On the tram, the recorded voice of a child announces the stop: «Parlement européen». Twenty-seven flags flutter in the wind, towering over the school groups. Thanks to the accreditation, you can skip the line for metal detector checks and, with belt off, computer in hand, and backpack on shoulder, enter the Strasbourg Parliament. To the left, the entrance for the media, guarded by three staff members. A greeting is obligatory, regardless of the language, as they understand them all.
A corridor, two fire doors, and there’s the press room. Just the time to curse colleagues who have taken the best seats, and off to the hemicycle, where representatives of the citizens participate in the plenary session. Twelve times a year, MEPs sit among the seven hundred and fifty-one blue benches to decide the future of the Union. Deserted during debates, the room fills up for votes on laws and amendments.
Journalists observe from the gallery, so high that politicians look like ants. As soon as someone tries to take a selfie, they are scolded by the guards for breaking the first commandment: “No photos in the Chamber.” Among other prohibitions, no bottles in the plenary, no interviews to the staff or cameras in the bars.
Conduct is also required of the deputies. “The official must refrain from any act or behavior that may impair the dignity of his function,” reads the Code of Conduct for MEPs. This is forgotten by Angelo Ciocca of Lega during the vote on green homes, a directive aimed at zeroing emissions from households by 2050. He stands up, pulls out a whistle from his pocket and the uproar begins, while waving a red card at his colleagues. Chaos erupts, with the left contesting the performance amid stadium-like howls. Satisfied, the politician is escorted out. “Only Italians do this kind of exhibitions,” comments TG2 journalist Marcella Maresca.
During the session, the AI Act is approved. It’s the first international regulation on artificial intelligence, which prohibits improper uses such as biometric recognition. Then the legislation to protect press freedom, safeguarding reporters repressed in Hungary. Member states will have to ensure the independence of public and private media from governments. There is controversy in Italian newspapers: Lega and Fratelli D’Italia abstained.
Thursday arrives and work closes, after four days inside the building. Panic to find the exit, then a rush in an Uber to the airport. The road passes between the sloping roofs of Strasbourg, the most German of French cities. Next to the guardrail, a spread of white crosses forms a checkerboard in the countryside. “It’s the military cemetery,” explains the driver, “where the fallen of the Second World War are buried.” Silence falls, then the man breaks it: “Are you leaving from terminal 1 or from the VIP one?”
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