Brussels and the European Union
History
Politics and government of Brussels |
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Birth of the European Communities
In 1951, the leaders of six European countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Italy and West Germany) signed the Treaty of Paris, which created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and with this new community came the first institutions: the High Authority, Council of Ministers, Court of Justice and Common Assembly. A number of cities were considered, and Brussels would have been accepted as a compromise, but the Belgian Government put all its effort into backing Liège (Wallonia),[6] opposed by all the other members, and was unable to formally back Brussels due to internal instability.[7]
Agreement remained elusive and a seat had to be found before the institutions could begin work, hence
The 1957
Brussels waited until only a month before talks to enter its application, which received unofficial backing by several member states. The members agreed in principle to locate the executives, Councils, and the assembly in one city, though could still not decide which city, so they put the decision off for six months. In the meantime, the Assembly would stay in Strasbourg and the new Commissions would meet alternatively at the ECSC seat and at the Château of Val-Duchesse, in Brussels (headquarters of a temporary committee). The Councils would meet wherever their Presidents wanted to.[11] In practice, this was at Val-Duchesse until autumn 1958 when it moved to central Brussels, at 2, Rue Ravenstein/Ravensteinstraat.[12]
Installation in Brussels and early development
Brussels missed out in its bid for a single seat due to a weak campaign from the Belgian Government in negotiations. The government eventually pushed its campaign and started large-scale construction, renting office space in the east of the city for use by the institutions. On 11 February 1958, the six member states' governments concluded an unofficial agreement on the setting-up of community offices. On the principle that it would take two years after a final agreement to prepare the appropriate office space, full services were set up in Brussels in expectation of a report from the Committee of Experts looking into the matter of a final seat.[13]
While waiting for the completion of the building on the Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée/Blijde Inkomstlaan, offices moved to 51–53, Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat on 1 April 1958 (later exclusively used by the Euratom Commission), though with the numbers of European civil servants rapidly expanding, services were set up in buildings on the Rue du Marais/Broekstraat, the Avenue de Broqueville/De Broquevillelaan, the Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan, the Rue d'Arlon/Aarlenstraat, the Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat, the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat and the Avenue de Kortenberg/Kortenberglaan. The Belgian Government further provided newly built offices on the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg (22, Rue des Sols/Stuiversstraat) for the Council of Ministers' Secretariat and European Investment Bank.[14][15]
A Committee of Experts deemed Brussels to be the one option to have all the necessary features for a European capital: a large, active metropolis, without a
The decision was put off due to the varied national positions preventing a unanimous decision. Luxembourg fought to keep the ECSC or have compensation; France fought for Strasbourg; Italy, initially backing Paris, fought for any Italian city to thwart Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Meanwhile, the Parliament passed a series of resolutions complaining about the whole situation of spreading itself across three cities, though unable to do anything about it.[17]
Merger Treaty: political and town-planning status quo
The 1965 Merger Treaty was seen as an appropriate moment to finally resolve the issue; the separate Commissions and Councils were to be merged. Luxembourg, concerned about losing the High Authority, proposed a split between Brussels and Luxembourg. The Commission and Council were to be located in Brussels, with Luxembourg keeping the Court and Parliamentary Assembly, together with a few of the Commission's departments. This was largely welcomed by the member states, but opposed by France, not wishing to see the Parliament leave Strasbourg, and by the Parliament itself, which wished to be with the executives and was further annoyed by the fact that it was not consulted on the matter of its own location.[18]
Hence, the status quo was maintained with some adjustments; the Commission, with most of its departments, would be in Brussels; as would the Council, except for April, June and October, when it would meet in Luxembourg. In addition, Luxembourg would keep the Court of Justice, some of the Commission's departments and the Secretariat of the European Parliament. Strasbourg would continue to host the Parliament.[19][20][21] Joining the Commission was the merged Council's Secretariat. The ECSC's Secretariat merged with the EEC's and EAEC's in the Ravenstein building, which then moved to the Charlemagne building, next to the Berlaymont building, in 1971.[12]
In Brussels, staff continued to be spread across a number of buildings, on the Rue Belliard, the Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée, the Rue du Marais and at the Mont des Arts.
