Legionnaires' scare at EU

Plagued by problems: The European Parliament in Strasbourg

A British MEP has called for the European Parliament to be moved to Brussels, after reports that its Strasbourg headquarters have been contaminated by Legionnaires' Disease.

Environmental checks by a German company found the Legionella bacterium in the humidifiers of three machine rooms.

Robert Goodwill, the Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, says parliamentary business should be moved to the alternative building in Brussels as a precaution.

If this was an old people's home, I am sure it would have been evacuated

Robert Goodwill

"If this was an old people's home, I am sure it would have been evacuated now," he said, after a warning notice went round to MEPs.

"Legionnaire's disease is a killer, and now the air-conditioning has been switched off, people are beginning to suffer from the atmosphere inside the building.

"I have demanded that we move out of here and use our Brussels headquarters. And I must say this is grist to the mill of those of us fighting to move to Brussels permanently," Mr Goodwill said.

Design faults

The environmental report says the humidifiers where the Legionella was found were immediately turned up to destroy the cultures with heat.

Another room in the building was sealed because of a high reading of "a mineral fibre, including asbestos", but a later check could not detect the asbestos.

Robert Goodwill: Demanding a move

More tests are being carried out to see if the contamination poses a threat to European politicians and staff at the building.

The £270m building has been plagued with design faults since it opened almost a year ago.

In July it was condemned as shabby, dark, difficult to navigate with temperamental telecommunications and lifts.

Even European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine walked nine floors to her office rather than risk being trapped in one of the lifts.

Commuting costs

This latest controversy will add to the on-going row over where the European Parliament should be based.

Although the French Government paid for the Strasbourg building, they now charge EU taxpayers £13.5m a year in rent, even though MEPs are only there for 60 days every year.

The rest of the time, they use the £640m building in Brussels, where the annual rent is £16.7m.

The extra cost of moving MEPs, staff and truck-loads of documents is estimated to be £10m every month.

But the final decision rests with EU leaders. They have named Strasbourg as the official home of Parliament, and only they can change the rules.