Strasbourg suffers as coronavirus keeps Parliament away

Not everyone at the European Parliament is missing Strasbourg — but Strasbourg is missing them.

The French city should be basking in the political spotlight this week as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her first State of the European Union address from its European Parliament chamber.

But von der Leyen will instead make her speech in Brussels, after the Parliament once again canceled its monthly pilgrimage to Strasbourg due to worries about the coronavirus.

The Parliament has not held a plenary session in Strasbourg since February — its longest-ever absence from the picturesque Alsatian city that remains its official seat, even if most of its work is now done in Brussels. And Strasbourg is feeling the economic pain, particularly its taxi drivers, restauranteurs and hoteliers.

The city had hoped to welcome the Parliament back this month, having put in place a special health plan to minimize coronavirus risks. But the Parliament’s leaders weren’t convinced.

Many MEPs are not fans of the monthly upheaval and have voted on multiple occasions to scrap the Strasbourg seat.

“It’s been a rather dark year for Strasbourg from an economical standpoint,” said Jeanne Barseghian, the city’s recently elected Green mayor. “Canceling the session altogether was an additional hard blow.”

The city’s supporters are also worried about the wider message sent by the cancellation — and the prospect of a renewed debate about whether the regular caravan to and from Strasbourg can be justified.

“The fact that the cancellation of Strasbourg was reported in the media all over the world means for the average person: ‘Don’t come to Strasbourg, it is dangerous. Don’t come to Strasbourg, the health situation is precarious, and you’re taking a big risk,’” said Pierre Siegel, the president of the local association of hotel and restaurant owners.

“We fear a snowball effect,” he said in a video posted on the website of local daily Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace. “And we really don’t need that.”

Many MEPs are not fans of the monthly upheaval and have voted on multiple occasions to scrap the Strasbourg seat. The cost of maintaining it is some €109 million per year (according to a 2014 report by the European Court of Auditors), which critics argue makes it a prime example of the EU wasting public money.

But ending Strasbourg’s role as the Parliament’s official home would need the consent of all EU member countries — and the French government has made clear it would block any such move.

Clément Beaune, France’s European affairs minister, traveled to the city on Monday to declare his government’s “unwavering attachment” to Strasbourg as “seat of the European Parliament and European capital.”

French officials argue that the history of Strasbourg, which has had periods under both French and German rule, make it a treasured symbol of European peace and reconciliation.

They contend it is also important for EU institutions to be dispersed around the bloc to avoid over-centralization and ensure the economic benefits of such bodies are shared widely.

Monthly move

In a normal month, up to 705 MEPs, more than 2,500 parliamentary workers and countless lobbyists, journalists and others make the switch to Strasbourg for a plenary session.

After a day of lawmaking and meetings, many of those temporary visitors hop into a chauffeur-driven car or taxi to talk business over a choucroute and glass of pinot noir at one of the city’s countless Winstubs.

One local taxi company, Taxi 13, which employs more than 200 drivers, says it has lost at least 25 percent of its revenue due to the coronavirus crisis — and part of that is down to the lack of parliamentary clients.

“Our taxi drivers can’t make their numbers anymore. Some have left, others can’t pay for costs, there is much less work than before,” said company boss Hakim Kerkoub. “If that lasts, it will end up killing us.”

Christophe Andt, the founder of Au Pont Corbeau, one of the city’s landmark restaurants, said the virus and the cancelation of the monthly Parliament sessions had had “a very big impact” on the business. The restaurant, with its signature dish of jamboneau grillé (grilled knuckle of ham), is a favorite with MEPs and advisers.

“Seventy to 80 percent of our customers are regulars, and a big chunk of them are MEPs,” said Andt, whose business has been going for more than 40 years. “Now we are scared that Strasbourg will just be wiped out of the map.”

“If we, as the EU, are breaking the good rules (human rights, rule of law), why should we stick to the stupid ones (three seats)?” — Nico Semsrott, Green MEP

The Hotel Cathédrale, which reopened in June after months of closure due to the coronavirus crisis, will shut its doors again this week “due to lack of reservations,” a receptionist said. The hotel, which overlooks the city’s stunning Gothic cathedral, is generally full during plenary sessions.

European Parliament President David Sassoli sought on Monday to reassure the people of Strasbourg that the legislature had not abandoned them.

“On behalf of all our members, I extend a warm greeting to the mayor and people of Strasbourg, where we hope to return soon,” he said in a statement.

But that warmth was not immediately apparent in the words of all MEPs, particularly those critical of the Parliament’s homes in three different cities. (It has offices in Luxembourg as well as Brussels and Strasbourg.)

“If we, as the EU, are breaking the good rules (human rights, rule of law), why should we stick to the stupid ones (three seats)?” joked Nico Semsrott, a German satirist who is a member of the Greens group in the Parliament.