The 1965 agreement was a source of contention for the Parliament, which wished to be closer to the other institutions, so it began moving some of its decision-making bodies, committee and political group meetings to Brussels.[23] In 1983, it went further by symbolically holding a plenary session in Brussels, in the basement of the Mont des Arts Congress Centre. However, the meeting was a fiasco and the poor facilities partly discredited Brussels' aim of being the sole seat of the institutions.[24] Things looked up for Brussels when, in 1985, the Parliament gained its own plenary chamber in the city (on the Rue Wiertz/Wiertzstraat) for some of its part-sessions.[23] This was done unofficially due to the sensitive nature of the Parliament's seat, with the building being constructed as an "international conference centre".[22] When France unsuccessfully challenged the Parliament's half-move to Brussels in the Court of Justice, the Parliament's victory led it to build full facilities in the city.[25]
Edinburgh European Council compromise
In response the Edinburgh European Council of 1992, the EU adopted a final agreement on the location of its institutions. According to this decision, which was subsequently annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997,[23] although the Parliament was required to hold some of its sessions, including its budgetary session, in Strasbourg, additional sessions and committees could meet in Brussels. It also reaffirmed the presence of the Commission and Council in the city.[26]
Shortly before this summit, the Commission moved into the Breydel building, at 45, Avenue d'Auderghem/Oudergemlaan. This was due to asbestos being discovered in the Berlaymont, forcing its evacuation in 1989. The Commission threatened to move out of the city altogether, which would have destroyed Brussels's chances of hosting the Parliament, so the Belgian Government stepped in to build the Breydel building a short distance from the Berlaymont, in only 23 months, ensuring the Commission could move in before the Edinburgh Summit. Shortly after Edinburgh, the Parliament bought its new building in Brussels. With the status of Brussels now clear, NGOs, lobbyists, advisory bodies and regional offices started basing themselves in the quarter near the institutions.[22]
The Council, which had been expanding into further buildings as it grew, consolidated once more in the
Status
The Commission employs 25,000 people[28] and the Parliament employs about 6,000 people.[29] Because of this concentration, Brussels is a preferred location for any move towards a single seat for Parliament.[30][31] Despite it not formally being the "capital" of the EU, some commentators see the fact that Brussels enticed an increasing number of the Parliament's sessions to the city, in addition to the main seats of the other two main political institutions, as making Brussels the de facto capital of the EU.[32] Brussels is frequently labelled as the "capital" of the EU, particularly in publications by local authorities, the Commission and press.[33][34][35][36][37][38] Indeed, Brussels interprets the 1992 agreement on seats as declaring Brussels as the capital.[33]
There are two further cities hosting major institutions,
Lobbyists and journalists
Brussels is a centre of political activity with ambassadors to Belgium, NATO and the EU being based in the city. It hosts 120 international institutions, 181 embassies (intra muros) and more than 2,500 diplomats, making it the second centre of diplomatic relations in the world (after New York City). There is also a greater number of press corps in the city with media outlets in every EU member state having a Brussels correspondent and there are 10,000 lobbyists registered. The presence of the EU and the other international bodies has, for example, led to there being more ambassadors and journalists in Brussels than in Washington, D.C.[28]
Brussels is third in the number of international conferences it hosts,[43] also becoming one of the largest convention centres in the world.[44] The total number of journalists accredited to the EU institutions was 955 as of late October 2015. This is marginally higher than 2012, when there were 931 reporters, and almost the same as after the enlargement of 2004. In addition to the 955 journalists accredited to the EU, there are 358 technicians (e.g. cameramen, photographers, producers, etc.) bringing the total number of accreditation badges to 1313. Belgium supplies by far the largest share of technicians with 376, with Germany on 143 and France on 105.[45]
Accessibility
Brussels is located in one of the most
Brussels is the hub of a range of national roads, the main ones being clockwise: the
Brussels is also served by Brussels Airport, located in the nearby Flemish municipality of Zaventem, and by the smaller Brussels South Charleroi Airport, located near Charleroi (Wallonia), some 50 km (30 mi) from Brussels.
European Quarter
Most of the European Union's Brussels-based institutions are located within its European Quarter (French: Quartier Européen; Dutch: Europese Wijk), which is the unofficial name of the area corresponding to the approximate triangle between Brussels Park, Cinquantenaire Park and Leopold Park (with the European Parliament's hemicycle extending into the latter). The Commission and Council are located on either side of the Rue de la Loi at the heart of this area near Schuman railway station and the Robert Schuman Roundabout.
