Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU Parliament wants its own hotel in Strasbourg

EU Parliament wants its own hotel in Strasbourg

President Roberta Metsola mulls deal to convert a Strasbourg Parliament building into a hotel, facilitating the purchase of a new office block in the city.
Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, is considering converting a building owned by the institution in Strasbourg into a hotel — in what is being widely viewed as a move to shore up the Alsatian city’s status as an EU capital.

In a February 8 letter to then-French Prime Minister Jean Castex, seen by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook, Metsola welcomed the idea of “establishing a hotel in the Salvador de Madariaga building,” which is part of Parliament’s Strasbourg real estate portfolio. The move “could help ease the burden on the hotel sector,” Metsola wrote.

MEPs, their staff, journalists, lobbyists and others travel to Strasbourg, the legal seat of the European Parliament under the EU treaties, for a few days a month for plenary sessions, booking out the city’s hotels in the process. Critics of the expensive monthly decamp argue it is unnecessarily costly, doubling up Parliament’s infrastructure, and bad for the environment, given the emissions involved.

Paris, however, strongly opposes any move to scrap the Strasbourg seat.

France has been pushing Metsola to buy another piece of prime real estate in Strasbourg to cement the city’s place as an EU capital: the recently completed Osmose building, which was commissioned by France’s Banque des Territoires in cooperation with local and regional authorities.

The plan to turn the Salvador de Madariaga building into a hotel would reinforce the case for Parliament to buy the Osmose, reducing the amount of office space available in Strasbourg for MEPs.

Buying the Osmose, Castex wrote in a letter to Metsola dated January 27, would “cement Parliament’s presence and, more broadly, boost Strasbourg’s role.”

That’s exactly what critics of the traveling circus fear.

“European Parliament should save money/energy,” tweeted Daniel Freund, a German MEP for the Greens, who was part of a recent cross-party initiative to suspend the Strasbourg sessions because of the current energy crisis. “Not spend extra cash on extra buildings.”

Correspondence seen by Playbook and conversations with multiple officials suggest Metsola is keen to grant the French request and purchase the Osmose.

“To my knowledge,” a spokesman for Metsola said in a written reply to POLITICO, the hotel plan was an option that has “not been taken further” and in any case would be decided “based on the needs of the institution” and on “due process.”

The Parliament’s budget committee will discuss the potential deal to buy the Osmose during a meeting Wednesday morning. MEPs already had a chance to block the purchase last week. In a vote on Parliament’s 2023 budget, 274 MEPs voted in favor of an amendment to “oppose the acquisition of Osmose building in Strasbourg,” while 275 voted against it.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×