Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans has called on European governments to unite to save more than £100m and 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year by scrapping the Strasbourg Parliament, and instead having the European Parliament permanently in Brussels.
The Party of Wales MEP said that people see this as a waste of money but don’t realise that the responsibility lies with national governments in Europe, not the European Parliament.
A recent vote saw more than three-quarters of MEPs, including Jill Evans MEP, vote to scrap the Strasbourg Parliament.
Plaid Cymru has opposed cuts to the European budget for the Common Agricultural Policy that help 80% of Welsh farmers and Regional and Structural Funds for training and investment in West Wales and the Valleys, but supports reforms and cost-savings such as scrapping the Strasbourg Parliament and the European history museum in Brussels.
Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans said:
“Plaid Cymru will always put the people and interests of Wales first, so we have always voted against budget cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy that helps 80% of farmers in Wales and the regional and structural funds that benefit West Wales and the Valleys.
“However, if money is being spent for no good reason then we expect savings to be made.
“The Strasbourg Parliament costs more than £100m per year and generates 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into our environment.
“It is time that the European Union was modernised and the Strasbourg Parliament scrapped.
“But it isn’t the European Parliament that is stopping this – more than three-quarters of MEPs recently voted to scrap it, but the power actually lies with national governments to do this.
“If the UK Government are so concerned by mis-use of European money, why are they not doing more to stop this?
“Often, Europe is used to provide political cover for unpopular decisions that have been agreed by national governments, including the UK Government, to avoid taking the blame themselves.
“Plaid Cymru believes that the Strasbourg Parliament doesn’t make financial or environmental sense and should be scrapped.”
