Most people think that the European Parliament (EP) is in Brussels; it is, and MEPs spend most of their time there. But it’s important to know that Strasbourg is the actual seat of the European Parliament, but that most Parliamentary Committee activity takes place in Brussels, while its General Secretariat is based in Luxembourg. This situation was approved at the 1992 Edinburgh Summit and in the Treaty of Amsterdam (1999)
My previous article was a general introduction to Strasbourg and its European Quarter (EQ) and focused on the Lieu d’Europe exhibition centre, The Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This article is purely about the EP.
The European Parliament building: a background
It is large, impressive and dominates the EQ area. In 1952, the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) held its inaugural session at the Maison de l’Europe. Then, since 1958 the European Parliamentary Assembly (later EP) has held its plenary sessions in Strasbourg.
Establishing the seat here is seen as a recognition of its standing and underlines the importance of the Franco-German reconciliation. It became the seat in 1992. The increase in EP powers enhanced the city’s visibility on the European and international scene.
When the EP, or ‘Weiss’ building, opened in 1999, the EP paid homage to Louise Weiss by naming the home of the Parliamentary Chamber in her honour: today her bronze bust welcomes visitors to the building’s entrance. She was elected MEP in 1979 and had been a committed European all her life. The Chamber itself is the largest of its kind in Europe. The building is the embodiment of the Parliament’s presence in Strasbourg. Entirely plated in glass and on the banks of the River Ill, it is the physical expression of an open and transparent democracy. The top of the building, which still looks unfinished, symbolises the ongoing nature of the European project.
The structure of the EP building
Essentially there are four buildings within the complex. The photo of the construction site reveals all of them. On the right the domed Hemicycle surrounded by offices and on the left, the tall tower also with offices around it. The four sections are clearly visible in the model pictures. Note that the ‘dividers’ are glass-roofed access routes, with escalators and interior balconies. The scale is hard to discern: the tower has 17 floors.
Highly impressive interior
Entering the towered section leaves the visitor impressed with the sheer size of the tower. Apart from one exhibit near the centre, blue placards all around in every EU language advertise and emphasise the sole raison d’être for the EP: Democracy in Action.
After entering the building, a large Welcome board attracts attention, before the visitor leaves the towered section and crosses one of the ‘open spaces’ to the domed section.
Here there is an exhibition area, with a small square serving as a meeting point. It has a raised low stage backed by all the EU country flags. All tourists were standing proudly here for photo shots, including the author!
The heart of democracy and the EP: the hemicycle … or is it a hemisphere?
Finally, the reason most visitors come to the EU EP buildings: the chance to see and spend time in the actual plenary chamber, which they have seen on TV back home in one of their 27 countries.
The chamber is within a huge hemisphere, which is fully clad with wood panelling, has no windows and very few doors. It is truly impressive, and a wonderful feat of architectural design. Inside is the well-known hemicycle, which is the half circle where the MEPs sit in attendance for one week every month.
An interior view of the hemicycle inside the hemisphere
During the summer recess, any necessary work is carried out and the plenary chamber is dressed in coverings to prevent dust and perhaps potential objects falling from the public gallery.
Find out more about the work of the European Parliament, how a plenary functions and use the numerous links to discover more amazing aspects of the EU. The final section in the forthcoming third article will reveal something unique about Strasbourg.
