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Institutional seats of the European Union

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The institutions of the European Union are not concentrated in a single capital city, they are instead based across three cities, Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, with further agencies and other bodies spread further out.[1]

Locations

The treaties of the European Union outline the locations of the following institutions;[1] The European Parliament has its seat in Strasbourg, hosting 12 monthly plenary sessions (including budget session). Brussels would host additional sessions and committees. Luxembourg would host the Secretariat of the European Parliament. The Council of the European Union has its seat in Brussels, except during April, June, and October, when meetings are held in Luxembourg. The European Commission also has its seat in Brussels, although some departments are hosted by Luxembourg. The European Court of Justice, Court of First Instance, and Court of Auditors are based in Luxembourg along with the European Investment Bank. The Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions are entirely based in Brussels while the European Central Bank is based in Frankfurt and Europol is the only agency to have its seat fixed by the treaties, in the Hague.[1]

Non-fixed seats

There are numerous other bodies and agencies that have not had their seats fixed by treaties. Brussels hosts all formal European Council summits and the European Defence Agency (as NATO and WEU are also in the city). Luxembourg hosts the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union and the European Investment Bank. Strasbourg hosts the office of the European Ombudsman. The other agencies are spread across Europe and since the 2004 enlargement, there has been a drive to locate more agencies in the new member-states to make a more equal distribution.[2]

However some problems have been encountered with this. For example; Frontex, the new border agency, has had problems recruiting skilled experts because many do not want to live in the agency's host city, Warsaw, due to its relatively low wages and standard of living.[3] In addition, plans to place the headquarters of Galileo in Prague has met with opposition over security concerns that the city would not be safe enough for such a sensitive agency.[2]

History

Further information: History of the European Union

At the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the states could not agree which city should host the institutions of the new community. Luxembourg was chosen as a provisional choice for all but the Assembly (Parliament), which was to be based in Strasbourg. Two further communities were created in 1957 and again a provisional agreement laid out that the Assembly would meet in Strasbourg, the Courts in Luxembourg but the Commissions and Councils were split between Luxembourg and Brussels. These institutions later started to concentrate themselves in the latter city.[4]

As various agreements were reached, activities in Luxembourg gradually shifted to Brussels and the Parliament, although bound to remain in Strasbourg, also started to work in Brussels while the courts remained in Luxembourg. The final agreement in 1992 set up the present arrangement, including the division of the Parliament's work between the three cities.[4] In 2002 the European Council, having previously rotated between different cities, decided to base itself in Brussels.[5]

Beginning

The High Authority had its headquarters in Luxembourg

The ECSC was founded by the Treaty of Paris (1951), however there was no decision on where to base the institutions of the new community. The treaties allowed for the seat(s) to be decided by common accord of governments and at a conference of the ECSC members on 23 July 1952 no permanent seat was decided.[4]

The seat was contested with Liège, Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Turin all considered. While Saarbrücken had a status as a "European city", the ongoing dispute over Saarland made it a problematic choice.[6] Brussels would have been accepted at the time, but divisions within the then-unstable Belgian government ruled that option out.[7]

To break the deadlock, Joseph Bech, then Prime Minister of Luxembourg, proposed that Luxembourg be made the provisional seat of the institutions until a permanent agreement was reached.[6] However, it was decided that the Common Assembly, which became the Parliament, should instead be based in Strasbourg[4]—the Council of Europe (CoE) was already based there, in the House of Europe. The chamber of the CoE's Parliamentary Assembly could also serve the Common Assembly, and they did so until 1999, when a new complex of buildings was built across the river from the Palace.[8]

