View source for Institutional seats of the European Union

{{Short description|Overview of the European Union's institutional seats}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{location map+ |European Union |AlternativeMap= European Union relief laea location map.svg|float=right|width=350 |caption=
Institutional seats as fixed in [[s:Consolidated protocols, annexes and declarations attached to the treaties of the European Union/Protocols#PROTOCOL (No 6) ON THE LOCATION OF THE SEATS OF THE INSTITUTIONS AND OF CERTAIN BODIES, OFFICES, AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION|Protocol 6]]:
'''[[Brussels]]:''' [[European Commission|Commission]], [[Council of the European Union|Council of Ministers]], [[European Council]], [[European Parliament|Parliament]] ([[Espace Léopold|2nd]])<br />
'''[[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]]:''' [[European Central Bank|Central Bank]]<br />
'''[[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]]:''' [[Secretariat of the European Parliament]], Council of Ministers (2nd), [[Court of Justice of the European Union]], [[European Court of Auditors|Court of Auditors]], Commission (various departments and services)<br />
'''[[Strasbourg]]:''' Parliament<br />
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Fixed, but with leeway for meetings elsewhere.
|places=
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=48.58|long=7.75 |label=[[Strasbourg]] |position=bottom}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=49.61 |long=6.13 |label=[[Luxembourg City]]|position=left}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=50.7 |long= 8.41 |label=[[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]]|position=right}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=50.51 |long= 4.21 |label=[[Brussels]]|position=top}}
}}

{{Politics of the European Union |policies}}

The seven [[institutions of the European Union|institutions]] of the [[European Union]] (EU) are seated in four different cities, which are [[Brussels]] ([[Belgium]]), [[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]] ([[Germany]]), [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]] ([[Luxembourg]]) and [[Strasbourg]] ([[France]]), rather than being concentrated in a single [[capital city]]. The [[Agencies of the European Union|EU agencies]] and other bodies are located all across the union,<ref name="p8"/> but usually not fixed in the treaties. [[The Hague]] is the only exception, as the fixed seat of the [[Europol|Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation]] (Europol). Luxembourg City is the EU capital that can lay claim to having the most of the seven EU institutions based wholly or partly upon its territory, with only the European Council and [[European Central Bank]] not having a presence in the city. Over the years, Brussels has become the EU's political hub, with the [[European Commission#College|College of the Commissioners]] – the [[European Commission]]'s politically accountable executive – and the [[European Council]] both meeting at their Brussels-based headquarters, and the [[European Parliament]] and [[Council of the EU]] holding the majority of their meetings annually within the city. This has led media to describe it as the ''de facto'' "capital of the EU".

The seats have been a matter of political dispute since the states first failed to reach an agreement at the establishment of the [[European Coal and Steel Community]] in 1952. However, a final agreement between member states was reached in 1992, and later attached to the [[Treaty of Amsterdam]].<ref name="ENA seats"/>

Despite this, the seat of the [[European Parliament]] remains controversial. The work of Parliament is divided between Brussels, Luxembourg City and Strasbourg, which is seen as a problem due to the large number of [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]], staff, and documents which need to be moved.<ref name="ENA parl"/> As the locations of the major seats have been enshrined in the [[treaties of the European Union]], Parliament has no right to decide its own seat.<ref name="Strange"/>

Locating new bodies is also not without political disputes. The [[European Central Bank]]'s (ECB) seat had to symbolise its independence from political control, and was located in a city which did not already host a national government or European institution.<ref name="IHT Gerwitz 1992"/> Some new agencies have also been based in eastern Europe since 2004 to balance their distribution across the EU.<ref name="Galileo Prague">{{cite web|title=Galileo Guess Who: EU States Vie to Host Galileo Supervisory Authority|date=6 December 2006|url=http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=403496|publisher=GPS World|access-date=2007-07-18|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808100433/http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=403496|archive-date=8 August 2007}}</ref>

==Locations==
The [[treaties of the European Union]] outline the locations of the following institutions:<ref name="p8">{{cite web|title=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)|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/ce321/ce32120061229en00010331.pdf|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)]]|access-date=2007-07-15}}</ref> The [[European Parliament]] has its seat in Strasbourg, hosting twelve monthly plenary sessions (including budget session). Brussels hosts additional sessions and committees<ref name="p8"/> (including being used in September 2008 for normal sittings when the Strasbourg chamber was damaged<ref>{{cite web|last=Runner|first=Phillipa|title=MEPs shift to Brussels after ceiling collapse|date=4 September 2008|url=http://euobserver.com/9/26686|publisher=[[EU Observer]]|access-date=2007-07-18}}</ref>). Luxembourg City hosts 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 City.<ref name="p8"/>

The [[European Commission]] also has its seat in Brussels, although some departments and services are hosted by Luxembourg City. The [[Court of Justice of the European Union]], (along with its component courts, the [[European Court of Justice]] and the [[General Court (European Union)|General Court]]), the [[Court of Auditors]] and the [[European Investment Bank]] are based in Luxembourg City. 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]].<ref name="p8"/>

Separately, the [[Treaty of Nice]] establishes Brussels as the venue for all formal summits of the [[European Council]] after 2004. However some extraordinary sessions are sometimes held outside the city. The European Council's seat is however fixed by a declaration rather than a protocol, meaning it is less binding than the other seats.<ref name="Dragoman">{{cite web|url=http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|title=Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat|last=Stark|first=Christine|publisher=Dragoman.org|access-date=2007-07-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709220601/http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|archive-date=9 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="Nice">{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/eur-lex/en/treaties/dat/nice_treaty_en.pdf|title=Treaty of Nice|date=21 February 2001|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)]]|access-date=2007-07-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20061122035947/http://europa.eu/eur-lex/en/treaties/dat/nice_treaty_en.pdf|archive-date=22 November 2006}}</ref>

The 2011 Treaty Establishing the [[European Stability Mechanism]] (ESM) states that the seat of the ESM must be in Luxembourg.<ref>[http://consilium.europa.eu/media/1216793/esm%20treaty%20en.pdf Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812184411/http://consilium.europa.eu/media/1216793/esm%20treaty%20en.pdf |date=12 August 2011 }}, Council of the European Union</ref>

===Non-fixed seats===
There are numerous other bodies and agencies that have not had their seats fixed by treaties. Brussels hosts the [[European Defence Agency]] (as [[NATO]] and formerly the [[Western European Union|WEU]] are also in the city). Luxembourg City hosts the [[Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union]] and the [[European Investment Bank]]. Strasbourg and Brussels both host the offices of the [[European Ombudsman]]. The other [[Agencies of the European Union|agencies]] are spread across Europe and since the [[Enlargement of the European Union|2004 enlargement]], there has been a drive to locate more agencies in the new member-states to make a more equal distribution.<ref name="Galileo Prague"/>

