Brussels, 25/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - One week after the fire in the “Berlaymont” building (EUROPE 9904 and 9905), the staff based there (Commissioners, members of their cabinets and civil servants, around 2,000 people) were able to return there on Monday 25 May. The work to refurbish the principal building of the European Union in Brussels consisted of restoring the centralised building management system, repairing the damaged electric communication cables and carrying out an in-depth clean of the areas damaged by soot as a result of smoke, according to a press release issued by the Commission. The electricity, the IT network and the emergency lighting have been fully returned to service and the safety and hygiene standards are in line with Belgian national legislation, the Commission added. The building is almost fully operational, whilst an investigation of the public prosecution office of Brussels is still underway to determine the reasons behind the incident. (A.B./transl.fl)