European Parliament officials are considering a €20 million (£17 million) plan for the monthly removal of scaffolding to keep its debating chamber open during renovation works.
The Telegraph obtained internal documents that detail plans for the refurbishment of the institution’s Paul-Henri Spaak building in Brussels.
One strategy discussed by the Bureau, the Parliament’s governing body, would see the Hemicycle debating chamber kept open throughout the three-year construction period.
A document said: “Maintaining additional part-sessions on the construction site would require special arrangements to be made before and after each session to ensure safety, access and support.
“This has an impact on the overall duration and budget of the works, estimated at 6-12 months and EUR 20-22 million.”
Insiders say this would involve dismantling the scaffolding each month as the chamber is used by debating MEPs.
‘Comical in the extreme’
According to the internal document, the plan could still be rejected, as other strategies are also on the table.
Another plan would see the chamber remain closed and debates held “through a digital connection between two meeting rooms”.
Anders Vistisen, Danish MEP and chief whip for the Patriots for Europe group, said: “The idea of scaffolding being put up and down every month for a single day’s work is comical in the extreme.
“It would be like a scene in a Benny Hill comedy sketch. But when it’s not their personal money, MEPs are content to spend it freely.”
An alternative option, which is under consideration, is to entirely relocate to the EU Parliament’s Strasbourg seat.
‘EU’s travelling circus’
But Belgium has insisted that its Brussels venue must receive its fair share of debates, as set out in the EU’s treaties.
The institution is often criticised for what has become known as the “EU’s travelling circus”, when the Parliament, its MEPs and staff, decamp to France every month for a week of debates, at the cost of almost €100 million each year.
The Spaak building was first used by the EU Parliament in 1993 and by 2012 an internal audit found that it needed wholesale renovations.
Planning documents say the building falls foul of EU green rules and so-called “Eurocodes” for structural integrity.
The reconstruction work is estimated to cost as much as €455 million and is expected to be finished by 2030.
Despite a plan to reopen the building to mark the 200th anniversary of Belgium’s independence, there is not yet an agreed date for the works to begin.