===Commission departments===
Although the commission is mainly based in Brussels, some of its departments are required to be based in Luxembourg City since the 1965 agreement which listed the following for Luxembourg City; ECSC financial departments, the DG for Credit and Investments, the department which collects the ECSC levy and attached accounts departments; the [[Publications Office (European Union)|Publications Office]] with related sales and proofreading services and [[Community Research & Development Information Service|CORDIS]]; the [[Eurostat|EEC Statistical Office]] and data-processing department; the EEC and ECSC departments for hygiene and industrial safety; [[Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (European Commission)|DG for Health]]; DG for Euratom safeguards and any appropriate administrative and technical infrastructure for these.<ref>{{cite web|title = Decision of the representatives of the governments of the Member States of 8 April 1965 on the provisional location of certain institutions and departments of the Communities (67/446/EEC) (67/30/Euratom)|date=4 March 2014|publisher=[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/decision_of_the_representatives_of_the_governments_of_the_member_states_on_the_provisional_location_of_the_institutions_8_april_1965-en-97a09576-1a05-48a8-8e51-892ea758873a.html|access-date = 2014-08-03}}</ref>

As departments have changed over the years, some are no longer present as they have been abolished or merged, with most departments present being mainly based in Brussels while retaining a minor presence in Luxembourg City. There are however some departments which are still entirely based in the city per the 1965 agreement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buildings List |publisher=EC Office for Infrastructures and Logistics – Luxembourg |url=http://ec.europa.eu/comm/oil/batiments_en.htm |access-date=2008-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131141209/http://ec.europa.eu/comm/oil/batiments_en.htm |archive-date=31 January 2008 }}</ref>

==="Capital"===
The treaties or declarations of the EU have not declared any city as the "capital" of the EU in any form. However, informally the term has found usage despite connotations out of step with the normal perceptions surrounding an inter/supranational entity. Brussels is frequently the subject of the label, particularly in publications by local authorities, the Commission and press.<ref name="BELO">{{cite web|title=Brussels: capital of Europe |publisher=Brussels-Europe Liaison Office |url=http://www.vbbe.be/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1835 |date=6 April 2006 |access-date=2009-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705055805/http://www.vbbe.be/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1835 |archive-date=5 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gilroy |first=Harry |title=Big Day for Brussels; Common Market Activities Make City The New Capital of European Politics |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://www.vbbe.be/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1835 |date=2 June 1962 |access-date=2009-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705055805/http://www.vbbe.be/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1835 |archive-date=5 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Prodi and Verhofstadt present ideas for Brussels as capital of Europe |publisher=[[Euractv]] |url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/prodi-verhofstadt-present-ideas-brussels-capital-europe/article-115391?_print |date=5 April 2007 |access-date=2009-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903213009/http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/prodi-verhofstadt-present-ideas-brussels-capital-europe/article-115391?_print |archive-date=3 September 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Demey |first= Thierry |others= S. Strange (trans.) |title= Brussels, capital of Europe |year= 2007 |publisher= Badeaux |location= Brussels |isbn= 978-2-9600414-2-2}}</ref><ref name="Laconte">{{cite book| last = Laconte | first = Pierre |author2=Carola Hein  | title = Brussels: Perspectives on a European Capital | publisher = Foundation for the Urban Environment | location = Brussels, Belgium | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-2-9600650-0-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Europe in Brussels | publisher =European Commission | language = en, fr, nl, de  | year = 2007  }}</ref> Indeed, the city of Brussels interprets the 1992 agreement on seats (details below) as declaring Brussels as the capital.<ref name="BELO"/> Likewise, authorities in Strasbourg and organisations based there refer to Strasbourg as the "capital" of Europe<ref>{{cite web|title = Strasbourg : the European capital|publisher = Strasbourg Tourism Office|url = http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=34&lang=en|access-date = 2009-07-27|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090903213928/http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=34&lang=en|archive-date = 3 September 2009|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Alliance Française Strasbourg Europe|publisher = [[Alliance française]]|url = http://www.alliance-francaise-strasbourg.fr/templates/home.php?page=1&lng=en|access-date = 2009-07-27|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091205090415/http://www.alliance-francaise-strasbourg.fr/templates/home.php?page=1&lng=en|archive-date = 5 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Strasbourg, capitale européenne|publisher=Le Pôle européen d’administration publique|url=http://www.peap.fr/dn_strasbourg_capitale_europeenne/|year=2005|access-date=2009-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512103404/http://www.peap.fr/dn_strasbourg_capitale_europeenne/|archive-date=12 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> (often wider Europe due to the presence of the [[Council of Europe]] there as well) and Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg City are also referred to as the joint capitals of Europe, for example in relation to the "[[EuroCap-Rail]]" project: a railway that would link "the three European capitals".<ref name="Laconte"/>

==History==
{{further|History of the European Union}}
At the founding of the [[European Coal and Steel Community]] (ECSC) in 1951, the states could not agree which city should host the institutions of the new community. Brussels was widely preferred, but was vetoed by Belgium which insisted on [[Liège]].  Because of the impasse, Luxembourg City 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 would meet in Luxembourg City, and the Commissions and Councils would be split between Luxembourg City and Brussels. These institutions later started to be concentrated in the latter city.<ref name="ENA seats"/>

As various agreements were reached, activities in Luxembourg City 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 City. The final agreement in 1992 set up the present arrangement, including the division of the Parliament's work between the three cities.<ref name="ENA seats"/> In 2002, the [[European Council]], having previously rotated between different cities, decided to base itself in Brussels.<ref name="Dragoman"/>

===Beginning===
[[File:BCEE Place de Metz Luxembourg 2013 02.JPG|thumb|The former headquarters of the High Authority in Luxembourg City]]
The ECSC was founded by the [[Treaty of Paris (1951)|Treaty of Paris]] in 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.<ref name="ENA seats">{{cite web|title=The seats of the institutions of the European Union|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_seats_of_the_institutions_of_the_european_union-en-cd672879-aeb1-4cad-a0c1-9e4ff75ff660.html|publisher=[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

The seat was contested, with [[Liège]], [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]], [[Strasbourg]] and [[Turin]] all considered. While [[Saarbrücken]] had a status as a "European city" ([[Europeanisation|Europeanised]] presence and control), the ongoing [[Saar (protectorate)|dispute over Saarland]] made it a problematic choice.<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT"/> [[Brussels]] would have been accepted at the time, but divisions within the then-unstable Belgian government ruled that option out.<ref>{{cite book|last= Demey |first= Thierry |others= S. Strange (trans.) |title= Brussels, capital of Europe |year= 2007 |publisher= Badeaux |location= Brussels |isbn= 978-2-9600414-2-2|pages=176–7}}</ref>

To break the deadlock, [[Joseph Bech]], then [[Prime Minister of Luxembourg]], proposed that Luxembourg City be made the ''provisional'' seat of the institutions (including the Council and [[High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community|High Authority]]) until a permanent agreement was reached.<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT"/>

