Tension building over HQ controversy

Date: 24/04/1997

By Rory Watson

BRUSSELS' regional government is caught between a rock and a hard place as it tries to reconcile the conflicting legal and environmental pressures looming over the European Parliament's new headquarters in the Belgian capital.

The challenge of finding a compromise between the property developers' long-standing contractual commitments and the restrictions set by subsequent environmental legislation has defeated the regional government twice in the past four weeks.

At stake is a pledge in 1991 by the developers of the extensive complex, SA Société Espace Léopold (SEL), to provide 2,350 parking places for MEPs, their assistants and parliamentary staff - and subsequent rules which have set a ceiling of 900 slots.

Because of the dispute and SEL's inability to complete the contract, the European Parliament decided shortly before Easter not to take formal delivery of the 545-million-ecu building.

Responsibility for implementing the legislation in question lies with the Brussels regional government, but after the failure of the latest attempt to break the deadlock this week, a Belgian spokeswoman admitted: “We have been unable to come to a decision because there are differences of opinion in the government on this issue.”

As a result, the European Parliament - which already uses the new building for its mini-plenary sessions in Brussels - is unlikely to move its staff into the huge complex before the summer recess.

But the institution is not concerned by the delay. “We are waiting for the Brussels region to solve the problem. We do not know why it was unable to sort it out this week and we are in no particular hurry to take over the building,” said one official.

The dispute is, however, proving embarrassing to the Brussels regional government. It is now facing a court case in Belgium brought by SEL, which is pressing for the latest environmental restrictions to be overruled and for the reinstatement of the 1991 planning permit which gave the go-ahead for the higher number of parking places.

The company is demanding a 150,000-ecu fine on the government for each day's delay.

The regional administration is also coming under pressure from Belgium's federal government to end the long-running saga. During a meeting with European Parliament President José María Gil-Robles this week, Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene confirmed that he hoped the dispute would be settled as soon as possible.

A possible way out of the impasse has been put forward by Belgian Environment Minister Didier Gosuin, who this week suggested that the number of places could be gradually increased over time, subject to certain environmental conditions, from 900 to a maximum of 1,800.

While local residents claim that the influx of so many vehicles would cause intolerable traffic congestion in the area, parliamentary staff complain

that inadequate public sector transport, particularly in the evenings, makes dependence on private cars inevitable.

The ongoing legal battle is delaying plans for the Parliament to centralise all its operations in the 1-billion-ecu three-part complex and move out of six of the eight premises it currently occupies in the Belgian capital.

It could also influence talks between the institution and the Belgian government over the last major issue to be resolved concerning what has become the largest construction project in western Europe.

The Belgian government has already agreed to pay just over 100 million ecu for the land on which the complex is built, but is still negotiating with MEPs over the development costs involved.

According to internal figures produced by the Parliament, the cost of splitting MEPs' activities between various premises in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg (an arrangement which was confirmed by EU leaders at their 1992 Edinburgh summit) will swallow up 23&percent; of its 904-million-ecu budget next year.

The rental, security and running costs of the three centres in 1998 will be: Brussels 117.7 million ecu; Strasbourg 70 million ecu; and Luxembourg 23.4 million ecu.