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In his written statement, AP President David Sassoli announced that due to the rapid increase in cases in France, members of parliament and employees decided not to go to Strasbourg for the meeting, which is scheduled for the 5th and 8th. October.
Sassoli thanked the French authorities and the city of Strasbourg for their cooperation during the epidemic and said that he “hopes to return to Strasbourg soon” and stated that the general assembly will meet in Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to EP President Sassoli demanding that the general assembly be held again in Strasbourg. In his letter, Macron used the expressions “It is a fact that there is an epidemic, but the situation does not change from Brussels to Strasbourg.”
Macron’s request is claimed to be due to the economic vitality that the EP meetings brought to the city of Strasbourg. The city hosted many international meetings, as well as 12 EP General Assemblies, each of which lasted approximately 4 days, with at least 2,500 people attending directly or indirectly annually.
According to European agreements, the EP headquarters are in Strasbourg, where a total of 12 plenary sessions of 3½ days are to be held each year. For the rest of the time, EP legislators work in Brussels, although this has been a topic of debate for years.
The previous PA general assembly was held in Brussels instead of Strasbourg due to Covid-19 measures.
