The European Parliament's monthly session in Strasbourg costs hundreds of millions of euros of public money.

Omissions

• The MEP did not specify whether she was referring to the total cost of the Strasbourg seat (building maintenance, staff, sessions) or only the marginal extra cost of holding sessions in Strasbourg versus Brussels. The former is approximately €103 million annually (2013 EP study), while the latter was approximately €12 million annually according to 2024 data.
• The key €103 million figure comes from a 2013 European Parliament study, making it over 13 years old at the time of the speech. More recent official updates to this estimate were not available.
• The MEP did not clarify whether the 'hundreds of millions' referred to annual costs or cumulative costs. At the lower bound of €103 million, the Strasbourg-specific cost is at the very threshold of what can reasonably be characterized as 'hundreds of millions'.
• The broader estimate of €156-204 million cited in the same 2013 EP study refers to the total extra cost of the three-seat arrangement (including Luxembourg), not only Strasbourg.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Parliament Press RoomThe additional annual costs resulting from the Parliament's geographic dispersion have been estimated at between €156 million and €204 million — this includes the additional costs of the Strasbourg seat, estimated at €103 million.
• SecondaryPoliticoThe Parliament's five-day meetings in Strasbourg last year cost 3.9 million euros, compared to the 2.9 million euros taxpayers would have had to pay if the sessions were held in Brussels. The extra cost per session is approximately 1 million euros, or around 12 million euros annually for 12 plenary sessions.
• SecondaryLuxembourg TimesIt estimated extra annual costs of the shuttle between the two cities at 156-204 million euros, including the additional cost of the Strasbourg seat at 103 million euros.
• SecondaryEuropean Data Journalism NetworkThere are many various calculations to be found online on the cost of the Strasbourg sitting, ranging from €55 million to €203 million. Various methodologies yield different results depending on what costs are included (direct operational costs, fixed building costs, environmental externalities, etc.).