Locals condemn Euro ‘blight’

Date: 30/01/1997

By Simon Coss

BUILDING affordable houses on four patches of land currently up for sale in Brussels' Quartier Leopold is the last chance the Belgian authorities have to breathe new life into a neighbourhood which has been systematically bulldozed in the name of European integration, say residents.

The claim came as local people staged a seven-day demonstration in a tent erected on one of the four sites, an area of wasteland between buildings occupied by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

The protest included round-table discussions and press conferences with speakers from the Belgian federal, regional and city authorities as well as Erkki Liikanen, the European Commissioner responsible for buildings policy.

“This used to be a vibrant, lively and artistically interesting neighbourhood. Then in 1971 the European institutions came to Brussels and since then they have taken over the entire area,” said one local resident.

One of the greatest problems highlighted by the protesters is that the federal nature of the Belgian government means it is never clear who is responsible for what.

“Some of the land in question belongs to the federal government, some is the responsibility of the regional administration. Then, of course, the city of Brussels is also involved. Whenever we want to discuss this problem, there are 36 different people we have to talk to,” explained protesters' spokesman Jim Segers.

Segers says his group - called Sens Unique (one way) as a wry comment on the Rue de la Loi and Rue Belliard, the two major one-way thoroughfares which now dissect the neighbourhood - wants the Belgian authorities to designate one person to liaise between local residents and the various responsible authorities.

Earlier this month, Sens Unique contacted two MEPs - the Green Group's Marianne Eriksson and Socialist Laura González - who tabled a written question to the Commission calling for greater co-operation on the problem between the Belgian authorities, the EU institutions and residents' groups.

For his part, Liikanen echoed Segers exasperation with the often incomprehensible intricacies of the Belgian state. “It can be very difficult to get a clear answer to our questions. The federal set-up means the ball often gets passed into another court and no speedy decisions are taken,” he said.

The Belgian state's sanctioning of the destruction of historical neighbourhoods to make way for lucrative 'Euro-offices' is proving increasingly embarrassing to an institution which spends a great deal of time and money expounding the marvels of Europe's cultural heritage.

“I live in Brussels myself and I am just as concerned about the situation as the longer-term inhabitants are,” said Liikanen. “I am often struck by the look on people's faces when they visit this part of the city for the first time. They see nothing but traffic jams, abandoned houses, endless building sites and roads in a terrible state of repair.”

The Commissioner is currently considering buying or lease-purchasing far more office space (only the 'Breydel' building is currently owned outright) and hopes this will give the institution greater autonomy over its buildings policy.

As a first step towards resuscitating the neighbourhood, Liikanen has suggested launching an architectural competition to create a pedestrian zone between the main Commission, Council and Parliament buildings. Providing the necessary agreements can be reached with the Belgian state, he hopes the contest will get under way in early March.

Whatever happens, everyone seems agreed that as the EU heads for yet another round of enlargement, clear planning is needed in place of the 'free- for-all' approach adopted over the past quarter of a century. “Obviously the government wants to profit from the money brought here by the European institutions but it is time to consider the impact on the neighbourhood too,” insisted Segers.