"
If the European Parliament only meets in Brussels, we're screwed,
" Emmanuel Macron said in Vilnius on Tuesday, September 29, regretting his decision not to hold its October session in Strasbourg because of the pandemic.
Read also: Coronavirus: the next session of the European Parliament in Brussels, not in Strasbourg
"
At the moment, I strongly defend the idea that the European Parliament should meet in Strasbourg,
" the French president told students on the second day of his visit to Lithuania.
"
If we accept that the European Parliament only meets in Brussels, we are screwed, because in ten years everything will be in Brussels.
And people will only talk to each other in Brussels.
But Europe is not that idea
, ”he added.
In the wake of his statement, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, who is also in Vilnius, tweeted: “
Unswerving support, imperative of a rapid return
” from Parliament to Strasbourg.
The President of the European Parliament David Sassoli announced on Monday that the next session, scheduled for October 5 to 8, will be held in Brussels and not in Strasbourg "
given the recent increase in the rate of transmission of the virus in France, including in the department of the Bas-Rhin
”.
"Europe needs places"
He specified that the Parliament would hold “
its sessions again in Strasbourg as soon as conditions allow
”.
Emmanuel Macron had however asked him, in a letter, to return the plenary sessions to Strasbourg "
from October
", regretting that the September one had already been held in Brussels.
During a debate with the students of Vilnius University, Emmanuel Macron said he was “
very attached
” to the idea of “
sharing places
” within the European Union.
"
Europe needs places
", he said, defending in particular the project of a European university.
According to the European treaties, the institution is headquartered in Strasbourg, where twelve plenary sessions of three and a half days per year are usually held.
But the rest of the time, MEPs work in Brussels, which has been a source of debate for years.
Any change of treaty would however require the approval of all member states.