Leaky roofs on new Parliament building

Heavy rain in recent days has exposed problems with the design and finish of the European Parliament’s newest Brussels building.

Hundreds of Parliament workers, including non-attached MEPs and their UK Independence Party (UKIP) colleagues, moved in June into the first of two new extensions. Together the two buildings will cost €326.2 million.

But heavy rain soon after their arrival has exposed leaking roofs, damaged carpets and swollen paint along the main concourse and in some of the offices.

UKIP points out that a large part of the new building is also out of range for at least one major mobile phone company. Derek Clark from UKIP said that this meant the extension was "shiny, expensive and unreachable".

A Parliament spokeswoman said: "Stopping the leaks would be the responsibility of builders still completing the new extension and not of the Parliament authori-ties." She said the cost of repairs would be met by the developers’ insurance.

Security officials from the new building said that builders had noticed the leaks and would be correcting the problem soon.

The buildings are currently known as D4 and D5, but debate is under way in the Parliament as to what names to attach to them. Polish MEPs earlier this year tried unsuccessfully to have them named after the late Pope Jean Paul II.

An informal internal Parliament poll asked MEPs to come up with alternatives. "Unless it’s an intentional tribute to Ms Wallström’s magnifi-cent communication initiative (plan D), we can’t just leave it as D4 surely?" the poll asked, referring to the Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate presented by Communication Commissioner Margot Wallström.

The results, out this week, include names of people that have played a major role in shaping the EU, such as Lech Wałesa, Aristide Briand and Julian Priestley. More controversial ideas include former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher (the only woman nominated), the Kaczyn´ski Twin Towers and Fawlty Towers.

The most popular name was Willy Brandt, former German chancellor and Nobel prize winner. But the MEPs’ opinion is non-binding.

Heavy rain in recent days has exposed problems with the design and finish of the European Parliament’s newest Brussels building.