In 1958, after the Treaty of Rome came into effect the new members of the community had to again decide on a seat. In early 1958 they could not come to a conclusion, and various cities began to lobby for the position. It was decided that in principle all of the institutions should be located in one city as soon as feasible.  Brussels, Strasbourg, [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]], [[Turin]], [[Milan]], [[Stresa]], [[Paris]], [[Nice]], and the French Department of [[Oise]] were all considered by the "European Committee of Town-Planning Experts" in a report to the Council of Ministers.<ref>{{cite book|last=de Groot|first=Roel|title=Brussels in Europe|year=2010|publisher=Uitgeverij Lannoo|location=Brussels|pages=185}}</ref> However, even after the presentation of the report the countries could not agree, and in June 1959 a three-year moratorium on the decision was set. The delay helped Brussels establish itself as the seat, since it was already functioning as much of the administration was already working there in offices space loaned from the Belgian government. During this time Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the European institutions themselves favoured Brussels; Luxembourg City wanted to maintain the seat of the ECSC (or be generously compensated); France supported Strasbourg, and Italy continued to promote Milan.<ref>de Groot, 191</ref>

However, it was decided that the Common Assembly, which became the Parliament, should instead be based in Strasbourg<ref name="ENA seats"/>—the [[Council of Europe]] (CoE) was already based there, in the [[Palace of Europe|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 [[Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg|new complex of buildings]] was built across the river from the Palace.<ref name="ENA Tribune 1999">{{cite web|title=Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament|year=1999|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/strasbourg_seat_of_the_european_parliament_from_tribune_pour_l_europe_march_1999-en-0b5c49d6-bd84-4a36-96ff-c7e418e5402e.html|publisher=Tribune pour l'Europe on [[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

===Provisional agreement===

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 City, and Strasbourg would again be provisional venues until a final decision. Strasbourg would retain the Assembly, Luxembourg City the Court and both Brussels and Luxembourg City would host meetings of the Councils and Commissions (or High Authority).<ref name="ENA seats"/> The discretion of the exact meeting place of the new Councils was given to the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|President of the Council]]. In practice, this was to be in the [[Château of Val-Duchesse]] until the autumn of 1958, at which point it would move to 2 Rue Ravensteinstraat in Brussels. Meanwhile, the ECSC Council was still based in Luxembourg City, holding its meetings in the Cercle Municipal on Place d’Armes. Its secretariat moved within the city on numerous occasions, but between 1955 and 1967, it was housed in the Verlorenkost district.<ref name="ENA Council seat">{{cite web|title=Seat of the Council of the European Union|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_seat_of_the_council_of_the_european_union-en-2028084d-5182-4846-a4b3-5caa7f8dacb2.html|publisher=[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

On 21 June 1958, 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 it accepted that plenary sessions could 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.<ref name="ENA parl">{{cite web|title=Seat of the European Parliament|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/seat_of_the_european_parliament-en-a6f7c847-d88b-40d7-9a3e-8e9f63e857ed.html|publisher=[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

The provisional arrangement was reiterated on 8 April 1965 with the "''[[European Union decision|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 City. The commission was first 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]].<ref name="ENA seats"/> The ECSC secretariat moved from Luxembourg City to the merged body Council secretariat in the Ravenstein building of Brussels. In 1971 the council and its secretariat moved into the [[Charlemagne building]], next to the commission's Berlaymont. These premises rapidly proved insufficient and the administrative branch of the secretariat moved to a building at 76 Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat. During the 1980s the language divisions moved out into the Nerviens, Frère Orban and Guimard buildings.<ref name="ENA Council seat"/>

To compensate Luxembourg City for the loss of the Commission and Council, 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 European Parliament|Secretariat of the Assembly]] would remain along with [[European Investment Bank]] (further, particularly financial, institutions would also be prioritised for Luxembourg City). The council would also have to hold sessions in Luxembourg City during April, June and October. It also confirmed Strasbourg as the seat of the Parliament.<ref name="ENA seats"/> With the prioritisation of Luxembourg City for future institutions, in 1977 the [[European Court of Auditors|Court of Auditors]] became provisionally located in Luxembourg City.<ref name="ENA COA">{{cite web|title=Seat of the European Court of Auditors|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/seat_of_the_european_court_of_auditors-en-e75eb544-81e1-46b5-b105-17750b77a320.html|publisher=[[Centre virtuel de la connaissance sur l'Europe|CVCE]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

===Edinburgh agreement===
[[File:2007 07 16 parlament europejski bruksela 26.JPG|thumb|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 City, a few plenary sessions were held by the Parliament between 1967 and 1981 in Luxembourg City 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 [[Espace Léopold|plenary chamber in Brussels]] for some part-sessions. All the Parliament's attempts in this field were challenged by member states.<ref name="ENA seats"/><ref name="ENA parl"/>

In response, the [[European Council]] adopted on 12 December 1992 in [[Edinburgh]] a final agreement on the seats.<ref name="ENA seats"/> 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 would be based in Strasbourg, where it would be obliged to hold "twelve periods of monthly plenary sessions, including the budget session". However, additional sessions could be held in Brussels, which is where committees also should have met while the secretariat had to remain in Luxembourg City.<ref name="1992 Council">{{cite web|last=European Council|title=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.|date=12 December 1992|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/edinburgh/a6_en.pdf|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|European Parliament]]|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

It also provided for the Court of First Instance (now known as the [[General Court (European Union)|General Court]]) to be based in Luxembourg City with the Court of Justice, which remained there. However, this agreement dropped the provision from the 1965 decision, which gave priority to Luxembourg City for any new judicial and financial bodies. In response, Luxembourg attached a unilateral declaration stating it did not renounce this article. However they did renounce any claim to the seat of the judicial ''Boards of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market'' via the [[Treaty of Nice]].<ref name="ENA ECJ">{{cite web|title=Seat of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance of the European Communities|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/seat_of_the_community_jurisdictions-en-487da69c-e62a-4617-b899-b696fefb6a4d.html|publisher=CVCE|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

The Parliament challenged this decision splitting their working arrangements, 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 [[Treaties of the European Union|the treaties]].<ref name="ENA seats"/><ref name="ENA parl"/>

===Central bank===
{{further|Seat of the European Central Bank}}
[[File:Frankfurt EZB.Nordwest-2.20141228.jpg|thumb|In 1993 it was decided that the central bank (shown) was to be seated in [[Frankfurt]].]]
A Council decision on 29 October 1993 on the location of European agencies established that the [[European Monetary Institute]], later the [[European Central Bank]], would be based in [[Frankfurt]].<ref name="ENA 1993">{{cite web|title=Decision taken, on 29 October 1993, by common agreement between the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting at Head of State and Government level, on the location of the seats of certain bodies and departments of the European Communities and of Europol|publisher=CVCE|date=18 November 1993|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/decision_of_the_representatives_of_the_governments_of_the_member_states_on_the_location_of_the_seats_of_certain_bodies_and_departments_29_october_1993-en-1e813c1f-6a38-4ee1-ae30-d574e94e1546.html|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref> Frankfurt had to compete with numerous other cities, including [[London]], [[Paris]],<ref name="IHT Ipsen 1993">{{cite web|last=Ipsen |first=Eric |title=New EC Bank Won't Be Much of a Draw : Wave of Change in London, Only Ripples in Frankfurt |publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=18 November 1993 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1993/11/18/bank_0.php |access-date=2008-01-24 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> [[Amsterdam]], [[Luxembourg City|Luxembourg]], [[Lyon]], [[Barcelona]] and even [[Basel]] (in [[Switzerland]], which is outside the [[European Union]]).<ref name="IHT Redburn 1992">{{cite web|last=Redburn|first=Tom|title=Home of EC's 'Eurofed' Stands to Win New Economic Clout: The Bank All of Europe Is Fighting For|work=The New York Times|date=22 February 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/22/news/22iht-euro.html|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>

