Strasbourg chaos for another year.

4.23.13pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 23rd May 2008

Sharon Bowles MEP with some of the trunks that are taken to Strasbourg once a month containing papers and other office items the MEPs need

One of Crawley's Lib Dem MEPs, Sharon Bowles, reports that on one day MEPs voted on dates for next year's Strasbourg calendar and the next they get stranded.

On Wednesday MEPs in the European Parliament voted on their 2009 Strasbourg plenary calendar. For one week each month MEPs, assistants and documents are transported the 271 miles from Brussels to Strasbourg where the European Parliament has its second seat. It is a time consuming and costly operation and one that MEPs have no power to change as they remain at the mercy of the French veto.

This week while MEPs were voting on these dates, general workers in France were preparing for a thirty six hour strike which would severely affect transport from Wednesday evening to Friday morning. Ironically this means that the same MEPs who were voting on next years Strasbourg calendar will be stranded in Strasbourg or face long delays getting home. Many will have to miss votes tomorrow or miss serving people in their constituencies.

These problems add weight to the 'One Seat' campaign which is backed by Sharon Bowles Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East of England. This calls for the European Parliament to be based in one seat, saving both time and money.

Sharon said "This happens with remarkable regularity, and is always timed for Strasbourg weeks. We have a French air traffic control strike thrown at us too from time to time."

"Strasbourg has appalling transport links and getting stranded or having to travel over a day, two or three times a year because of this kind of disruption makes it worse."

"Colleagues quite rightly raised the issue and the least France could do is to make sure that there are better transport links."