The European Parliament is located over Brussels-Luxembourg railway station, next to the Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein.[21] The area, much of which was known as the Leopold Quarter for most of its history, was historically residential, an aspect which was rapidly lost as the institutions moved in, although the change from a residential area to a more office oriented one had already been underway for some time before the arrival of the European institutions.[46]
Historical and residential buildings, although still present, have been largely replaced by modern offices. These buildings were built not according to a high quality master plan or government initiative, but according to speculative private sector construction of office space, without which most buildings of the institutions would not have been built.
The quarter's land-use is very homogenous and criticised by some, for example the former Commission President, Romano Prodi, for being an administrative ghetto isolated from the rest of the city (though this view is not shared by all). There is also a perceived lack of symbolism, with some such as the architect Rem Koolhaas proposing that Brussels needs an architectural symbol to represent Europe (akin to the Eiffel Tower or Colosseum). Others do not think this is in keeping with the idea of the EU, with the novelist Umberto Eco viewing Brussels as a "soft capital"; rather than it being an "imperial city" of an empire, it should reflect the EU's position as the "server" of Europe.[48] Despite this, the plans for redevelopment intend to deal with a certain extent of visual identity in the quarter.[49]
Commission buildings
The most iconic structure is the
Originally built with flock asbestos, the building was renovated in the 1990s to remove it and renovate the ageing building to cope with enlargement. After a period of exile in the Breydel building on the Avenue d'Auderghem, the Commission reoccupied the Berlaymont from 2005 and bought the building for €550 million.
The president of the Commission occupies the largest office, near the Commission's meeting room on the top (13th) floor. Although the main Commission building, it houses only 2,000 out of the 20,000 Commission officials based in Brussels. In addition to the Commissioners and their cabinets, the Berlaymont also houses the Commission's Secretariat-General and Legal Service. Across the quarter the Commission occupies 865,000 m2 (9,310,783 sq ft) in 61 buildings with the Berlaymont and Charlemagne buildings the only ones over 50,000 m2 (538,196 sq ft).
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The Berlaymont building, primary headquarters of the European Commission
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The Charlemagne building, the Commission's second largest building, housing DG TRADE, DG ECFIN and the Internal Audit Service
Councils buildings
Across the Rue de la Loi from the Berlayont is the Europa building, which the Council of the European Union and the European Council have used as their headquarters since the beginning of 2017.[51] Their former home in the adjacent Justus Lipsius building is still used for low-level meetings and to house the Council's Secretariat, which has been located in Brussels' city centre and the Charlemagne building during the course of its history.[20][21][51] The renovation and construction of the new Council building was intended to change the image the European Quarter, and was designed by the architect Philippe Samyn to be a "feminine" and "jazzy" building to contrast with the hard, more "masculine" architecture of other EU buildings.[50] The building features a "lantern shaped" structure surrounded by a glass atrium made up of recycled windows from across Europe, intended to appear "united from afar but showing their diversity up close."[50]
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The Europa building, seat of the European Council and the Council of the European Union
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The Justus Lipsius building is still used for low-level meetings and to house the Council's Secretariat.
Parliament buildings
The European Parliament's buildings are located to the south between Leopold Park and the Place du Luxembourg, over Brussels-Luxembourg Station, which is underground. The complex, known as the "Espace Léopold" (or "Leopoldsruimte" in Dutch), has two main buildings: the Paul-Henri Spaak building and the Altiero Spinelli building, which cover 372,000 m2 (4,004,175 sq ft). The complex is not the official seat of the Parliament with its work being split with Strasbourg (its official seat) and Luxembourg (its secretariat). However, the decision-making bodies of the Parliament, along with its committees and some of its plenary sessions, are held in Brussels to the extent that three-quarters of its activity take place in the city.[52] The Parliament buildings were extended with the new D4 and D5 buildings being completed and occupied in 2007 and 2008. It is believed the complex now provides enough space for the Parliament with no major new building projects foreseen.[53]
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The Espace Léopold buildings, housing the European Parliament
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The Paul-Henri Spaak building
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The Altiero Spinelli building
Other institutions
The
Brussels also hosts two additional EU agencies: the
Demography and economic impact
The EU's presence in Brussels has created significant social and economic impact. Jean-Luc Vanraes , member of the Brussels' Parliament responsible for the city's external relations, goes as far to say the prosperity of Brussels "is a consequence of the European presence". As well as the institutions themselves, large companies are drawn to the city due to the EU's presence. In total, about 10% of the city has a connection to the international community.[56]
