Parliament extension ‘ahead of schedule’

By Martin Banks

Date: 10/03/05

THE European Parliament's new extension in Brussels is to open much sooner than initially expected, it has emerged.

Contractors working on the huge building, overlooking Place Luxembourg, have made such rapid progress that work is now expected to be completed by the end of next year. It had been feared the building would not be ready for occupation until the next European elections in 2009.

Known as D4, it will primarily house staff and the 172 MEPs from the new member states who were elected last summer. But work on another part of the extension, known as D5, which will consist mostly of meeting rooms, is not expected to be finished until February 2008.

While the buildings alone will cost 200 million euro, the total cost of the project is €320m. The other €120m covers the cost of the ground and taxes. The Belgian state will reimburse 50-60m euro

of the cost, leaving the Parliament an estimated €270-280m to pay.

A Parliament spokesman said: "We are delighted with the progress that has been made on the new offices and it looks like they will be ready a year ahead of schedule. The costs have remained static. Priority has had to be given to the offices and that is why the rest of the complex will not be ready at the same time."

When completed, the 75,000 square metre site will have 450 offices, five meeting rooms, accommodating between 135 and 450 people, an audio-visual room, car park, restaurant and bar.

Many of the new member state MEPs are currently accommodated in offices vacated after hundreds of the Parliament's staff were relocated to various leased buildings in Brussels.

Like the Berlaymont, the European Commission's newly refurbished headquarters, the Parliament building has been hit by a series of delays.

Officials were engaged in protracted talks with local residents before work could even start and, as the building is situated on top of a railway line, part of the rail station above it had to be demolished.

Article reports that the European Parliament's new extension in Brussels was to open much sooner than initially expected. Due to rapid progress, work was now expected to be completed by the end of 2006. It had been feared the building would not be ready for occupation until the next European elections in 2009.