European Affairs

I agree with my hon. Friend. There is a tremendous environmental cost in moving from Brussels to Strasbourg. Outside most MEPs' offices at the European Parliament in Brussels, as my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Goodwill) will recall, are what are called Strasbourg boxes. Once a month, MEPs put everything in the boxes, travel down to Strasbourg, unpack, carry on there, and then repack them and come back. If MEPs of all parties are really committed to fighting climate change, they could send a powerful signal and save a tremendous amount of carbon by not travelling from Brussels to Strasbourg every time. My hon. Friend makes a good point.