European Parliament ‘panic’ at cost of new building
Senior MEPs have asked officials to provide more detailed options, including estimated costs, before they decide whether to tear down or refurbish the European Parliament’s main building in Brussels....
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Mr. President, tear down that building —...
MISTER PRESIDENT, TEAR DOWN THAT BUILDING: He’s no Ronald Reagan, but European Parliament Secretary-General Klaus Welle knows an out-of-date construction when he sees one. In this case, the Paul-Henri...
View ArticleEU plans €6M-a-year ‘House of Europe’ on Paris boulevard
The EU plans to splash out €6 million a year in rent on a swanky “House of Europe” building in central Paris — and spend almost €12 million doing the place up. The high cost is stirring criticism in...
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European Parliament plans election campaign against Euroskeptics
European Parliament chiefs are planning a taxpayer-funded campaign to dissuade people from voting for Euroskeptic parties in the 2019 European election, according to an internal strategy note obtained...
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Holy gîte! European Parliament wants its own French ‘guesthouse’
The European Parliament plans to spend more than €600,000 upgrading and extending a property it owns near Paris that acts as a museum and conference center used by MEPs and EU staff. According to a...
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EU plans lavish €3M ‘Europa Experience’ in Estonia
The EU plans to splash out nearly €3 million to transform its office in Estonia into a high-tech visitor center to show off “the importance and relevance of the European Parliament and the EU.” The...
View ArticleBrussels’ Selmayr problem: Too many Germans in top jobs
Too many Germans and not enough transparency. Those were the main complaints among EU diplomats and members of the European Parliament about the surprise appointment of Martin Selmayr, Jean-Claude...
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How Martin Selmayr became EU’s top (un)civil servant
It was less about grabbing power than keeping it. The move was classic Martin Selmayr — deeply shrouded in secrecy, designed to bulldoze any and all opposition, and catching even some of the most...
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European Parliament accused of political stitch-up over top posts
A handful of senior appointments to the European Parliament’s secretariat will be made in the coming months through backroom political deals rather than a transparent recruitment process, according to...
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MEPs call for end to Parliament job stitch-ups
A group of MEPs are calling on EU institutions to stop parachuting hand-picked appointees into top jobs. The move follows the controversial appointment of Martin Selmayr to a top Commission post and...
View ArticleMEPs on Selmayr promotion: Let other people apply for the job
STRASBOURG — The promotion of Martin Selmayr as the European Commission’s top civil servant was not transparent and other candidates should be allowed to apply for the job, MEPs said Monday. The...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament savages Selmayr appointment (sort of)
STRASBOURG — Good news for Martin Selmayr: He doesn’t have to give up his new job (not that it was ever in doubt). On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of a...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament says Brits can stay if they’re good
The European Parliament will allow qualified British officials to stay on after Brexit, according to an internal note sent by the assembly’s top staffer and seen by POLITICO. “As regards permanent...
View ArticleStrikes by interpreters to disrupt European Parliament
Next week’s European Parliament plenary week in Strasbourg could be disrupted by a series of strikes by interpreters, who plan to stop work for “one or two hours” a day, according to several officials...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament delays decision on future of Brussels building
The European Parliament’s leadership voted down a plan on whether to renovate or rebuild its main building in Brussels. Instead, they asked Parliament Secretary-General Klaus Welle to draw up a new...
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Shooting casts shadow as European Parliament returns to Strasbourg
STRASBOURG — Back in Strasbourg for the first time since last month’s deadly terror attack, European Parliament members and officials are still shaken by the shootings. Chérif Chekatt, a Strasbourg...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament plans to expand in Indonesia, Ethiopia, NYC
The European Parliament is planning a bigger footprint around the world. Senior members of the assembly agreed at a closed-door meeting this week to approve plans to send permanent staff to Indonesia,...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament plans bus roadshow
Coming soon to a town square near you: the Brussels roadshow. The European Parliament plans to send vehicles to rural areas and public spaces across the bloc in an effort to raise the EU’s profile,...
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Polish MEP calls for vegan food in EU canteens
Despite a number of canteens in the European Parliament, Sylwia Spurek has to bring her own lunchbox to work. That’s because the new Polish member of the European Parliament is a vegan. When she tried...
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Klaus Welle
Klaus Welle can chalk up another victory. In his 10 years as secretary-general of the European Parliament, the German civil servant has worked to expand the institution’s power. He has done that behind...
View ArticleEU Parliament cuts length of plenary and scraps votes due to coronavirus
The European Parliament’s plenary session will end on Tuesday rather than Thursday, and MEPs won’t vote, in a bid to avoid coronavirus contamination. A European Parliament spokesperson said: “The...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament could be turned into a hospital
The European Parliament has offered the city of Brussels the use of one of its buildings, as well as its vehicles, to help in the fight against coronavirus. Klaus Welle, the Parliament’s...
View ArticleEU Parliament under fire for cutting wages of staff who choose to work from home
The European Parliament has been accused of double standards after MEPs’ assistants were told that if they want to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, their wages will be cut by a...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament to make wearing of face masks mandatory
The European Parliament will make it mandatory for MEPs and staff to wear face masks and have their temperature checked before entering its buildings. The measures are part of a plan on easing...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament will set up vaccination centers for MEPs, staff and locals
The European Parliament is preparing to set up two vaccination centers on its premises and get jabs for all MEPs, staff and assistants who are over 65 or at risk, according to an internal note seen by...
View ArticleDavid Sassoli won’t seek second term as EU Parliament president
European Parliament President David Sassoli will not run for reelection in January, and his group will not present any candidate for the presidency, according to a spokesman and several Parliament...
View ArticleBring me the head of Klaus Welle! Socialists want changes before backing...
The European Parliament’s Socialists will support Roberta Metsola from the rival European People’s Party (EPP) as the assembly’s next president on one condition: Klaus Welle, the Parliament’s powerful...
View ArticleKlaus Welle’s secret to survival
Tim King writes POLITICO‘s Brussels Sketch. If the reshuffle at the top of the European Parliament results in Secretary-General Klaus Welle losing his job after 13 years as the institution’s most...
View ArticleKlaus Welle to quit his powerful European Parliament post
Klaus Welle, the powerful head of the European Parliament’s administrative wing, will leave his job by year’s end, according to five officials. Welle, who has served as the Parliament’s...
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European Parliament plots backroom deal to appoint top bureaucrat
In an interwoven series of backroom deals, three of the European Parliament’s political groups are pushing through a power-sharing arrangement that has left opponents accusing the Parliament’s...
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EU Parliament deflects cronyism cries as it appoints top civil servant
It all ended pretty much as it started — despite months of recriminations, patronage allegations and backroom dealings. Alessandro Chiocchetti will become the European Parliament’s new...
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