No Home From Home

When European commission President José Manuel Barroso declared that the E.U. needs an institute of technology, a group of M.E.P.s piped up with an idea for the perfect spot: their on-off home, the European Parliament complex in Strasbourg.

Their motives are both altruistic and self-serving. Since the mid-90s, parliament has shuttled monthly between Brussels and Strasbourg — at a cost of €200 million a year. The Campaign for Parliamentary Reform (CPR) argues that money is wasted.

The French disagree. "I've always voted to keep the seat here because it's an important...