Provisional agreement

The Berlaymont in Brussels became the seat of the combined executive

The creation in 1957 of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) created new duplicate institutions to the ECSC (except for the Parliamentary Assembly and Court of Justice, which were shared). On 7 January 1958 it was decided that Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg would again be provisional venues until a final decision. Strasbourg would retain the Assembly, Luxembourg the Court and both Brussels and Luxembourg would host meetings of the Councils and Commissions (or High Authority).[4] On 21 June of that year the Parliamentary Assembly recommended to the Council that the Assembly should have its seat in the same place where the other organisations are based, although plenary sessions might be held elsewhere. The Assembly also nominated three cities to be the seat of the institutions; Brussels, Strasbourg and Milan. However, no permanent agreement was reached.[9]

The provisional arrangement was reiterated on 8 April 1965 with the Decision on the provisional location of certain institutions and departments of the Communities. This was following the Merger Treaty, which combined the executives of the three Communities into a single institutional structure. However, with the merged executives, the Commission and most departments were grouped together in Brussels, rather than Luxembourg. The Commission would first be based on Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée/Blijde Inkomstlaan, before moving to the Breydel building on the Schuman roundabout, and then its present location in the Berlaymont building. To compensate Luxembourg for the loss a number of provisions were laid out. Firstly, the Court of Justice would remain in the city. Some departments of the Commission and the Assembly, including the Secretariat of the Assembly would remain along with European Investment Bank (further, particularly financial, institutions would also be prioritised for Luxembourg). The Council would also have to hold sessions in Luxembourg during April, June and October. It also confirmed Strasbourg as the seat of the Parliament.[4]

Final agreement

Parliament built a hemicycle in Brussels to be closer to the other institutions

Despite the 1965 agreement, the Parliament's seat remained a source of contention. Wishing to be closer to the activities in Brussels and Luxembourg, a few plenary sessions were held by the Parliament between 1967 and 1981 in Luxembourg instead of Strasbourg—against the wishes of France—and in 1981 it returned to holding sessions entirely in Strasbourg. In the previous year it unsuccessfully issued an ultimatum to the national governments, attempting to force them to reach an agreement. Thus, the Parliament moved some of its decision-making bodies to Brussels, along with its committee and political group meetings, and in 1985 it also built a plenary chamber in Brussels for some part-sessions. All the Parliament's attempts in this field were challenged by member states.[4][9]

In response, the European Council adopted on 12 December 1992 in Edinburgh a final agreement on the seats.[4] The Decision on the location of the seats of the institutions and of certain bodies and departments of the European Communities outlined that the Parliament shall be based in Strasbourg, where it must hold "twelve periods of monthly plenary sessions, including the budget session". However, additional sessions may be held in Brussels, which is where committees must also meet while the secretariat must remain in Luxembourg.[10] The Parliament challenged this decision, declaring that the division of its activities between three states was against the treaties and the natural prerogatives of a Parliament elected by direct universal suffrage, claiming the right to decide its own workings to its own efficiency. In response, leaders annexed the decision to the Treaty of Amsterdam, including it in the treaties.[4][9]

1990s onwards

The European Council based itself in Brussels and will move into Résidence Palace in 2013

During the 1990s, the Council of the European Union moved into the Justus Lipsius building, now also the home of the European Council. The Council had been based in the city centre, and then in the Charlemagne building (now a Commission building). The Council moved to Justus Lipsius in 1995, during the refurbishment of the Berlaymont to remove asbestos. That project overran, but in 2004 the Commission moved back in and the Barroso Commission concentrated its activities there, with the President and meeting room on the thirteenth floor.[6][7] As of 2007, the Commission occupies 865,000m² in 61 buildings across the Brussels EU district. Due to the 2004 and 2007 member enlargements, staff has risen, demanding an extra 35,000m² of office space. This may lead to further construction and high rise buildings.[11] Furthermore, a building next to Justus Lipsius, Résidence Palace, is currently being renovated as the future seat of the Council and European Council.[5] The Council will occupy the new building from 2013.[12]

