Charlemagne building
Encyclopedia
The Charlemagne
building is a high-rise in the European Quarter of Brussels
(Belgium
), which houses the Directorate-General for Trade
and the Directorate General for Enlargement
of the European Commission
.
The building has 3 wings and 15 floors. It is located at 170 Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat
, in the City of Brussels
, one of the 19 municipalities forming the Brussels-Capital Region. The postal code for the municipality is 1000, but the postal code for the European Commission is 1049.
to group together more scattered departments of the European Commission. However, with the Commission refusing to share the Berlaymont with the Council of the European Union
, Charlemagne was given to the Council's secretariat in 1971. This had previously been located in the city centre.
The Council moved out to the Justus Lipsius building
in 1995 allowing it to be renovated. The renovation was completed in 1998 by Helmut Jahn
, replacing the largely concrete exterior with a glass one. After the restoration it was occupied by the Commission, further grouping the Union's offices around the Schuman roundabout
.
It was briefly considered as the future HQ of the European External Action Service
, established in 2010, but was discounted on image grounds; as it houses RELEX, people would see the EEAS as a RELEX-plus rather than a unique body outside of the Commission.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
building is a high-rise in the European Quarter of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
), which houses the Directorate-General for Trade
Directorate-General for Trade (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Trade is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. DG Trade works on securing prosperity, solidarity and security in Europe and around the globe...
and the Directorate General for Enlargement
Directorate-General for Enlargement (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Enlargement is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The DG Enlargement is responsible for the enlargement process of the European Union...
of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
.
The building has 3 wings and 15 floors. It is located at 170 Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat
Wetstraat
Rue de la Loi or Wetstraat is a principal road running through central and eastern Brussels which is famous due to the presence of several notable governmental buildings...
, in the City of Brussels
City of Brussels
The City of Brussels is the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, and the official capital of Belgium by law....
, one of the 19 municipalities forming the Brussels-Capital Region. The postal code for the municipality is 1000, but the postal code for the European Commission is 1049.
History
The building was designed by Jacques Cuisinier and constructed in 1967 at the same time as the Berlaymont BuildingBerlaymont building
The Berlaymont is an office building in Brussels, Belgium that houses the headquarters of the European Commission, which is the executive of the European Union...
to group together more scattered departments of the European Commission. However, with the Commission refusing to share the Berlaymont with the Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
, Charlemagne was given to the Council's secretariat in 1971. This had previously been located in the city centre.
Justus Lipsius building
The Justus Lipsius building is a building in Brussels that has been the headquarters of the Council of the European Union since 1995. Unlike the European Parliament, visiting is restricted...
in 1995 allowing it to be renovated. The renovation was completed in 1998 by Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international...
, replacing the largely concrete exterior with a glass one. After the restoration it was occupied by the Commission, further grouping the Union's offices around the Schuman roundabout
Schuman roundabout
Schuman Roundabout , or Schuman Square, is a roundabout at the end of Rue de la Loi in Brussels that serves as a focus for major institutions of the European Union ....
.
It was briefly considered as the future HQ of the European External Action Service
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service is a European Union department that was established following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009...
, established in 2010, but was discounted on image grounds; as it houses RELEX, people would see the EEAS as a RELEX-plus rather than a unique body outside of the Commission.
See also
- Brussels and the European UnionBrussels and the European UnionBrussels is considered to be the de facto capital of the European Union, having a long history of hosting the institutions of the European Union within its European Quarter...
- Berlaymont buildingBerlaymont buildingThe Berlaymont is an office building in Brussels, Belgium that houses the headquarters of the European Commission, which is the executive of the European Union...
- Madou Plaza TowerMadou Plaza TowerMadou Plaza Tower is a high-rise building in Brussels . It was built in 1965 and renovated between 2002 and 2006 and taken over by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture...
- Justus Lipsius buildingJustus Lipsius buildingThe Justus Lipsius building is a building in Brussels that has been the headquarters of the Council of the European Union since 1995. Unlike the European Parliament, visiting is restricted...
- lex buildingLex buildingThe Lex building is a high-rise of government offices in the European Quarter of Brussels . It is an annex building of the Council of the European Union and is located at Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 145....