The EU is considering spending €1.1 billion to renovate one of its main power centres in Brussels, Euractiv can reveal.
According to internal documents reviewed by Euractiv, governments are preparing a major overhaul of the Council of the EU’s Justus Lipsius headquarters, where European diplomats hold thousands of meetings a year negotiating new laws.
The splurge comes at a time of tightened purse strings across the continent, and amid already tense negotiations on the next seven-year EU budget, with countries like Germany ruling out more spending.
The Council argues in the documents in favour of a “profound” renovation that would align the 30-year-old building with EU energy standards.
The Justus Lipsius building, which sits directly across from the European Commission in Brussels’ EU quarter, “already falls within the category of worst performing buildings,” one of the documents states.
Security concerns are also a motivating factor, according the documents, which outline the need for “better blast protection,” because threats have increased since the 1990s.
Eye-watering sums
The Council currently occupies three nearby buildings in the heart of Brussels’ EU quarter: the Justus Lipsius, the more modern Europa building – opened in 2017 and now hosting EU leaders’ summits – and the LEX building.
Euractiv’s Rapporteur newsletter reported last month that the Council was planning to revamp its buildings into a two-building campus.
The total cost of renovating the Justus Lipsius building is estimated at €803 million, with the assumption that the EU could recoup €65 million by selling the LEX building.
However, the Council – which brings together national diplomats and ministers –has not yet decided on how it will finance the project.
The institution has identified two options: either a boost to the Council’s budget or a loan, which would also require an increase to cover repayments. These two options could also be merged, the Council says.
If the Council takes out a loan to cover the project, the additional interest repayments costs are estimated at over €300 million, with total costs therefore reaching over €1.1 billion.
The Council is expected to report back to EU ambassadors by the end of the year or early next year with financing recommendations for the first phase, covering the tender process, an in-depth feasibility study, and the formal building permit request to Brussels authorities.
After four years of planning, construction should start in 2029. Then construction will keep going until 2035, with the building reopening the following year.
So far, “no major objections” have been raised by member countries to the current plan, one of the documents states.
At the time of publication, the Council had not yet replied to Euractiv’s request for comment.
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