus lose an institution. This loss, however, is defensible under the common judicial tradition that would develop in Strasbourg and whose effects would be considerable.<\/p>\n
In theory, the same argument could be made to defend moving the EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK to Strasbourg. However, it would be weakened by the absence of a financial tradition in Strasbourg.<\/p>\n
We call on President Sarkozy to take on board one of these innovative ideas and to release the European Parliament from the limitations that history has imposed upon it.
\nWe call on Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Council colleagues to support France in this ‚renaissance‘ effort for the city of Strasbourg.
\nWhile the Lisbon Treaty put the future of Europe back on course, Strasbourg – which for many Europeans had become the symbol of a vested acquisition – should have the opportunity to become a symbol of new collaboration.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
F\u00fcr den automatischen Anhang, der neuerdings an vielen Mails von Br\u00fcsseler Funktion\u00e4ren dranh\u00e4ngt, gibt es noch keinen rechten Namen. Nennen wir ihn einfach einmal Gewissenszwicker. Der Gewissenszwicker kommt in verschiedenen Formen daher, aber immer mit demselben Erziehungsziel. Ein typisches Beispiel rundete neulich die Mail eines Europaparlamentariers ab. Unter der Gru\u00dfformel stand geschrieben: Sparen Sie Energie. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[613],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-geliebtes-gehege"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.zeit.de\/bittner-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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