At the end of December 2018, the EU Council refused to validate the part that the European Commission should have paid under a 20-year rental lease, to be co-signed with the European Parliament, for premises - located at "a prime location" in Paris - intended to accommodate the Commission's representation and the European Parliament's liaison office in a new European Union House.
The Member States affirm that they are not opposed to the principle of an EU House in Paris. Nevertheless, most of them consider that the significant increase in the costs incurred by the Commission "is not justified" and that other more cost-effective solutions should have been considered.
According to the proposed project, the costs incurred by the Commission would have increased from 944,543 euros per year for the premises currently located on boulevard Saint-Germain to 2,478,217 euros per year under the proposed lease. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)