Brussels, 10/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 9 October the European Parliament said that the cause of the cracks in the beams of the plenary chamber at the European Parliament in Brussels has been established and that “the building works are expected to take at least six months”. “Parliament will now work with two building consultancies, the Belgian Public Buildings Agency and other expert organisations to draw up a work plan in order to guarantee the chamber's safety”, the Parliament said in a press release. Studies are under way on how to carry out the repairs.
Cancellation of February session? Although the mini session on 7-8 November has been cancelled, the decision concerning the mini session on 27-28 February is still under discussion. A Parliament spokesperson told EUROPE that no decision had yet been taken, nor would be taken in the near future. He said that for the moment the Parliament is concentrating on the technical options and on the building works it is going to have to undertake. He added that the exact length of time needed for the works is not yet known and that a decision will be taken when it is. Nevertheless Vice-President Isabelle Durant said on TV Bruxelles that the February mini session should be cancelled.
Part of the European Parliament building in Brussels, including the plenary chamber, has been closed since 31 August when an inspection report on the cracked beams was received. According to the experts, three beams supporting the ceiling of the plenary chamber have cracked due to a weak spot in one of them. After the first beam cracked the weight on two others became too great, which made them crack too. The beams and their structure met technical requirements at the time of construction. (CG/transl.fl)