Roll up for the Strasbourg travelling circus – the least popular show in town

Date: 12/09/02

Simon Murphy has quit as British Labour leader in the European Parliament and will not be standing for re-election as an MEP, declaring that the 'Strasbourg travelling circus' is incompatible with family life. Meanwhile, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, joint leader of the Greens, says it's time the assembly ditched its official seat in France and holds all its meetings in Brussels instead. Martin Banks asks other MEPs what they think.

IT USUALLY takes Manuel Medina Ortega around 12 hours - and three flights - to reach Strasbourg from his home in Lanzarote. Last week it was 20 hours...

The MEP has to set off from Arrecife at 7pm the night before to be sure to arrive in time for the start of the plenary.

He then boards a plane for Las Palmas in Gran Canaria (his usual flight was cancelled last week), followed by a connection to Madrid.

He grabs a few hours sleep there before a third flight to Frankfurt. The final leg of his journey is by car - but he does at least have a chauffeur.

Despite his marathon trip, 66-year-old Ortega has no complaints and insists the two-seat Parliament should stay.

'Fortunately, I am in pretty good condition - you need to be fit to endure that sort of schedule otherwise you would probably have a heart attack.

'But I take the view that it is no use complaining.

'We know the job involves a lot of travelling and the decision to meet in Strasbourg was a political one and one which is particularly significant for the French, so there is not much we can do about it.

'Last week's trip was particularly bad but, living where I do, it is very difficult getting to Strasbourg.

'Fortunately, I have a grown-up family but I can understand the pressure those members with young families must be under.'

Many members say the strain of travel between their constituencies, Brussels and Strasbourg takes an unacceptable toll.

One member says he missed the birth of his daughter because he was struck in France. Another says he came home and found his photograph stuck on the fridge. 'It's there to remind the children what you look like,' his wife snapped.

For Piia-Noora Kauppi, the Strasbourg week starts at 5am on Monday when she leaves her home in Oulu, in northern Finland.

She takes a 6am flight to Helsinki, an onward flight to Frankfurt, then a train to Strasbourg, usually arriving in the middle of the afternoon.

'Having a two-seat parliament is patently ridiculous and it makes MEPs' lives a misery,' she said.

'It isn't just the travelling that gets you down - the facilities at the Parliament in Strasbourg are nowhere near as good as those in Brussels.'

Pat Cox, the Parliament's president, faces an even longer journey than the Finn. He gets up at 4am at his home in Cork in order to reach Strasbourg by 5pm the same day.

Virtually every MEP has a flight delay story to tell. Last week, Earl Alexander of Stockton found himself turned away from an over-booked plane at London Gatwick.

The offer of compensation did not go down well.

Another UK Conservative, Nerj Deva, recalls drawing lots with fellow MEPs after their regular Air France flight from London was over-booked.

They even drew lots to fly to Nantes instead - in the hope of getting a connection - when that service was cancelled.

No surprise that one MEP says: 'The only way to make this job manageable with a family is if they are based in Brussels.'

Ironically, Greek members, who might be expected to have one of the most arduous journeys, get off relatively lightly because there are direct flights from Athens to Strasbourg.

Simon Murphy has quit as British Labour leader in the European Parliament and will not be standing for re-election as an MEP, declaring that the 'Strasbourg travelling circus' is incompatible with family life. Meanwhile, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, joint leader of the Greens, says it's time the assembly ditched its official seat in France and holds all its meetings in Brussels instead. The author asks other MEPs what they think.