Four Green MEPs appealed to President Schulz with a letter today requesting to consider offering parliament building in Strasbourg as a temporary shelter for refugees. The Parliament would be able to join those millions of Europeans who want to help in extraordinary ways in this extraordinary crisis.

Strasbourg, 9 September 2015

To Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

Dear President,

We appreciate that you have spoken many times in the recent days about the ongoing refugee crisis, and about the need of finally establishing a common refugee policy instead of 28 national policies. You have called for a fair system of sharing among Member States and a distribution mechanism, and you have been joined by Commission President Juncker and now also supported by Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande and others.

We undersigned Members of the European Parliament strongly believe that in this unprecedented emergency situation in which people flee war and risk their lives, EU and Member State efforts can and are being supported and complemented by extraordinary measures by organisations, communities and individuals. In this spirit we propose to you, and to other political leaders of our institution, that we offer the Parliament’s building in Strasbourg for temporary shelter for authorities to accommodate refugees. The MEP offices are well equipped, the general infrastructure is there, and needless to say, the buildings are fully occupied only for 4 days each month during which our institution could for the time temporarily stay and work in Brussels – as was the case during construction works on the plenary ceiling in September 2008.

Dear President Schulz, we kindly request you to give a serious consideration to our proposal with which the Parliament would join those millions of Europeans who want to help in extraordinary ways in this extraordinary crisis.

Sincerely,

Philippe Lamberts

Ulrike Lunacek

Ska Keller

Heidi Hautala