Justus Lipsius building

Geschiedenis

The Justus Lipsius building, located in Brussels, Belgium, was the headquarters of the Council of the European Union from 1995, and the de facto home of the European Council from 2002 (de jure as of 2004), until their relocation to the adjacent newly constructed Europa building at the beginning of 2017. The building, which has a gross surface area of 227,278 m2, still provides for additional meeting rooms, office space and press facilities for both institution. It consists of 17 conference rooms with at least 10 interpretation booths each, 5 other meeting rooms and 2 rooms for official meals. It also provides 40,048 m2 of offices for both institutions' shared General Secretariat. An onsite press centre is also featured, which can be extended during summits with up to 600 seats in the atrium. It is linked, via means of two skyways and a service tunnel, to the Europa building.LocationThe building is located in the European quarter at 175 Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi next to the Schuman roundabout and opposite the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission. To the west is the Europa building. To the south the building borders Jean Rey Square and Leopold Park. The façade bordering the square is being considered for renovation to improve the building's appearance. Transport links to the building include Schuman station, which provides metro, as well as, regional, national and international rail services. The station is situated immediately to the north of the Justus Lipsius building.