ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)509
Vol.1977/0161

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77)509final.
Brussels,11October1977.
RENTINGOPACONFERENCE CENTREBYTHECOMISSION
(Communication fromtheCommissiontotheCouncil)
COM(77)509final.

REUTIKJ C?ACONFERENCE CENTRE BY
THE COMMISSION "
1.Current facilities forconference rooms equipped forsimultaneous
interpreting nolonger meet alltheCommission 'srequirements .The
Commission hastherefore decided to'enter into anagreement with theAssociation
Moment anlaDelens/Francois ,developer' ofaplan foraconference centre
tobe "built near theplace Jourdan (between rueFroissart andthe
ohaussee d'Etterbeek ,600mfrom therond–point Schuman ),with aview
torenting .
2.In1970 theCommission acknowledged that thefourteen rooms inthe
Berlaymont basements were notsuitable forholding meetings with
simultaneous interpreting .
Following various reports from experts and "negotiations with
theBelgian authorities ,atemporary solution wasadopted .
This consisted inconverting five rooms forconferences
with simultaneous interpreting ontheseventh floor ofthe
Corteriberg building ,three rooms ontheupper floors oftheBerlaymont
(bytheBelgian authorities )andrenting seven additional conference
rooms attheKknhattan Center (where three were already occupied ).
1i' <
This measure wasonly tomeet immediate requirements pending
availability ofaconference room complex .

I-IoantimotheCommission'sneedshavecontinuedtoincrease,andevery
monthfiftyorsomeetingshavetobecancelledforlackofavailable
rooms.••
Organizingthesemeetingsison©ofthaCommission'sessentialactivities,
andthereisanurgentneedforittohaveaproperconferencecentre
neartherond-pointSohuman(wheremostofitsotheractivitiestake
place)thatwouldsatisfactorily meet-currentrequirements andthose
foreseeable inthemediumterm.
13,In1974"fckaCommissionpublishedanoticeintheOfficialJournal
seekingsuggestions frominterestedpartiesonthe"basisofwhichit
couldrenttheoonferencecentreitneeds.
Thesuggest .iensreceivedwareconsideredbyagroupofinternational
expertsin1975»theirconclusions wereexaminedbyaCommission
workingpartywhichrecommended aprojectlocatedintheParedu
Cinquantenaire .TheBelgianauthoritiesrejectedthisproject,and
theComEissionhadtoreconsidertheothersuggestions.Itthen
requestednewplansforbuildingsontwositeswhichhadbeenmentioned
andseeaedparticularlysuitable(placeJourdanandsquaredeMerode).
Thesamegroupofinternational expertsre–examinedtheplans,andthe
Commissionworkingpartyooncludedthattheconferencecentrenearthe
placeJourdanwouldbebest-fortheCommission.Moreover,takingthe
rentaltermsbestsuitedtoourinterests,annualrentforthatproject
wouldamounttoBfrs125millionoverthetwelveyearsoftheproposed
lease(fallingtoBfrs57millionthereafter),*Mletherentforthe
squaredeMerodeprojectwouldbeBfrs150millionperyear.
4.Thesuggestionadoptedalsohastheadvantageofbeingveryclose
totherond-pointSchuman(600maway),,wheremoatoftheCommission's
otherdepartmentsaresituated.
OJNoC59,21.May1974

Theowaplexcontainsnosuperfluousluxuries ;theCcxad.csaiondossnot
needaprestige "buildingVata'working "tool.TheEsainrequirements
haveteenmetasfollows *
(i)eightssnconferencerooaatoaoccjmcds/cs80activeparticipants,
withsix"boothsforsimultaneousinterpreting (plustechnician);
(ii)oneconferenceroomtoaccommodate 125activeparticipants ,
withnine"boothsforsimultaneousinterpreting -(plustechnician)
andoneprojectionbooth}
(iii)oneoonferenoeroomtoaocommodat©160-200activeparticipants
or300-350personswithouttables,withnineboothsfor
simultaneousinterpreting (plustechnician)andaprojection
booth. ''
Theseroomsareequippedwithindividualtablesandtechnical
equipment,chairsandfullsimultaneous interpretingfacilities.
Adjoiningessentialservicesincludesmallmeetingrooms
(one-toeverytwo-conferencerooms),officesfortheconference
chairmenandtheadministration ofthecentre,officesfor
technicalservices,maintenance,reproduction ,mail,telephone,
caretakerandsoon;receptionhall,cafeteriaand120parking
spaces. f■ '
ThecomplexislocatedinoneSeparatebuilding,andpeopleentering
canbeproperlyreceivedand',checked.
5.Thedeveloperhasstatedthathewouldb@abletomaketheoentre
availabletotheCommissionbetweenthirtyandthirty-sixmonthsafter
signinganagreement.Ifanagreementcouldbsconcludedbythe
endofIS*???thiswouldmeanthatthe-newcentre'couldbeoccupied
sometimein1981.
TherooasattheManhattanCentercouldthenbevacated,andwiththe
threeroomsintheBerlaymontandthefiveintheCortenbergbuilding
theCoirjTtissionwouldhavsatotaloftwenty-eightfullyequipped
oonferenoaroomsintheimmediatevioinityoftherond-pointSchuman.

6.'At1977prices,-theannualrentforthecentrewill"beBfrs125000000.
7.InviewoftneforegoingtheCommissionhasdecidedtoenterintoanagreementwiththe
Association MomentaneeDelens/Frangois,developeroftheConferenceCentre
tobebuiltneartheplaceJourdan-(betweentherueFroissartandthe
chausseed'Etterbeek),withaviWtorentingtheCentreforaninitial
twelve-yearperiod.