In terms of demographics, 46% of the population of Brussels is from outside Belgium;
In Brussels, there are 3,500,000 m2 (38,000,000 sq ft) of occupied office space; half of this is taken up by the EU institutions alone, accounting for a quarter of available office space in the city. The majority of EU office space is concentrated in the
However, there is considerable division between the two communities, with local Brussels residents feeling excluded from the European Quarter (a "
Future
This section needs to be updated.(May 2017) |
Rebuilding
In September 2007, then-
In March 2009, a French-Belgian-British team led by the French architect Christian de Portzamparc won a competition to redesign the Rue de la Loi between Maalbeek/Maelbeek Garden and the Résidence Palace in the east to the Small Ring in the west. Siim Kallas stated that the project, which would be put into action over a few a long period rather than all at once, would create a "symbolic area for the EU institutions" giving "body and soul to the European political project" and providing the Commission with extra office space. The road would be reduced from four lanes to two, be returned to two way traffic (rather than all west-bound), and the architects proposed a tram line to run down the centre. A series of high rise buildings would be built on either side with three taller "flagship" high rises at the east end on the north side. Charles Picqué described the towers as "iconic buildings that would be among the highest in Brussels" and that "building higher allows you to turn closed blocks into open spaces."[62][63] The tallest buildings would be up to 80 metres (260 ft) high, though most between 16 and 55, but the higher the building the further back it would be set from the road.[64] The freed up space (some 180,000 m2 (1,900,000 sq ft)) would be given over to housing, shops, services and open spaces to give the area a more "human" feel.[49] A sixth European School may also be built. On the western edge of the quarter, on the Small Ring, there would be "gates to Europe" to add visual impact.[65]
Given the delays and cost of the Berlaymont and other projects, the Commissioner emphasised that the new plans would offer "better value for money" and that the designs would be subject to an international architectural competition. He also pushed that controlling the buildings carbon footprint would be "an integral part of the programme".[49]
Pedestrian squares
There were plans to
A pedestrian and visual link would be created between the Berlaymont and Leopold Park by demolishing sections of the ground to fourth floors of the Justus Lipsius, the south "bland" facade of which would be redesigned. Further pedestrian and cycle links would be created around the quarter. Pedestrian routes would also be created for demonstrations.[65] Next to the Parliament at Leopold Park, the block of buildings between the Rue d'Arlon/Aarlenstraat and the Rue de Trêves/Trierstraat would be removed, creating a broad boulevard-like extension[68] of the Place du Luxembourg, the second pedestrian square (focusing on citizens).[65]
The third pedestrian square would be the Esplanade du Cinquantenaire/Esplanade van het Jubelpark (for events and festivities).
Further quarters
The concentration of offices in the European Quarter has led to increase real estate prices due to the increased demand and reduced space. In response to this problem, the Commission has, since 2004, begun decentralising across the city to areas such as the Avenue de Beaulieu/Beaulieulaan in Auderghem and the Rue de Genève/Genevestraat in Evere.[70][71] This has reduced price increases but it is still one of the most expensive areas in the city (€295/m2, compared to €196/m2 on average).[70][71] Neither the Parliament nor the Council have followed suit, however, and the policy of decentralisation is unpopular among the Commission's staff.[53]
Nevertheless, the Commission intends to develop two or three large "poles" outside the quarter, each greater than 100,000 m2 (1,076,391 sq ft).
As for the existing Beaulieu pole, which is to the south east of the European Quarter, there is a proposal to link it with the main quarter by covering the railway lines between Beaulieu and the European Parliament (the esplanade of which sits on top of Brussels-Luxembourg Station). Traffic on the lines is expected to increase creating environmental problems that would be solved by covering the lines. The surface would then be covered by flagstones, in the same manner as the Parliament's esplanade, to create a pedestrian/cyclist path between the two districts. The plan proposes that this "promenade of Europeans" of 3,720 metres (12,200 ft) be divided into areas dedicated to each of the member states.[74]
Political status
Belgium operates a complex federal system and is divided into three regions, with the Brussels-Capital Region being an independent region, alongside
Brussels does not belong to any community, but has a bilingual status, so Brussels' inhabitants may enjoy education, cultural affairs and education organised by the Flemish and/or the French community. This structure is the result of many compromises in the political spectrum going from separatism to unionism, while also combining the wishes of the Brussels population to have a degree of independence, as well as those of the Flemish and Walloon populations to having a level of influence over Brussels. The system has been criticised by some but it has also been compared to the EU, as a "laboratory of Europe".