In 2002, it was also decided that the European Council would be based in Brussels. The Council was established in the 1960s as an informal gathering of national leaders and did not have a fixed location, being held, instead, in the state which held the EU Presidency each time. However, with impending enlargement, the Treaty of Nice established that one Council meeting per presidency would be held in Brussels. After enlargement to 18 members (reached in May 2004), all business would be held there with the exception of some extraordinary meetings that are still held elsewhere. In Brussels, the European Council shares the same building as the Council of the European Union.[13][5]

In 2007, the new situation became a source of contention with the European Council wanting to sign the Treaty of Lisbon in Lisbon. The Belgian government, keen not to set a precedent, insisted that the actual meeting should take place in Brussels as usual. This meant that after the signing, photo shoot and formal dinner, the entire summit transferred from Lisbon to Brussels to continue with normal business. The idea, mirrored with the "travelling circus" of the European Parliament, garnered protests from environmental groups describing the hypocrisy of demanding lower carbon emissions while flying across Europe for the same summit for political reasons.[14]

European Parliament

The Parliament is bound to spend "twelve periods of monthly plenary sessions, including the budget session" in Strasbourg, while additional sessions and committees are in Brussels. The secretariat is in Luxembourg.[10] While the split arrangements for other bodies have relatively little impact, the large number of members of the Parliament and its concentration of work load means that these issues are far more contentious than those surrounding the other institutions.[9] A democratic question has also been raised in the European Parliament being the only parliament in the world which cannot decide its own meeting place, and also being the only parliament to have more than one seat.[15]

Parliament's trips between Brussels and Strasbourg (image) have been criticised on grounds of democracy, cost, environmental impact, and practicality

Critics have described the three-city arrangement as a "travelling circus" with a cost an extra 200 million euro over a single location. The Green party has also noted the environmental cost in a study led by Jean Lambert, MEP and Caroline Lucas, MEP; in addition to the extra financial cost, there are over 20,268 tonnes of additional carbon dioxide, undermining any environmental stance of the institution and the Union.[16] Jens-Peter Bonde, leader of the ID group, stated in 2007 that unless the issue of the seat was tackled, it would be impossible to increase the election's turnout as the seat was the issue raised by voters most often. He, along with Green co-leader Monica Frassoni, called for a debate on the issue which was being blocked by President Hans-Gert Pöttering.[17]

The trips between the cities are seen by the public as "a money-wasting junket hugely enjoyed by journalists, MEPs and researchers" when in fact it is "a money-wasting junket loathed by journalists, MEPs and researchers" according to Gary Titley, MEP (PES), who announced he would not be standing for re-election in 2009 because of the two-seat issue. Titley stated that he could "no longer tolerate the shifting of the Parliament lock, stock and barrel to Strasbourg one week a month...It's a miserable journey and it's always a problem" noting the problems in lost luggage. As well as undermining the EU's climate change objectives, he criticises the Strasbourg sessions as the deals have already been made leading to them becoming formal voting sessions padded out with "debates saying we are against sin." Titley also states that, because the journeys take so much time, the committees in Brussels who do the bulk of the work do not have sufficient time to work.[18]

Strasbourg as a single workplace

Further information: Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
File:Institutions europeennes IMG 4307.jpg
The Strasbourg seat of Parliament

Some campaigners wish to see the concentration of the Parliament's activities back in Strasbourg (one being a campaign called the "Association for European Democracy" launched on 2007-03-15[19]). This is seen to be symbolic of decentralisation of the EU away from Brussels—viewed by such campaigners as ghettoised and cut off from ordinary citizens.[20]

The news media would also no longer be able to use shortcuts such as "Brussels decided..." rather than discuss the detail of the decision markers. Media would also have to be based in Strasbourg and hence might provide better coverage of the Council of Europe. Strasbourg is also preferred for historical reasons, having changed hands between France and Germany five times between 1870 and 1945.[20]

This position was supported by President Josep Borrell Fontelles, although he earned come criticism when he stated that the importance of Strasbourg in the context of the Second World War could not be perceived in the same way as France and Germany by "Nordic countries" (a reference to the Swedish MEP who started the one-seat petition—see below).[21]