France even linked the issue of the seat to the ongoing dispute regarding the seat of the European Parliament. Frankfurt was criticised as symbolising German dominance, although the [[Deutsche Bundesbank]] had effectively been running the Communities currencies for the previous years, while Luxembourg City has a banking tradition that wasn't so careful. London was discredited because the UK remained outside the [[eurozone]].<ref name="IHT Redburn 1992"/> It was also seen as important to locate the bank in a city not already hosting a national government or EU institution, in order to emphasise its independence.<ref name="IHT Gerwitz 1992">{{cite web|last=Gerwitz|first=Carl|title=The Ecu: What's in a Name?|publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=9 June 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/09/business/worldbusiness/09iht-schl.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref> Others, such as the former head of the Bundesbank Karl Otto Pöhl, favoured a small country with a stable currency.<ref name="IHT Redburn 1992"/> The advantages of hosting the Bank were also in dispute by some economists. While there was seen by some as little to gain in terms of attracting other banks and financial institutions,<ref name="IHT Ipsen 1993"/> others saw it as affecting which cities would be financial hubs in the years to come.<ref name="IHT Redburn 1992"/>

===Recent history===

In 1995, the [[Council of the European Union]] moved into the [[Justus Lipsius building]] in Brussels. However, with its staff increasing it continued to rent the Frère Orban building to house the Finnish and Swedish language divisions; later it started to rent further buildings in Brussels.<ref name="ENA Council seat"/> In 2002, the [[European Council]] also&nbsp;began using the [[Justus Lipsius building]]&nbsp;as their Brussels venue, following an advanced implementation of a decision by European leaders during ratification of the&nbsp;[[Treaty of Nice|Nice Treaty]]&nbsp;to do so at such a time as the total membership of the European Union surpassed 18 member states.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Treaty_of_Nice/Declarations_Adopted_by_the_Conference&oldid=4662367|title=Treaty of Nice}}</ref> Prior to this, the venue for [[European Council]] summits was in the member state that held the rotating&nbsp;[[Presidency of the Council of the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/permanent-seat-for-the-european-council-could-change-the-eu-s-nature/|title=Permanent seat for the European Council could change the EU's nature|website=EURACTIV.com|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-05-07|date=2002-09-18}}</ref> In order to make room for additional meeting space a number of renovations were made, including the conversion of an underground carpark into additional press briefing rooms.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/story/why-british-prime-ministers-wont-miss-going-to-eu-council-summits-10795771|title=Why PMs won't miss going to EU Council summits|work=Sky News|access-date=2017-05-07|language=en-GB}}</ref>&nbsp;However, in 2004 leaders decided the logistical problems created by the outdated facilities warranted the construction of a new purpose built seat able to cope with the nearly 6,000 meetings, working groups, and summits per year.&nbsp;This resulted in the&nbsp;[[Europa building]], which opened its doors in 2017, and is now home to both the Council of the European Union and the European Council. Both institutions continue to use the adjacent Justus Lipsius building, linked by two [[skyway]]s to the new construction, for low-level meetings and for use by the [[General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union|Council secretariat]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/12/07-europa-building/|title=EUROPA : Home of the European Council and the Council of the EU – Consilium|website=consilium.europa.eu|language=en|access-date=2017-05-07}}</ref>

In 2004, following renovations to remove [[asbestos]], the [[European Commission]] moved back into its headquarters in the [[Berlaymont building]] and the [[Barroso Commission]] concentrated its activities there, with the President and meeting room on the thirteenth floor.<ref name="ENA COMM SEAT">{{cite web|title=Seat of the European Commission|url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/seat_of_the_european_commission-en-275b9e3f-6f85-4fd7-b967-f1b520357288.html|publisher=CVCE|access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Demey |first= Thierry |others= S. Strange (trans.) |title= Brussels, capital of Europe |year= 2007 |publisher= Badeaux |location= Brussels |isbn= 978-2-9600414-2-2|page=272}}</ref> As of 2007, the Commission occupies 865,000{{Nbsp}}m{{Sup|2}} in 61 buildings across the [[Brussels and the European Union|Brussels EU district]], with staff increases owing to the [[Enlargement of the European Union|enlargement of the EU]] prompting speculation of possible new building plans.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://euobserver.com/news/24707|title=EU quarter in Brussels set to grow|access-date=2017-05-07|language=en}}</ref>

The [[European Parliament]] seat remained an issue throughout this period, despite the Council writing it into the treaties. During the 1990s, the issue was debated every year and in 1999, 250 MEPs signed a letter condemning the arrangement and the Strasbourg facilities. The following year Parliament voted 401 to 77 for a resolution demanding the right to decide its own working locations. Attempts to include this in the following treaties in 2000 and 2007 both failed.<ref name="CPR about">{{cite web|title=About CPR: The Seat Question, Fact sheet on the European Parliament |publisher=Campaign for Parliamentary Reform |url=http://www.ep-reform.eu/about.php |access-date=2008-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903213103/http://www.ep-reform.eu/about.php |archive-date=3 September 2009 }}</ref> However, in September 2008 Parliament held its first full plenary session in Brussels after the ceiling of the Strasbourg chamber collapsed during recess forcing the temporary move.<ref name="BSL">{{cite web|title=First ever European Parliament plenary session held in Brussels |date=2 September 2008 |publisher=Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP |url=http://www.sarahludfordmep.org.uk/news/001090/first_ever_european_parliament_plenary_session_held_in_brussels.html |access-date=2008-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204182325/http://sarahludfordmep.org.uk/news/001090/first_ever_european_parliament_plenary_session_held_in_brussels.html |archive-date=4 December 2008 }}</ref>

