Buildings of the European Parliament

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

European Parliament in Brussels

The European Parliament utilises many buildings. Officially it is based in Strasbourg, with it Secretariat in Luxembourg City and main offices in Brussels. They are all of a modern design and there are hemicycles (debating chambers) in all three cities, though only the Brussels and Strasbourg sites are used. The Brussels site is located within the EU/Leopold district, south of the Berlaymont and Justus Lipsius buildings, housing the Commission and Council of Ministers respectively. The Strasbourg site is located in the north east of the city and is next to the buildings housing the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. The Luxembourg site is within the Kirchberg area of the city next to the buildings of the European Court of Justice.

See Location of European Union institutions and Location of the Parliament

1 Brussels
2 Strasbourg
3 Luxembourg
4 References
5 See also
6 External Links

[edit] Brussels

[edit] Paul-Henri Spaak

The Paul-Henri Spaak Building

The Paul-Henri Spaak in Brussels houses the hemicycle for that seat. The building juts from the main buildings out into Leopold Park surrounding the far side with trees. It is known by the locals as the “Caprice des Dieux” (whim of the gods).

[edit] Altiero Spinelli

The Altiero Spinelli building, between the Place du Luxembourg and Parc Léopold, is the largest building of the 372,000 m² complex housing mainly offices.

[edit] D4 & D5 (under construction)

There is currently building work going on towards Place du Luxembourg on the last phase of extensions (D4 and D5 buildings) which are due to be completed by 2008.^[1]^[2]. The new complex will accommodate new MEPs with 375 offices in D4 and 5 conference rooms (with 25 translation booths) in D5 in addition to new press facilities. it will also include a new Museum of Europe^[3]. At the death of Pope John Paul II, Polish MEPs tried to get the new buildings named after him^[4].

The iconic old entrance to the Quartier-Leopold Station (now the Brussels-Luxembourg station with the entrance between Altiero Spinelli and the D4-D5 buildings) will become a public information office.

Photos of the construction

[edit] Other & Former Brussels Buildings

The Parliament used to occupy the Delors building, now the home of the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

[edit] Strasbourg

[edit] Louise Weiss

The Louise Weiss Building with its distinctive tower

The Louise Weiss building in Strasbourg houses the hemicycle for that seat and is the main building of the complex. It's distinctive tower has become a symbol of the Parliament.