On Wednesday 18 July, the Council of the EU officially opened its first space dedicated to the public, its new visitors' centre. Its launch will allow personal visits to the home of the member states, thereby strengthening the link between the citizens and the European Union.
Paul Reiderman, the Director for Media and Communication at the Council, explains that the chief aim of the visitors' centre is to bring the citizens closer to the work of the Council through its connection to the governments represented. With this in mind, guests are welcomed with a video message recorded by the ambassador of each member state, with the exception of the United Kingdom, which declined the invitation for obvious reasons.
“We want to reach beyond the Brussels bubble”, Reiderman stressed.
A number of interactive multi-media resources explain what the European Council and the Council of the EU do in all 24 official languages, where possible. A meeting room will also accommodate groups of up to 70.
This new centre is expected to increase the number of visitors to the Council, which stood at 28,000 people in 2017. The space will also be available to visitors to the Permanent Representations of the member states, who numbered 16,000.
It also offers unmissable views of the European Quarter from its windows.
For more information, see: https://bit.ly/2uy1ibx. (Original version in French by Carmen García, stage)