The unique architecture of the European Commission's Berlaymont building is utilised in its official emblem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/resources-partners/european-commission-visual-identity_en#logo|title=European Commission visual identity|website=European Commission – European Commission|language=en|access-date=2017-05-07}}</ref> Likewise, the official emblem of the European Council and Council of the European Union features the [[Europa building|Europa building's]] distinctive multi-storey "lantern"-shaped structure where meetings for both of these institutions take place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/corporate-policies/visual-identity/|title=Visual identity – Consilium|website=consilium.europa.eu|language=en|access-date=2017-05-07|archive-date=20 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320100855/https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/corporate-policies/visual-identity/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==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 City.<ref name="1992 Council"/> 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.<ref name="ENA parl"/> A democratic question has also been raised in the European Parliament being one of the few parliaments in the world which cannot decide its own meeting place, and also being the only parliament to have more than one seat.<ref name="Strange">{{cite web|last=Alvaro|first=Alexander|title=Europe's strangest migrants|date=6 July 2006|publisher=Café Babel|url=http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/europes-strangest-migrants.html|access-date=2014-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811125944/http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/europes-strangest-migrants.html|archive-date=11 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:EP Strasbourg hemicycle l-gal.jpg|thumb|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.<ref name="green">{{cite web|first=Caroline|last=Lucas|title=European Parliament's 'travelling circus' emits more CO2 than some nations, report shows|date=25 April 2007|url=http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2978|publisher=[[Green Party of England and Wales]]|access-date=2008-10-09}}</ref> Defenders of the Strasbourg seat, like the MEP for Germany [[Bernd Posselt]], however claim that the figure is rather a mere 40 million euro, i.e. an extra cost of 8 cents per EU citizen.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jean-Claude|last=Kiefer|title=La querelle du siège se cache dans le budget|date=24 April 2009|url=http://www.dna.fr/articles/200904/24/la-querelle-du-siege-se-cache-dans-le-budget,international,000012607.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729074052/http://www.dna.fr/articles/200904/24/la-querelle-du-siege-se-cache-dans-le-budget,international,000012607.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 July 2012|publisher=[[Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace]]|access-date=2009-04-24}}</ref> When Parliament was forced to meet in Brussels in September 2008, due to a fault in the Strasbourg building, it was estimated that Parliament saved between €3 and 4 million, though the exact figure is hard to calculate. As the commission also meets in Strasbourg when Parliament is out of Brussels, the cost of Commissioners moving amounted to €9.5 million between 2002 and 2007.<ref name="Cealing">{{cite web|last=Pop|first=Valentina|title=Parliament saved €3 million by meeting in Brussels|date=17 September 2008|publisher=[[EU Observer]]|url=http://euobserver.com/9/26755|access-date=2008-09-17}}</ref> The [[European Green Party|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.<ref name="green"/> [[Jens-Peter Bonde]], former leader of the [[Independence and Democracy|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 movement of the seat was the issue raised by voters most often. He, along with [[Greens-EFA|Green]] co-leader [[Monica Frassoni]], called for a debate on the issue, which was being blocked by [[President of the European Parliament|President]] [[Hans-Gert Pöttering]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Tayler |first=Simon |title=Pöttering told to defend MEPs' independence |date=18 January 2007 |publisher=[[European Voice]] |url=http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=27146 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090116053550/http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=27146 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 January 2009 |access-date=2007-10-22 }}</ref>

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 ([[Party of European Socialists|PES]]), who announced he would not be standing for [[2009 European Parliament election|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 of the European Parliament|committees]] in Brussels who do the bulk of the work do not have sufficient time to work.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mardell|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Mardell|title=Giving up the Strasbourg junket|date=14 December 2007|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2007/12/post_5.html|access-date = 2007-12-06 }}</ref> Titley is not the only one to leave over the issue; [[Eluned Morgan (politician)|Eluned Morgan]] MEP stood down in 2009 for similar reasons, notably due to the toll the moving had on time with her family, and former MEP [[Simon Murphy (British politician)|Simon Murphy]] quit as leader of [[Party of European Socialists|the Socialists]] in 2002 due to the inconvenience of the arrangement.<ref>{{cite web|last=Banks |first=Martin |title=EU's Strasbourg 'travelling circus' claims another victim |date=16 October 2008 |publisher=[[European Voice]] |url=http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/strasbourg-travelling-circus-claims-another-victim/ |access-date=2008-10-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108095541/http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/strasbourg-travelling-circus-claims-another-victim/ |archive-date=8 January 2009 }}</ref>

===Brussels as a single workplace===
{{further|Brussels and the European Union|Espace Léopold}}
{{update section|date=January 2015}}
[[File:2007 07 16 parlament europejski bruksela 40.JPG|thumb|right|upright|The parliamentary [[hemicycle]] of the [[Espace Léopold|Paul-Henri Spaak building]] in Brussels]]
Brussels 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<ref>{{cite web|last=Wheatley |first=Paul |title=The two-seat parliament farce must end |date=2 October 2006 |publisher=Café Babel |url=http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2047 |access-date=2007-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610174433/http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2047 |archive-date=10 June 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harding|first=Gareth|title=Nothing to write home about?|journal=E!Sharp Magazine|pages=28|date=July–August 2007|publisher = Encompass Publications }}</ref> While Strasbourg campaigners see being based in Strasbourg as an aid to independence of MEPs, Brussels' campaigners state it is merely reducing the institution's influence by "[[Exile|exiling]]" them away from the other major institutions.<ref name="CB Senate">{{cite web|last=Sordo|first=Fernando Navarro|title=A European senate in Strasbourg?|date=27 February 2008|publisher=Café Babel|url=http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/24016/a-european-senate-in-strasbourg.html|access-date=2010-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720210358/http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/24016/a-european-senate-in-strasbourg.html|archive-date=20 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Brussels also has better transport links than Strasbourg, with lower pay for civil servants which reduce costs.<ref name="CB Senate"/> Some commentators further underline that night-life in Strasbourg is comparatively lacklustre and that MEPs who would wish to relax after a long and hard working day are not offered many opportunities to do so.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eckhardt |first=René |title=Strasbourg: Faut-il réagir face aux attaques contre le siège du Parlement Européen ? |publisher=relatio-europe.eu |date=28 September 2008 |url=http://www.relatio-europe.eu/strasbourg-europe/eurocite/34-eurocite/4419-strasbourg-faut-il-reagir-face-aux-attaques-pour-le-siege-du-parlement-europeen- |access-date=2008-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929172109/http://www.relatio-europe.eu/strasbourg-europe/eurocite/34-eurocite/4419-strasbourg-faut-il-reagir-face-aux-attaques-pour-le-siege-du-parlement-europeen- |archive-date=29 September 2008 |language=fr |url-status=dead }}</ref> The position of Strasbourg suffered a minor blow in 2006, when allegations surfaced over charges by the city of Strasbourg on buildings the Parliament was renting.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kroeger|first=Alix|title=EU and Strasbourg in rent row|date=27 April 2006|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4952228.stm|access-date=2007-07-05}}</ref> The controversy died down when the European Parliament decided to officially buy the buildings on 24 October 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=The city of Strasbourg and the European Parliament sign the selling contract |publisher=Strasbourg Commune (Google Caché) |url=https://www.mairie-strasbourg.fr/CmsStrasbourgFr/Templates/Actualite.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2FStrasbourgfr%2FFR%2FActualites%2Fh_informations%2Fvente_batiments_parlement.htm%3Fwbc_purpose%3DBasic%26WBCMODE%3DPresentationUnpublished&NRNODEGUID=%7B5D8936A5-7FCF-4747-B7E1-C18C7B2E734C%7D&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest |access-date=2007-06-12 |language=fr }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In May 2006, an [[online petition]], oneseat.eu, was started by MEP [[Cecilia Malmström]] 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,<ref>{{cite web|last=Malmström|first=Cecilia|author-link=Cecilia Malmström|title=OneSeat.eu|publisher=One Seat Campaign|url=http://www.oneseat.eu/|access-date=2007-06-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609081546/http://www.oneseat.eu/|archive-date=9 June 2007}}</ref> 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%).<ref>{{cite web|title=The European Parliament should be located in Brussels|publisher=Utrecht University|url=http://people.cs.uu.nl/henkp/oneseat/|access-date=2007-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202174701/http://people.cs.uu.nl/henkp/oneseat/|archive-date=2 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Regardless, the petition is seen by pro-Brussels groups as an important symbol.<ref>{{cite web|title=OneSeat.eu: 1 million citizens do care|date=18 September 2007|publisher=Young European Federalists|url=http://www.jef-europe.net/index.php?id=4820&L=3|access-date=2007-07-16|archive-date=14 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114063019/http://www.jef-europe.net/index.php?id=4820&L=3|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|last=Wallström |first=Margot |author-link=Margot Wallström |title=My blog: Denmark, Latvia, Strasbourg |date=24 May 2006 |publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|European Commission]] |url=http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/wallstrom/denmark_latvia_strasbourg/ |access-date=2007-06-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430053358/http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/wallstrom/denmark_latvia_strasbourg/ |archive-date=30 April 2009 }}</ref>

