European Parliament cancels Strasbourg Plenary

Totally unrelated?

A row is brewing over plans to scrap the next plenary session in Strasbourg after officials realised that they were unlikely to have a quorum of MEPs for the session, and it is rumoured, almost until the traditional August break. “I can’t explain it, ” said an official, “it’s like everybody’s disappeared.” When enquiries were made about the missing deputies, the results shocked even veteran officials. It seems that an unprecedented 313 MEPs have signed on to a delegation to look at hyacinth production and harvesting in the Pretoria region in South Africa. By a complete coincidence, another 197 MEPS are also in the country, on a month long delegation investigating “Sport and public events as an engine for economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa”. The ACP-EU is also holding four weeks of meetings and “informal gatherings” with delegates from African parliaments, based in a five star hotel in Johannesburg. Topics for debate are said to include “the role of snack foods in a nutritional diet”, a presentation by a variety of members of Brewers federations on “how to drink responsibly”, an in-depth introduction to South African wines and a demonstration of the latest examples of plasma screen technology. A separate group of 54 MEPs will be touring the troubled township of Soweto, known for its resistance to apartheid.

Parliamentarians defended the delegations by stressing the importance of working with the developing world, stating that “South Africa is a vital partner for the EU and these visits show that we understand this and treat it with the utmost importance.” The groups spokesperson defended the month long stay, “look, all to many parliamentary visits last just a short time. This longer stay will give us time to gain real knowledge of the situation there. This can only benefit our constituents”.