European Parliament returns to Strasbourg – but few want to follow – POLITICO
Even a vaccine is not enough to convince some European lawmakers to return to Strasbourg.
The French government is trying to return the European Parliament to its official seat on June 7 after more than a year of absence during the pandemic. In addition to the renewed perspective of the Alsace wine fairs in the region, or winstubsand Sauerkraut (sauerkraut), the Parliament building now has an on-site vaccination center, offering shots that might be difficult to get elsewhere for some.
But everything comes with a catch. There is still a 9 p.m. curfew in Strasbourg, and travel rules still dictate that all staff should self-quarantine after returning to Belgium.
The result is a reduced three-day session that will be held mostly online – another sign that despite increasing vaccine availability and reduced COVID restrictions, Europe is far from returning to normal before the pandemic.
“The French are pushing for Strasbourg in June and in the end no one will show up,” said Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP. “The pandemic is not over… Relocating Parliament to Strasbourg at this stage is just ludicrous – especially for staff with families. “
When the pandemic hit Europe in March 2020, David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, canceled parliamentary sessions in Strasbourg after French authorities designated the region as a red zone for the coronavirus. Since then, sessions have taken place in Brussels, partly online and partly in person. But French officials have repeatedly expressed frustration over Sassoli’s decisions to stay in Brussels, urging him to resume sessions in Strasbourg, which is the official seat of parliament.
Earlier this month, Sassoli told Parliament’s political group leaders in a note that sessions in Strasbourg would resume in June in a hybrid format. “We are in a health situation which has improved, in particular with regard to the rate of contamination”, declared a spokesperson for Parliament.
“It is now possible in Strasbourg to eat out and sleep in hotels”, noted the spokesperson, adding that the 21 curfew would be extended until 11 p.m. on June 9 (two days after the start of the session). In addition, Parliament set up an on-site vaccination center, which the spokesperson said MPs and staff used to get vaccinated.
But neither the promise of vaccines nor the improvement in the health situation in Strasbourg are enough to convince some MEPs to return to Strasbourg.
In addition to the curfew in France, Belgium still requires a one-week quarantine and two COVID tests for anyone who spends more than 48 hours in France. And even if MEPs were exempt from the quarantine rules, Freund complained that staff members would still be subject to the rules “just to do their job.” As a result, Freund said, staff members “could not bring their children to school and would have to isolate themselves from their families.”
An official from the European People’s Party added that even for vaccinated individuals, the “digital green certificates– the Commission’s plan to allow vaccinated people to travel transparently through the bloc – will not yet be in place in time for the Strasbourg session.
“We will have to take a test, and Parliament’s test rooms are already packed,” the official said. “I’m going, but honestly I’m not sure what’s going to happen to me.”
“There are still a lot of question marks that we have to resolve,” said Assita Kanko, a Flemish MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists. “We have been in Brussels for so long… This only confirms the fact that we can easily work in Brussels and we don’t need to go to Strasbourg.
Those going to Strasbourg in June have also complained that they could spend hours on a train, sitting in desks and attending group meetings online. “The session will be mostly virtual, so why are we doing all of this if we end up sitting in our desks? asked the head of the EPP.
German MEP Andreas Schwab plans to visit Strasbourg in June simply because Strasbourg “is the official institution”.
“But if we do it, we have to do it seriously,” he added.