Kallas's First Day as a MEP: No Holds Barred
She said in her blog that the Estonian MEPs took part in a ERR radio interview, which began five minutes past noon in Strasbourg, but the stench of alcohol was in the air: “I sat between the host and a member who has been residing in Europe for a while. I hope it does not point to a need to be continuously intoxicated to survive working in this job,” she said.
Eurosceptic parliamentarians protested the playing of the EU anthem at the beginning of the session by turning their backs or sitting down. That only gave ammo to the pro-EU politicians who said in a speech the very next day that some MEPs are only looking into the past, while others are facing the future, Kallas said.
She said it is a foreign custom to people from northern countries that MEPs have so many privileges in the Parliament building, including being able to cut in line at restaurant and cafes. The cultural difference between the south and the north is far stronger than that of the east and the west, Kallas said.