Brussels as a single workplace

Further information: Brussels and the European Union and Espace Léopold
The Brussels seat of Parliament

Brussels is favoured by some as it is already the seat of the two other political institutions, the Commission and Council of Ministers (including the European Council). In addition, the Parliament has already geared three quarters of its activity in the city. Third party organisations are also based in the city, including NGOs, trade unions, employers' organisations[22] and the highest concentration of journalists in the world—also due to the presence of NATO in the city in addition to the large presence of Union institutions.[23] Pro-Brussels campaigners were bolstered when the position of Strasbourg suffered a minor blow in 2006, as allegations surfaced over charges by the city of Strasbourg on buildings the Parliament was renting.[24] The controversy died down when the European Parliament decided to officially buy the buildings on 24 October 2006.[25]

In May 2006, an online petition, oneseat.eu, was started by Cecilia Malmström, MEP calling for a single seat of Parliament, to be based in Brussels. By September of that year it reached its aim of one million signatures,[26] and according to a provision in the European Constitution a petition signed by a million citizens should be considered by the Commission. The overall validity of the petition was called into doubt, however, due to it being on the Internet and using e-mail addresses instead of street addresses. In addition, the majority of signatories were concentrated in northern Europe, notably the Netherlands (40%).[27] Regardless, the petition is seen by pro-Brussels groups as an important symbol.[28] One signatory to the petition was Commission Vice President Margot Wallström; she supported the campaign stating that "something that was once a very positive symbol of the EU reuniting France and Germany has now become a negative symbol—of wasting money, bureaucracy and the insanity of the Brussels institutions".[29]

Opinion

A poll of MEPs, in June 2007, by Alexander Nuno Alvaro MEP (ALDE), a pro-Brussels campaigner, found that 89% wanted a single seat and that 81% preferred Brussels. However, despite polling all MEPs, only 39% responded to the questions.[30] Alvaro stated that, after consulting polling firms, this was a high turnout for an opinion poll even if not totally representative. A Parliamentary magazine was pressured to drop the publication of this poll initially, reflecting the sensitive nature of the issue.[31] In the same month, another survey by Simon Hix of the University of Manchester and Roger Scully from the University of Aberystwyth found a 68% support for a single seat. In their survey 272 of the 732 people questioned responded.[32]

A survey of citizens' attitudes conducted in May 2006 included two questions on the issue of the Parliament's seat. On average, 32% people from all member states supported the two-location policy while 68 were against. Support for one location was higher among men than women, and among people over 35 than under. Support for both locations was one percentage point lower in the 10 countries which joined in 2004 than in the 15 earlier members; No group have more than 40 percent support to two locations. Of those against two seats, 76% supported Brussels and 24% supported Strasbourg. In this case support for Brussels was 6 percentage points higher in the 10 new members with women and the under 35 year-olds. The group with the highest support for Strasbourg was the over 35 year olds with 28 percent support.[33]

Action

These polls have not affected the position of France, which can veto any such move, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy stating that its seat is "non-negotiable".[34] All the same, the government has stated that the issue might be addressed if France was offered something of equal value. The Council itself has indicated privately that it would discuss the Strasbourg seat only if Parliament gives them a signal to start a debate, as they would not do on their own initiative. However, few wish to discuss the issue while the current constitutional issues are still present.[31]

Alternative uses for buildings

In January 2003, Green-EFA co-leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit, MEP has proposed turning the Strasbourg seat into a "European university".[35] The same idea has been put forward in January 2006 by Polish minister and former dissident Bronisław Geremek, in an article originally published by Le Monde.[36]