In early 2011, the Parliament voted to scrap one of the Strasbourg sessions by holding two within a single week.<ref>{{cite web|title=MEPs vote to reduce Strasbourg calendar |date=10 March 2011 |publisher=EurActiv |access-date=24 March 2011 |url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/meps-vote-reduce-strasbourg-calendar-news-502987 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312115210/http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/meps-vote-reduce-strasbourg-calendar-news-502987 |archive-date=12 March 2011 }}</ref> and the Dutch government joined the calls to scrap the seat altogether.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dutch government backs calls to scrap Strasbourg seat |date=17 March 2011 |publisher=the Parliament magazine |access-date=24 March 2011 |url=http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/dutch-government-backs-calls-to-scrap-strasbourg-seat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811193602/http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/dutch-government-backs-calls-to-scrap-strasbourg-seat/ |archive-date=11 August 2011 }}</ref> The [[Roland Ries|mayor of Strasbourg]] officially reacted by stating "we will counter-attack by upturning the adversary's strength to our own profit, as a [[judo]]ka would do" and announced that his town would press forward for a complete relocation of all parliamentary related services of the EU to Strasbourg.<ref>{{cite web|title = Le conseil municipal adopte à l'unanimité une motion confortant et élargissant le siège du Parlement européen à Strasbourg|date=21 March 2011|publisher=EurActiv|access-date = 24 March 2011 | url =http://www.strasbourg.eu/accueil?ItemID=1633917363}}</ref>

In August 2012, cracks were found in the beams supporting the ceiling of the Brussels hemicycle, leading to a closure of at least 6 months of the entire A section of the Paul Henri Spaak Building according to an estimate released on 9 October 2012 by the Parliament administration.<ref>{{cite web|title = Brussels hemicycle to remain closed for at least six months|date=9 October 2012|publisher=EuropeanVoice.com|author=Dave Keating|access-date = 28 October 2012 | url = http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2012/october/brussels-hemicycle-to-remain-closed-for-at-least-six-months/75334.aspx}}</ref> In early December 2012, it became known that the damage was more serious than previously thought, and that the closure of the hemicycle was expected to last "until November 2013". All "mini plenary" meetings in Brussels until this date were cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|title =No Brussels plenaries for a year |date=4 December 2012 |publisher=EuropeanVoice.com |author=Toby Vogel | access-date = 8 December 2012 | url = http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2012/december/no-brussels-plenaries-for-a-year/75878.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=EU parliament plenary set to be shut for most of 2013 |date=7 December 2012 |publisher=theparliament.com |access-date=8 December 2012 |url=http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/eu-parliament-plenary-set-to-be-shut-for-most-of-2013/#.UMOnmaxXt8E |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212121820/http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/eu-parliament-plenary-set-to-be-shut-for-most-of-2013/#.UMOnmaxXt8E |archive-date=12 December 2012 }}</ref> Since, as of December 2012, the European Parliament is "having trouble" finding a company to carry out the repair work, it is likely that the reopening of the Brussels hemicycle may take place only in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=No session in Brussels in 2013, uncertainty about 2014 |date=3 December 2012 |author=Ophélie Spanneut |publisher=europolitics.info |access-date=9 December 2012 |url=http://www.europolitics.info/institutions/no-session-in-brussels-in-2013-uncertainty-about-2014-art345872-39.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206093842/http://www.europolitics.info/institutions/no-session-in-brussels-in-2013-uncertainty-about-2014-art345872-39.html |archive-date=6 December 2012 }}</ref>

===Strasbourg as a single workplace===
{{further|European institutions in Strasbourg|Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg}}

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 15 March 2007<ref>{{cite web|title =Defending Strasbourg in the name of European democracy|date=15 March 2007|publisher=Forum Carolus|url=http://apres-le-non.forum-carolus.org/archive/2007/03/15/d%C3%A9fendre-strasbourg-au-nom-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-europ%C3%A9enne-comm.html|access-date = 2007-10-22 |language=fr}}</ref>). This is seen to be symbolic of [[decentralisation]] of the EU away from Brussels.<ref name="Vallens">{{cite web|last=Vallens |first=Emmanuel |title=Strasbourg, natural home of the European Parliament |date=20 June 2006 |publisher=The New Federalist |url=http://www.taurillon.org/Strasbourg-natural-home-of-the |access-date=2007-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021085304/http://taurillon.org/Strasbourg-natural-home-of-the |archive-date=21 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Emma Nicholson]], the only British MEP to support Strasbourg, argues that being next door to the [[Council of Europe]] allows MEPs to keep in touch with delegates from the rest of Europe, such as Russia, and that being in Brussels isolates the EU from such influences.<ref name="SOS">{{cite web|last =Mardell| first =Mark|author-link=Mark Mardell |title =Save our Strasbourg|date=23 September 2008|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2008/09/save_our_strasbourg.html|access-date = 2008-09-29 }}</ref> Pro-Strasbourg campaigners also argue that Strasbourg offers more independence for Parliament, away from the other institutions and lobby groups in Brussels.<ref name="CB Senate"/>

If the Parliament were wholly in Strasbourg, then 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 four times between 1870 and 1945.<ref name="Vallens"/> It is also argued that Brussels is no longer a good symbol for European unity given the recent political disputes in Belgium.<ref name="CB Senate"/>

