Brussels, 14/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament Visitors' Centre, known as the Parlamentarium, was officially opened on Friday 14 October 2011, in a ceremony attended by EP President, Jerzy Buzek who said the centre offered an unusual visit at the heart of Europe in the only EU institution elected by universal direct suffrage, that makes decisions that impact on the lives of millions of people in Europe. In more than 2,800 m² of exhibition space with a wealth of interactive multimedia tools, visitors of any age can travel through time from the Europe of six member states to the current EU27 and beyond (until 2050). Without leaving the centre, visitors will be able to travel from Belfast to Aquila via Wroclaw using a massive interactive map. The centre explains how the European Parliament functions, describing MEPs and the policies they are working on. Visitors will be able to sit in on the taking of decisions using a vast image of the plenary building projected around the walls, where they can virtually sit with MEPs. Groups of teenagers can do role plays where they play the part of Jerzy Buzek and his colleagues and get to grips with EU legislation.
The centre is free-of-charge, open seven days a week and fully accessible to the disabled. It expects to receive some 450,000 visitors a year. With the EU motto of “unity in diversity, the information is, of course, provided in all 23 official EU languages. (CG/transl.fl)