The year before, the proposed European Institute of Technology had been touted as a university to take over the building.[37] It has also been suggested that Strasbourg could host the European Council meetings, minor institutions such as the Committee of the Regions[38], or the institutions of the proposed Mediterranean Union.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Protocol (No 8) on the location of the seats of the institutions and of certain bodies and departments of the European Communities and of Europol (1997)" (PDF). Europa (web portal). Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  2. ^ a b "Galileo Guess Who: EU States Vie to Host Galileo Supervisory Authority". GPS World. 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Staff woes hit EU border agency". BBC News. 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The seats of the institutions of the European Union". European NAvigator. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  5. ^ a b c Stark, Christine. "Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat" (PDF). Dragoman.org. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Seat of the European Commission". European NAvigator. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  7. ^ a b Europe in Brussels. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. 2007.
  8. ^ "Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament". Tribune pour l'Europe on European NAvigator. 1999. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  9. ^ a b c d "Seat of the European Parliament". European NAvigator. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  10. ^ a b European Council (1992-12-12). "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" (PDF). European Parliament. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Vucheva, Elitsa (2007-09-05). "EU quarter in Brussels set to grow". EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-09-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (2007-10-31). "City bids to shape EU's presence". European Voice. Retrieved 2007-12-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Treaty of Nice" (PDF). Europa (web portal). 2001-02-21. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ a b ley Berry, Peter Sain (2007-11-01). "Comment: Travelling circuses are not worth the carbon". EU Observer. Retrieved 2007-11-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Alvaro, Alexander (2006-07-06). "Europe's strangest migrants". Café Babel. Retrieved 2007-11-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Greens condemn EU parliament's 'traveling circus'". 4ecotips. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Tayler, Simon (2007-01-18). "Pöttering told to defend MEPs' independence". European Voice. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Mardell, Mark (2007-12-14). "Giving up the Strasbourg junket". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Defending Strasbourg in the name of European democracy". Forum Carolus. 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Template:Fr icon
  20. ^ a b Vallens, Emmanuel (2006-06-20). "Strasbourg, natural home of the European Parliament". The New Federalist. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Tayler, Simon (2006-11-12). "Parliament's disappointing presidents". European Voice. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Wheatley, Paul (2006-10-02). "The two-seat parliament farce must end". Café Babel. Retrieved 2007-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Harding, Gareth (July - August 2007). "Nothing to write home about?". E!Sharp magazine. Encompass Publications: 28. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Kroeger, Alix (2006-04-27). "EU and Strasbourg in rent row". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Template:Fr icon "The city of Strasbourg and the European Parliament sign the selling contract". Strasbourg Commune (Google Caché). Retrieved 2007-06-12.
  26. ^ Malmström, Cecilia. "OneSeat.eu". Retrieved 2007-06-12.
  27. ^ "The European Parliament should be located in Brussels". Utrecht University. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  28. ^ "OneSeat.eu: 1 million citizens do care". Young European Federalists. 2007-09-18. Retrieved 2007-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Wallström, Margot (2006-05-24). "My blog: Denmark, Latvia, Strasbourg". European Commission. Retrieved 2007-06-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Euro MPs want to scrap Strasbourg base: poll". EU Business. 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2007-06-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ a b "'Censorship' claimed at the European Parliament". EUX.TV, on You Tube. 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Professor Farrell: "The EP is now one of the most powerful legislatures in the world"". European Parliament. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Survey of EU Citizens" (PDF). Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates. 2006-05-30. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Banks, Martin (2007-05-24). "Sarkozy slated over Strasbourg seat". EU Politix: The Parliament. Retrieved 2007-06-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Cohn-Bendit, Daniel (2006-11-01). "Convaincu que deux lieux pour le Parlement européen sont inutiles, veut « faire de Strasbourg une université européenne »" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)Template:Fr icon
  36. ^ Gessant, Pauline (2006-06-27). "For a European University in Strasbourg". Taurillon. Retrieved 2007-11-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)Template:Fr icon
  37. ^ "France to build a European Institute of Technology in Paris". Euractiv. 2005-10-11. Retrieved 2007-06-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Watt, Nicholas (2006-11-01). "The end of the road for roving parliament?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-06-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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