In the hypothetical scenario of a separation of Belgium, the future status of Brussels is unknown. It might become an EU member state,
The boundaries of the Brussels-Capital Region were determined from the 1947 language census' data. This was the last time that some
See also
- European Institutions in Strasbourg
- History of the European Union
- Institutions of the European Union
- Location of European Union institutions
References
Notes
- ^ "Gewest gaat voor nieuwe vlag met hartjeslogo". brusselsnieuws.be (in Dutch). Brussels. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ see the references below in the Status section
- ISBN 9781610692489.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is considered to be the de facto capital of the EU
- ^ Dotti, 2013
- ISBN 9789004325807.
- ^ Demey, 2007: 175–6
- ^ Demey, 2007: 177
- ^ The plan was that it would be a "European district" between France and Germany, and institutions would move when the status was agreed. But three years later Saarbrücken voted massively to rejoin West Germany, cancelling the European district plan and maintaining Luxembourg's position.
- ^ Demey, 2007: 178–9
- ^ Demey, 2007: 187
- ^ Demey, 2007: 187–8
- ^ a b c "Seat of the Council of the European Union". CVCE. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ^ Demey, 2007: 190–3
- ^ The EIB moved to Luxembourg in 1965
- ^ Demey, 2007: 193
- ^ Demey, 2007: 196–8
- ^ Demey, 2007: 199
- ^ Demey, 2007: 205–6
- ^ Demey, 2007: 207
- ^ a b Seat of the European Commission on CVCE website
- ^ a b c d European Commission publication: Europe in Brussels 2007
- ^ a b c d e The European Quarter Archived 12 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Brussels-Europe Liaison Office (2008-07-20)
- ^ a b c "The seats of the institutions of the European Union". CVCE. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ^ Demey, 2007: 209–10
- ^ Demey, 2007: 211–2
- ^ European Council (12 December 1992). "Decision taken by Common Agreement between the representatives of the governments of member states on the location of the seats of the institutions and of certain bodies and departments of the European Communities". European Parliament. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ Stark, Christine. "Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat" (PDF). Dragoman.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ a b Parker, John (January–February 2007). "A tale of two cities". E!Sharp.
- ^ Parliament's website europarl.europa.eu
- ^ "OneSeat.eu: 1 million citizens do care". Young European Federalists. 18 September 2007. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- ^ Wallström, Margot (24 May 2006). "My blog: Denmark, Latvia, Strasbourg". European Commission. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
- ^ Demey, 2007
- ^ a b "Brussels: capital of Europe". Brussels-Europe Liaison Office. 6 April 2006. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Gilroy, Harry (2 June 1962). "Big Day for Brussels; Common Market Activities Make City The New Capital of European Politics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "Prodi and Verhofstadt present ideas for Brussels as capital of Europe". Euractv. 5 April 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ISBN 978-2-9600414-2-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-9600650-0-8.
- ^ Europe in Brussels (in English, French, Dutch, and German). European Commission. 2007.
- ^ "Strasbourg : the European capital". Strasbourg Tourism Office. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "Alliance Française Strasbourg Europe". Alliance française. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "Strasbourg, capitale européenne". Le Pôle européen d'administration publique. 2005. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Biden Says Brussels Could Be 'Capital of the Free World', Fox News (25 May 2010).
- ^ "Brussels, an international city and European capital". L'université Libre de Bruxelles. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010.
- ^ "Brussels: home to international organisations". diplomatie.be. Archived from the original on 15 February 2006.
- ^ "Everything you wanted to know about the Brussels Press Corps but were afraid to ask |". cleareurope.eu. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ Demey, Thierry (2007). Brussels, Capital of Europe. Brussels: Badeaux. p. 72.
The gradual metamorphosis from residential area to office district started in earnest after the 1958 World Fair with the arrival of the first European civil servants. However, the progressive exodus of the population to the leafy communes and their replacement by commercial company headquarters had already begun at the dawn of the century.
