Woking Liberal DemocratsGiles Goodall, Lib Dem MEP candidate for South East England, has today pledged to campaign for an end to the European Parliament's travelling circus by backing a Single Seat for the institution.
The duplication of European Parliament buildings and facilities in Brussels and Strasbourg is a huge drain on the EU's resources. The Parliament's travelling circus means MEPs, their staff and thousands of journalists, lobbyists and others have to shuttle from Brussels to Strasbourg for one week every month.
Signing the Single Seat pledge in Brussels today, Giles said:
"Like any organisation, we need to continuously reform and update the EU to make sure that it remains fit for purpose in the 21st century. Having worked at the European Parliament for three years, I've experienced first hand the waste of time, money and energy involved in shuttling to and from Strasbourg.
"As an MEP candidate, I will campaign for a single seat for the European Parliament, saving taxpayers £150 million a year and cutting carbon emissions by 19,000 tonnes."
Giles has long campaigned for EU reform. The Single Seat initiative, co-chaired by Lib Dem MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, is a cross-party campaign to let MEPs decide where and how they meet. Although national governments have the last say on the issue, last week 75% of MEPs voted for the right to decide on the Parliament's seat themselves. Most MEPs want to meet only in Brussels.
You can see a list of MEPs and candidates backing the Single Seat campaign here.
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