10 December 2012
Peter Aldous MP for Waveney is backing the campaign to save the taxpayer £1 billion by signing the petition to end the European Parliament’s second seat in Strasbourg.
According to the EU Treaties, Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament and yet for most of the year, the Parliament meets in Brussels where the other main EU Institutions are also based. Once a month, thousands of EU employees, including MEPs, their staff, civil servants, Government representatives and diplomats, travel to Strasbourg at the expense of €200 million per year to the taxpayer and 20,000 tons of CO2 a year.
Additionally, the buildings in Strasbourg cost approximately €457 million per year even though they are largely unused for 300 days a year.
Mr Aldous has joined the ‘Stop the Strasbourg Circus’ Campaign and is calling on the Coalition Government to put an end to such a large expenditure.
Peter Aldous said:
“Scrapping the Strasbourg Circus will save over £1billion. Rather than the EU constantly calling for a larger budget, they should be using the funds they do have to better effect. They can do more with less so long as they concentrate on what is important like trade, research and jobs. The Prime Minister stood up to Brussels last December and it is time to do it again. I hope people in the Waveney area will join the campaign and sign the petition at www.stopthestrasbourgcircus.com.”
The petition can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/37529.
According to the EU Treaties, Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament and yet for most of the year, the Parliament meets in Brussels where the other main EU Institutions are also based. Once a month, thousands of EU employees, including MEPs, their staff, civil servants, Government representatives and diplomats, travel to Strasbourg at the expense of €200 million per year to the taxpayer and 20,000 tons of CO2 a year.
Additionally, the buildings in Strasbourg cost approximately €457 million per year even though they are largely unused for 300 days a year.
Mr Aldous has joined the ‘Stop the Strasbourg Circus’ Campaign and is calling on the Coalition Government to put an end to such a large expenditure.
Peter Aldous said:
“Scrapping the Strasbourg Circus will save over £1billion. Rather than the EU constantly calling for a larger budget, they should be using the funds they do have to better effect. They can do more with less so long as they concentrate on what is important like trade, research and jobs. The Prime Minister stood up to Brussels last December and it is time to do it again. I hope people in the Waveney area will join the campaign and sign the petition at www.stopthestrasbourgcircus.com.”
The petition can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/37529.