- ^ Demey, 2007: pp. 216–7
- ^ a b Zucchini, Giulio (18 October 2006). "Brussels, a soft capital". Café Babel. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "EU promises 'facelift' for Brussels' European quarter". EurActiv. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d Vermeersch, Laurent (30 January 2015). "Is the EU's new council building a desperate attempt to change its image?". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ a b "EUROPA : Home of the European Council and the Council of the EU - Consilium". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Wheatley, Paul (2 October 2006). "The two-seat parliament farce must end". Café Babel. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- ^ European Voice. Archived from the originalon 16 January 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
- ^ Bertha von Suttner – a visionary European. Opening of Bertha von Suttner Building, Committee of the Regions – ECOSOC. Brussels, 8 March 2006 Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine europa.eu
- ^ The EESC and CoR building at 99–101 rue Belliardstraat renamed Jacques Delors Building europa.eu
- ^ Banks, Martin (29 June 2010) EU responsible for significant' proportion of Brussels economy Archived 23 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, The Parliament Magazine. Accessed 1 July 2010
- ^ a b Bocart, Stéphanie (12 June 2010) Invasion of the Eurocrats Archived 27 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, La Libre Belgique, on PressEurop. Accessed 1 July 2010
- ^ a b Meulders, Raphael (22 June 2010) http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lalibre.be%2Factu%2Finternational%2Farticle%2F591060%2Fbruxelles-est-aussi-devenue-notre-ville.html Brussels has also become our town], La Libre Belgique via Google Translate. Accessed 1 July 2010
- ^ Andrew Rettman (8 March 2010). "Daylight shooting in EU capital raises alarm". euobserver.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-9600414-2-2.
- ^ Meulders, Raphael (21 June 2010) http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lalibre.be%2Factu%2Finternational%2Farticle%2F590787%2Fbienvenue-a-euroland.html to "Euroland"], La Libre Belgique via Google Translate. Accessed 1 July 2010
- ^ Brussels' EU quarter set for 'spectacular' facelift Archived 12 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, EurActive
- ^ "Annonce du lauréat de la compétition visant la Définition d'une forme urbaine pour la rue de la Loi et ses abords" (PDF). Charlespicque.be (in French). 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009.
- ^ Buildings that speak ‘to Europe and the world', European Voice 12.03.09
- ^ a b c d e f Clerbaux, Bruno. "The European Quarter today: Assessment and prospects" (PDF). European Council of Spatial Planners. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ Laconte, Pierre; Carola Hein (5 September 2007). "Brussels: Perspectives on a European Capital" (PDF). Foundation for the Urban Environment. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
- ^ Bavière, Francis Vanden (9 December 2007). "A peek on the future Schuman Station". iFrancis. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ "Bruxelles et l'UE prépare un grand lifting pour la Rue de la Loi". RTL. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Brussel Nieuws. Brussel verruimd de horizon[permanent dead link]. Retrieved on 2007-12-11
- ^ a b "European Commission buildings policy – questions and answers". EU Business. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
- ^ a b Vucheva, Elitsa (5 September 2007). "EU quarter in Brussels set to grow". EU Observer. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
- ^ Kallas, Siim (10 April 2008). "Speech of Vice-President Kallas: Designing for the Future – The Market and the Quality of Life" (PDF). Architects' Council of Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ Pop, Valentina (9 January 2009). "EU commission considers major relocation in Brussels". EU Observer. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ Promenade des Européens Archived 14 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine, EuroBru
- ^ a b Van Parijs, Philippe (4 October 2007). "Brussels after Belgium: fringe town or city state ?" (PDF). The Bulletin. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
- ^ Mardell, Mark (7 September 2006). "Europe diary: The great re-entry". BBC News. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ Feki, Donya (29 November 2007). "Jean Quatremer: a nation has been born – Flanders". Café Babel. Retrieved 29 November 2007.[permanent dead link]
Bibliography
- Demey, Thierry (2007). Brussels, capital of Europe. S. Strange (trans.). Brussels: Badeaux. ISBN 978-2-9600414-2-2.
- Dotti, 2013 "Update of the Economic Impact of the European and International Institutions on the Brussels-Capital Region. https://dial.uclouvain.be/downloader/downloader.php?pid=boreal:179693&datastream=PDF_01
External links
- European Quarter on Wikimapia
- (in French) Le Plan de Développement International de Bruxelles
- (in French) bruxelles.irisnet.be or (in Dutch) brussel.irisnet.be[permanent dead link]: Future plans for the European Quarter, Brussels-Capital Region
- Google Maps, Robert Schuman
- Map of the EU area
- Brussels International Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Brussels Tourism
- Visit the European Parliament
- (in French) Parliament D4 & D5 buildings
- Gallery of the EU Quarter
- The Brussels-Europe Liaison Office, a body charged to promote Brussels as Europe's capital
- Statistics on the EU presence in Brussels, Brussels-Europe Liaison Office
- Foundation for the Urban Environment