MEPs win concessions on EEAS

Ashton calls for swift decision on headquarters

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, has asked the EU's member states to decide swiftly on the future headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
In a confidential presentation to member states' ambassadors in Brussels yesterday (13 October), Ashton made it clear that her preferred option is the Capital building on RondPoint Schuman, which would cost €10 million to rent each year.
“There will not be a proper diplomatic service until we have all its bits united in a single building,” an aide to Ashton said. The aide said that the officials of the European Commission and the Council of Ministers that are to be transferred to the EEAS are currently dispersed across eight different buildings at a projected annual cost of €25 million.
Three options
Ashton outlined three options: the Council's Lex building; the Commission's Charlemagne building; and the Capital building, a new development owned by AXA, a private company.
The Charlemagne is a “non-runner”, according to a source, as it is the most expensive to rent. Moreover, displacing its current main tenant, the Commission's department for trade, would entail additional costs.
The Lex building is difficult because it would need to be fitted to meet security standards, which would take up to two years. The Capital building, by contrast, meets those standards.
Toby Vogel