AT this time, when everyone is facing uncertainty and having to cut back, there should be no sacred cows – and that includes the European Union budget.

MEPs are looking hard at where efficiency savings can be made. Top of my list are the European Parliament meetings in Strasbourg.

One week in four, everyone decamps the 220 miles (350km) from Brussels on a specially chartered train to Strasbourg to vote on proposed legislation and amendments.

And then they go back to Brussels – at a cost of £160m (200 million euros) every year.

It is because of history. When six European nations formed the Common Market in 1957 the Second World War was still a fresh memory.

It was important to share the benefits in an even-handed way, so it was agreed Belgium would have the seat of the European Commission in Brussels and France the seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg was chosen as it is on the border with Germany. It has been fought over and changed hands many times over the centuries.

Putting the European Parliament in Strasbourg was a symbol of the new peace.

But that was half a century ago. In the meantime, the six-member Common Market has expanded into a European Union with 27 member states, and Brussels at its hub.

MEPs now have direct democratic control over European law-making and are engaged in daily negotiations in Brussels with the European Commission and representatives from national governments (“the Council”).

Yet once a month, to fulfil a legal obligation, all 736 members, their assistants, the European Parliament’s staff and thousands of trunks full of paperwork still make the journey between Brussels and Strasbourg.

It is ridiculous. The unnecessary travel is a strain on ordinary staff members. The extra CO2 emissions are shameful at a time when public institutions should be setting an example on tackling climate change by reducing their carbon footprint. But most embarrassing is the cost of this travelling circus: £800m over a five-year parliamentary term.

UK MEPs of all parties are keen to stop this waste. Unfortunately, it’s not up to MEPs to decide whether or not they have to meet in Strasbourg. The requirement to go there is written into the European treaties and it is therefore the 27 national governments which must decide to make the change.

The good news is that our coalition Government is flying the flag here. The Coalition Agreement states: “We will press for the European Parliament to have only one seat, in Brussels.”

Making the necessary treaty change will not be quick or easy because the agreement of all 27 member states will be required.

Meanwhile, there are practical changes which would save money. I am calling for a reorganisation of the 2012 parliamentary calendar so two separate sessions are held in each Strasbourg week. This would instantly halve the amount of travel, while staying within the Parliament’s legal obligation to hold 12 sessions in Strasbourg each year.

If a majority of MEPs support these changes, real savings will be made soon, without waiting for the interminable process of treaty change. So, if you have friends on the Continent, get them to ask their MEPs to support this campaign, too. History is history and the EU must learn to change in response to today’s urgent challenges.

■ Fiona Hall is a North-East MEP and leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs. Contact her at: fiona.hall@europarl.europa.eu.