LibDems campaign to save taxpayer 200 million euros every year
June 17, 2006 12:30 PM
Every year taxpayers are paying the equivalent of one million of these 200 euro banknotes
The Liberal Democrats are backing a Europe-wide petition to save UK and other European taxpayers the 200 million euros they pay annually to shuttle Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) between Brussels and Strasbourg every month.
Chair of the Westminster and City of London LibDems, Jo Hayes, said:
"The LibDems are a pro-European party. Britain's interests are best served by being in Europe and working with our neighbours.
"Where Europe is not working however we need to fix it. This pointless and vastly expensive exercise - moving hundreds of MEPs, their assistants and all the other staff between Belgium and France at least 12 times every year - is something that needs to end. 200 million euros can better be spent on something else, or indeed returned to taxpayers.
"I have signed this petition and I hope that many more local people will do so too."
Only a unanimous decision of the heads of government, like Tony Blair and Germany's Angela Merkel, and agreement by each country's parliament can change the current set-up.
To put pressure on Europe's leaders to make this decision and save a vast sum of public money, campaigners from right across Europe have set themselves the goal of a one million-signature petition. Individuals can add their name online at www.oneseat.eu.
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