9/17/21: Brussels' EU & Parliamentarium

If it hadn't been for the telltale European Union symbol, I joked with Steven that we might have thought we were in London with the English messages on the windows and not in Brussels, the capital of Belgium!

Brussels is definitely the unofficial 'capital of Europe' as it's the headquarters of the three-member Benelux countries, NATO, and became the seat of the EU in 1992 when 12 countries signed the Treaty of Maastricht establishing the EU. 

Steven and I had thought we'd only be able to visit the exterior of the EU complex as it was supposed to be closed after 11 on Fridays but we lucked out totally when we discovered on our arrival it would be open for an audioguide tour for just another 45 minutes. Though Brussels is the capital city for the EU, there were also much smaller branches in Strasbourg, France, and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

When we entered security, staff insisted that we remove our masks and wear new carbon masks provided for us. That was the first time since Covid-19 began 18 months ago that wearing not just any mask was insufficient.

The buildings that comprised the EU in Brussels were named after visionary Europeans. The EU Parliament was named in honor of Paul-Henri Spaak, one of the founders of the EU. 

The flags represented the 28 member nations after the EU began in the early 50s with just six countries. The EU changed from a consultative body initially to a law-passing body for 500 million citizens throughout much of the continent.

This was just one of the 600 sculptures and artworks from artists from all over the Union that were located throughout the complex. The audioguide indicated the art reflected the diversity of its member states. This piece with moving wire pieces, Confluence, symbolized the people of Europe united by one common purpose. If just one part of the sculpture or of the Union moved, it would all be affected. The pillar or base was the shared history of wars and peace.

We learned that there are 751 voting members in the semi-circular parliamentary chamber that was called the Hemicycle because of its shape. Each member is elected for a five-year term by all member states' citizens who are of voting age. The number of a country's representatives ranges from 5 to 100 based on each nation's population. The members range in age from 26-92, come from a wide diversity of backgrounds, and represent 200 political parties! I was glad to hear that the proportion of female members has risen with each election and now accounts for 37 percent of all members, double compared to those in member nation's parliaments. The European Parliament was the citizen's voice in the EU and is where EU members debate issues and cast votes. 

Prospective laws normally come to the EU Parliament by committee but it's not uncommon for petitions with one million signatures to be also voted on by all members in the Chamber. One law that passed that way was the water initiative that provided the right to water access throughout each of the member nations. 

While the EU has a Parliament, the EU is primarily led by the European Commission with commissioners appointed by each member nation and approved by Parliament and the Council of Ministers, comprised of the leaders of each member nation. Day-to-day business is conducted by bureaucrats.

Across from the Hemicycle was the Alviero Spinelli building named after an Italian visionary.

We then walked to the nearby Parliamentarium, a history museum of the EU. There we were reminded that the countries of Europe had fought for decades for their own progress, using self-serving means. The deadly consequences had been two world wars, widespread distrust, and a continent in ruins at the end of WW II. However, some felt that the ideas of the past must be disregarded, weapons must be put down, and interested parties should sit down around the same table. Eight hundred delegates met in 1948 to talk about how they could prevent what just happened in the wars from happening again. The idea was to have Europe working together politically, economically, and culturally. The result was the Council of Europe in 1949 with six founding members. 

Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared in 1940 that "We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living." The United Kingdom made two attempts to join the EU before they finally accepted in 1973. (We all know what happened to the UK's membership in the EU just last year!) 

The Norwegian government requested to join but their citizens overwhelmingly rejected membership so the government had to withdraw the application. When Ireland and Denmark joined, membership in the EU rose to nine. Greece became the tenth member after the EU imposed provisional membership until the country brought about economic reforms. Spain and Portugal had expressed interest in the EU but because their countries were both run by dictators, membership was forbidden. They were both subsequently accepted into the Union once their political climates changed. Membership has grown until there are now 28 member states. 

I was intrigued to learn that the members sit, not by country affiliation, but rather by party affiliation. The 200 political parties sort themselves into just 6 voting blocs, not including independents in the chamber with a minimum of 25 in each political bloc. The members are seated from left to right with the parliamentary President facing them.

We could have spent the next umpteen hours there reading bios of each of the 751 members. We did not, however! 

The map on the floor showed which European nations were members of the EU.

The EU accounts for about one-sixth of international trade and its trade policy operates within the World Trade Organization. In the US, we've always heard of former President Jimmy Carter and other dignitaries checking on elections in far-flung nations but I didn't realize that since 1994, the European Parliament has also sent member delegations as election observers to non-member countries to ensure election processes are conducted freely and fairly.

We also learned that the EU provided humanitarian aid by promoting "fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence" in non-member countries to save and preserve life in cases of natural or man-made disasters.

As human rights are at the core of the EU Parliament, its members visit regions having issues and legislate to improve the rights of all. One tool is the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought named after the Russian physicist to honor individuals or organizations who have dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedom of thought.

I hadn't realized that there were any, let alone over 140 EU delegations around the world and that they have similar functions as an embassy. They promote the EU's foreign policy, values, and interests on a global level.

It seemed incredible that in just one generation almost thirty European nations, with different languages, cultures, and soccer teams - have made the huge leap from being bitter rivals to colleagues. As a long-time political junkie, I was thrilled we were able to visit the EU Parliament and get a far better appreciation of how the EU came to be, the challenges it has faced, and its mission.

Next post: Brussel's exciting African community of Matonge.

Posted on September 19th, 2021, on our last night in this fun city. Tomorrow we head onto Antwerp, the city of diamonds, located in northern Belgium.