Flaky MEPs call for EU Ice Cream Day

London Conservative MEP Marina Yannakoudakis has today spoken out against proposals for an EU Ice Cream Day, especially in light of the current economic crisis.

Proposals put forward by an Italian MEP call for the EU to establish a European Artisanal Gelato Day on 24 March. The declaration proposed by Sergio Silvestris, a member of the parliament’s budget committees, and four other deputies refers to the ice cream sector as “an area in which the EU economy can compete.” MEPs were also invited to a tasting of “artisanal gelato” in the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week to whip up support for the scheme.

Marina Yannakoudakis MEP said: “At a time when the poor of Greece are queuing up for food aid in Athens, for the European Parliament to waste its efforts on setting up a European Ice Cream Day is senseless and offensive.”

“How can I continue to justify the work of the European Parliament to my constituents when - instead of focusing on growth and jobs - its members prefer to spend their time scoffing sweet treats and tying up the legislative process with rules on ice cream?”