This position was supported by President [[Josep Borrell Fontelles]], although he earned some 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).<ref>{{cite web|last=Tayler |first=Simon |title=Parliament's disappointing presidents |date=12 November 2006 |publisher=[[European Voice]] |url=http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=26442 |access-date=2007-10-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119024223/http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=26442 |archive-date=19 November 2006 }}</ref> French MEP [[Brigitte Foure]] started a pro-Strasbourg petition, one-city.eu, in 2008 (countering the Brussels petition)<ref name="SOS"/> which has gained just over 7,190 signatures as of October 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Strasbourg : one parliament for Europe|publisher=One City|url=http://www.one-city.eu/en/index|access-date=28 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718080941/http://www.one-city.eu/en/index|archive-date=18 July 2012}}</ref>

Following the announcement (on 21 October 2010) of the setting up of an "informal seat study group" by British MEP [[Edward McMillan-Scott]] (Liberal Democrats), which was seen as an attack on Strasbourg by the municipality, [[Roland Ries]] and [[Catherine Trautmann]] released (on 29 October 2010) an energetic joint declaration of defense.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110727012845/http://www.strasbourg.eu/vie-democratique/municipalite/Communiqu%C3%A9-R.Ries-C.Trautmann-informal-study-group-seat_EN_29102010.doc?FileID=presse%2fcommuniqu%c3%a9-r.ries-c.trautmann-informal-study-group-seat_en_29102010.doc Press Release by R. Ries and C. Trautmann], 29 October 2010</ref> On 9 November 2010, the municipal council of Strasbourg green-lighted a project (envisioned since April of the same year) of the creation of a "Place for Europe" (''lieu d′Europe'') – a walk-in centre for people curious about the [[European institutions in Strasbourg]] – in the former ''[[:Commons:Category:Kaysersguet|Villa Kaysersguet]]'', an architecturally precious but currently (2010) derelict 18th-century mansion neighbouring with the [[European Court of Human Rights]] and the Agora building of the Council of Europe.<ref>[http://sitemap.dna.fr/articles/201011/10/un-lieu-europe-la-localisation-contestee, strasbourg,000004786.php Un " lieu d'Europe " à la localisation contestée], Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 10 November 2010</ref>

===Opinion and actions===
A poll of MEP in June 2007 by MEP [[Alexander Nuno Alvaro]], 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Euro MPs want to scrap Strasbourg base: poll |date=13 June 2007 |url=http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1181757615.41 |publisher=EU Business |access-date=2007-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930165033/http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1181757615.41 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref name="EUX Alv">{{cite web|title = 'Censorship' claimed at the European Parliament|date=13 June 2007|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9U-sbDt5c| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211116/LT9U-sbDt5c| archive-date=2021-11-16 | url-status=live|publisher=[[EUX.TV]], on [[YouTube]]|access-date = 2007-12-13 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the same month, another survey by Simon Hix of the [[University of Manchester]] and [[Roger Scully]] from the [[University of Wales, Aberystwyth|University of Aberystwyth]] found a 68% support for a single seat. In their survey 272 of the 732 people questioned responded.<ref>{{cite web|title = Professor Farrell: "The EP is now one of the most powerful legislatures in the world"|publisher=[[Europa (web portal)|European Parliament]]|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20070615IPR07837|date=18 June 2007|access-date = 2014-08-03}}</ref> Following each sitting in Strasbourg, hundreds of MEPs sign a petition calling for a reduction of time in Strasbourg, though Pascal Mangin, Strasboug's deputy mayor, does not believe the opinion of the MEPs to be important.<ref name="CB Senate"/> Nevertheless, in January 2009 a Parliamentary written declaration calling for one Brussels seat failed to get sufficient support. It gained 286 signatures out of 393 needed for it to be considered. Brussels campaigners cited that it was bad timing, with French and German leaders of Parliament and the main two groups ordering their members not to support the motion. The campaigners vowed to continue the fight while the [[Mayor of Strasbourg]] [[Roland Ries]] this time welcomed the "wisdom of the parliamentarians" and said it signalled their desire for Strasbourg to host the institution alone.<ref>{{cite web|last=banks |first=Martin |title=MEPs insist EU parliament one-seat campaign 'goes on' |publisher=theParliament.com |url=http://www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/eu-politics/agriculture-article/newsarticle/meps-insist-eu-parliament-one-seat-campaign-goes-on/ |date=19 January 2009 |access-date=2009-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904041348/http://www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/eu-politics/agriculture-article/newsarticle/meps-insist-eu-parliament-one-seat-campaign-goes-on/ |archive-date=4 September 2009 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Survey of EU Citizens|publisher=Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates|url=http://www.bmbrussels.eu/images/upload/surveyeucitizensresults.pdf?PHPSESSID=8debc5b71f61002f0ff826984542c2cd|date=30 May 2006|access-date = 2007-07-05}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The citizens of Strasbourg are of course strong supporters of the Parliament being based in Strasbourg<ref name="CB Senate"/> with each session being worth four million euro to the city's economy.<ref name="SOS"/> In September 2008, Strasbourg's government passed a motion demanding all of Parliament's activities be relocated to the city.<ref>{{cite web|last=Koch|first=Gérard|title=Réunion du Conseil Municipal du 22 septembre 2008 à 15 heures en la salle des Conseils du Centre Administratif. Compte rendu sommaire|publisher=Urban Community of Strasbourg|url=http://media.strasbourg.eu/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/e5b991b1-832a-4a97-98e1-bb39de4aff49/20090914_CR_CM.pdf|date=22 September 2008|access-date=2014-08-03|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810162038/http://media.strasbourg.eu/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/e5b991b1-832a-4a97-98e1-bb39de4aff49/20090914_CR_CM.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite web|last=Banks|first=Martin|title=Sarkozy slated over Strasbourg seat|date=24 May 2007|publisher=EU Politix: The Parliament|url=http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200705/8216d9d5-0c44-46e2-a6d8-6166c30e812f.htm|access-date=2007-06-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225555/http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200705/8216d9d5-0c44-46e2-a6d8-6166c30e812f.htm|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> Despite that, the government has stated that the issue might be addressed if France were to be 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{{when|date=November 2018}} [[Treaty of Lisbon|constitutional issues]] are still present.<ref name="EUX Alv"/> Although political parties have no formal position, the [[European Green Party|Greens]], [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe|Liberals]] and [[Party of European Socialists|Socialists]] are all outspoken on having Brussels as a permanent seat.<ref name="CB Senate"/> In 2020, Irish MEP [[Clare Daly]] told ''[[The Parliament Magazine]]'' that the [[European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]] highlighted the unnecessary nature of travelling to Strasbourg for plenary, and called for the seat's abolition as part of the EU's economic recovery plans<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/pandemic-should-be-wakeup-call-on-parliaments-split-site-arrangement-says-mep|title=Pandemic should be 'wake-up call' on Parliament's split site arrangement, says MEP|last=Banks|first=Martin|date=14 October 2020|work=[[The Parliament Magazine]]|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref>

