CNN Prima News | Two plenary session locations of the European Parliament

The MEPs discussed the difficulty of changing the seat of the European Parliament, which periodically moves from Belgium to France. Most agreed that they would welcome if this movement was canceled. However, France would probably veto such a change in the treaties. What are the arguments for and against moving the European Parliament periodically? Is there any way out of this problem, or will Strasbourg's role remain the same for decades to come? Martin Vokálek, Director of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, commented for CNN Prima News on the issue.

"The European Parliament must move for its plenary sessions to Strasbourg at least twelve times a year. To give you an idea, it is about 450 km between Brussels and Strasbourg. It is not only MEPs who actually travel, but all their teams and other people. According to the budget, this costs 114 million euro a year, which is just under three billion czech crowns. That is five per cent of the European Parliament's total budget."

You can watch the full interview from 16:13 here.

Martin Vokálek
Executive Director

Expertise: Economic issues, European security and NATO, war crimes and international law problematic