Coronavirus: EU Parliament to cut session short

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Due to the coronavirus threat the European Parliament will cut short its plenary session to one day, the institution’s spokesperson announced on Monday.

European Parliament President David Sassoli decided on Friday to hold the plenary session in Brussels, Belgium instead of Strasbourg, France in order to reduce the virus risk.

Parliamentarians and staffers at the EP do their daily work in Brussels, but once a month the entire institution moves to Strasbourg for a four-day long plenary debate.

The new measure limits the session to one day, and it aims at “fulfilling the institution’s role and containing the coronavirus spread,” said spokesman Jaume Duch.

On Tuesday, only four topics will be discussed, including coronavirus, International Women’s Day, the EU’s next seven-year budget, and the asylum seekers amassed at the Turkish-Greek border.

All the other items and votes on the agenda will be postponed to the next session, expected to start on March 30, barring further protective measures.

EU heads of states and governments will hold a phone conference on Tuesday evening to discuss the bloc’s further measures against the outbreak, said European Council President Charles Michel.

The European Council also announced safety measures against the virus on Monday. The institution will reduce the number of its meetings and limit the participants’ list as well.

All EU institutions are encouraging staffers to work from home.