Parliament postpones final decision on buildings

By Simon Taylor

Date: 15/06/06

Senior MEPs have put off until September a decision on whether to buy the two buildings at the heart of a row over overpaying of rent to the city of Strasbourg.

Members of the European Parliament's bureau, which is responsible for administrative affairs and chaired by President Josep Borrell, agreed on 12 June to take the final decision on purchasing the Winston Churchill and Salvador de Mariaga buildings by 4 September.

The bureau has been under pressure from members of the Parlia-ment's budgets and budgetary control committees to postpone finalising the sale until a special working group has reported on to what extent the assembly has been overpaying rent for the buildings. The report, by German centre-right MEP Markus Ferber, was expected to take until October but may be completed earlier.

On 15 June, Borrell will ask heads of state and government at the European Council to clarify whether they are considering changing the Parliament's home from Strasbourg in order to help decide whether it should buy the two buildings.

But the Austrian presidency has made it clear there will be no discussion of the issue at the summit as any switch would need treaty change and would require the unanimous agreement of member states. France and Luxembourg, which is also home to some services of the Parliament and hosts Council of Ministers meetings in three months of the year, will oppose such a move.

Article reports that Members of the European Parliament's bureau, which is responsible for administrative affairs and chaired by President Josep Borrell, agreed on 12 June 2006 to postpone the final decision to September 2006 on whether to buy the two buildings at the heart of a row over overpaying of rent to the city of Strasbourg.

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