Not just for EU nerds

Today, the European Parliament is holding a debate on a citizens’ initiative to end finning. You don’t know what finning is? You could be referred to the website of the citizens’ movement. Or to the series „Parliament,“ a Belgian-French-German co-production.

Set in the European Parliament, the series tells the story of Samy, a young parliamentary assistant who fights finning – the practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks immediately after they are caught and throwing their bodies into the sea. The sharks, of course, can no longer swim without their fins and sink to the bottom of the sea, where they suffocate or are eaten.

It is often said that politics is a shark tank. And the European Parliament is no exception. Quite the opposite. The series is reminiscent of office comedies in the style of „The Office,“ with its mix of meetings, paperwork, power plays and flirtations. „You’re trying to bribe me so we can be friends, that’s what Germany does to all the countries in the European Union,“ says his British colleague Rose when Samy tries to invite her to lunch in the canteen.