===Alternative role for Strasbourg===
In January 2003, [[European Greens–European Free Alliance|Green-EFA]] co-leader [[Daniel Cohn-Bendit]] proposed turning the Strasbourg seat into a "European university".<ref>{{cite web|last=Cohn-Bendit|first=Daniel|author-link=Daniel Cohn-Bendit|title=Convaincu que deux lieux pour le Parlement européen sont inutiles, veut " faire de Strasbourg une université européenne "|date=17 January 2003|publisher=SciencesPo.|url=http://conventioneuropeenne.sciences-po.fr/documents/communique_education.pdf|access-date=2007-11-01|language=fr|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104928/http://conventioneuropeenne.sciences-po.fr/documents/communique_education.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Elaborating on this in 2008, he sees such a university teaching all subjects and funded directly by the EU with between 15,000 and 20,000 students.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alsace Ungersheim : Cohn-Bendit relance le débat du siège du Parlement européen |date=29 September 2008 |url=http://www.lalsace.fr/article/ungersheim-cohn-bendit-relance-le-debat-du-siege-du-parlement-europeen---384659?symfony=c09d69bfdc93d41b012d11b8485ebb18 |publisher=Alsace.fr |access-date=2008-10-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154209/http://www.lalsace.fr/article/ungersheim-cohn-bendit-relance-le-debat-du-siege-du-parlement-europeen---384659?symfony=c09d69bfdc93d41b012d11b8485ebb18 |archive-date=23 July 2011 |language=fr}}</ref> 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]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gessant |first=Pauline |title=For a European University in Strasbourg |date=27 June 2006 |publisher=Taurillon |url=http://www.taurillon.org/Pour-une-Universite-de-l-Europe-a |access-date=2007-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022124223/http://taurillon.org/Pour-une-Universite-de-l-Europe-a |archive-date=22 October 2007 |language=fr |url-status=dead }}</ref> In an open letter to Cohn-Bendit, [[Roland Ries]], the [[List of mayors of Strasbourg|mayor of Strasbourg]], reminded him that the international attractiveness of the [[University of Strasbourg]] was related to the presence of [[European institutions in Strasbourg]] and that it would not be enhanced, but undermined, by the replacement of one of the largest of these institutions by just another, and much smaller, university.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lettre ouverte de Roland Ries à Daniel Cohn-Bendit |date=30 September 2008 |url=http://www.relatio-europe.eu/strasbourg-europe/europe-de-strasbourg/39-europe-de-strasbourg/4441-lettre-ouverte-de-roland-ries-a-daniel-cohn-bendit |publisher=relatio-europe.eu |access-date=2008-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001212527/http://www.relatio-europe.eu/strasbourg-europe/europe-de-strasbourg/39-europe-de-strasbourg/4441-lettre-ouverte-de-roland-ries-a-daniel-cohn-bendit |archive-date=1 October 2008 |language=fr |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The year before, the proposed [[European Institute of Technology]] had been touted as the university to take over the building.<ref>{{cite web|title=France to build a European Institute of Technology in Paris|date=11 October 2005|publisher=Euractiv|url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/science/france-build-european-institute-technology-paris/article-145671|access-date=2007-06-18|archive-date=15 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215074624/http://www.euractiv.com/en/science/france-build-european-institute-technology-paris/article-145671|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been proposed that the Institute could also be merged with [[European Research Council]] and based there. The vice-chancellors of Strasbourg's three universities have suggested merging to create a 'European University'.<ref name="CB Senate"/> It has also been suggested that Strasbourg could host the [[European Council]] meetings, minor institutions such as the [[Committee of the Regions]],<ref>{{cite web|last =Watt| first =Nicholas|title =The end of the road for roving parliament?|date=1 November 2006|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/01/eu.politics|access-date = 2007-06-18 }}</ref> or the institutions of the proposed [[Mediterranean Union]].<ref name="Berry">{{cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/opinion/25073|title= Travelling circuses are not worth the carbon|author=Peter Sain ley Berry|date=1 November 2007|publisher=EU Observer|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> The Green Party has proposed having Strasbourg as the home of a new "European Senate".<ref name="CB Senate"/>

Following the [[Brexit|United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU]], it has been suggested by senior MEPs that the [[European Medicines Agency]] (EMA) and [[European Banking Authority]] (EBA), currently based in London, could relocate to France in exchange for the scrapping of the Strasbourg seat. The EMA would utilise the parliament's former complex of buildings. Other plans mooted, following the election of [[Emmanuel Macron|French President Macron]], include converting it into a parliament for use by the [[Eurozone]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/strasbourg-swap-european-parliament-medicines-agency-ema/|title=Strasbourg swap plan: Take EU drug agency, lose Parliament|date=2017-05-11|work=POLITICO|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|European Union}}
* [[Brussels and the European Union]]
* [[Court of Justice of the European Union]]
* [[European Parliament in Luxembourg]]
* [[Eurotower (Frankfurt am Main)|Eurotower]]
* [[Seat of the European Central Bank]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Pohl |first=Dennis |chapter = Eurocode 7 |url = https://archive.org/details/dennis-pohl-eurocode-7-in-eurotopie-travel-diary |editor = Traumnovelle |title = Eurotopie |publisher=Cellule |year=2018 |pages=5–36  |location=Brussels |isbn=9782930705378 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|Consolidated protocols, annexes and declarations attached to the treaties of the European Union#PROTOCOL (No 6) ON THE LOCATION OF THE SEATS OF THE INSTITUTIONS AND OF CERTAIN BODIES, OFFICES, AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION|Protocol on the Location of the Seats of the Institutions and of Certain Bodies, Offices, Agencies and Departments of the European Union}}
*[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/edinburgh/a6_en.pdf 1992 European Council decision on seats], [[Europa (web portal)|European Parliament website]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120718080941/http://www.one-city.eu/en/index One City petition], pro-Strasbourg petition
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20090922061314/http://www.relatio-europe.eu/strasbourg-europe/europe-de-strasbourg/4406-le-siege-du-pe-straabourg-sereine-et-determinee Le siège du PE: Strasbourg, sereine et déterminée], pro-Strasbourg video {{in lang|fr}}
**{{YouTube|sRFIrzG1Z9A|Le Parlement européen s'effondre StrasTv.com}}, video report on 2008 damage to Parliament
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070609081546/http://www.oneseat.eu/ One Seat petition], pro-Brussels petition
**{{YouTube|fpXrTbnUvbo|European Parliament – One Seat Campaign }}, pro-Brussels video
**{{YouTube|z19hOH-fBiA|No need for two seats}}, Video of a 2007 demonstration by German liberals against the two seats
**{{YouTube|dOGV9_ki7lc|OneSeat – Cake and Hard Hats}}, Video of a 2008 demonstration by liberal MEPs against the two seats following temporary relocation

{{European Union topics|state=collapsed}}

{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Location of European Union Institutions}}
[[Category:Institutions of the European Union]]
[[Category:European quarter of Brussels]]