If you’re visiting Brussels, the European Quarter might not be at the top of your must-visit list. That spot is most likely taken by the Grand-Place with its curiously asymmetrical City Hall, the giant Atomium or even the notorious Manneken Pis.
If you do end up strolling through the European Quarter, it’s probably because you’re a tourist on your way to visit the House of European History – or you’re a European Council member reporting to the Europa building.
That’s not to say that the neighbourhood that spans the City of Brussels, Etterbeek and Ixelles municipalities is unwelcoming or unattractive. On the contrary, the combination of its shiny high risers, iconic star-shaped Berlaymont building and majestic green spaces (from the famous Cinquantenaire Park to the smaller Léopold Park) are charming and make it unlike any of the other neighbourhoods in Brussels.
But despite all that, there is a slightly high-brow feeling and institutional vibe that just makes it less likely for someone to say, let’s go grab a drink at the European Quarter. The centre of international employment in the Belgian capital simply doesn’t currently have enough shops, quality public spaces or even locals, since most real estate is office buildings.
The Brussels-Capital Region, however, is determined to change all that.
A rebranding of the European Quarter
On 9 November the Brussels-Capital Region's tourism promotion and communications agency, visit.brussels, announced the total rebranding of the European Quarter during a press conference in the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (CEIO) building, with the aim of turning the district into a more cosmopolitan, dynamic and cultural neighbourhood: “European Quarter Brussels.”
Simply put, "We want to make the European Quarter a lively district where it is pleasant to work and live in,” Ans Persoons, Brussels State Secretary for European and International Relations said.
Prime Minister of the Brussels-Capital Region Rudi Vervoort is also confident about the strategy: "I am very pleased with the launch of the new brand for the European Quarter. Today, the European Quarter is mainly seen as an office district for Eurocrats where there is no nightlife and nowhere to relax. The new brand we are unveiling today should do away with that distorted image,” he said.
As you might imagine, the European Quarter has only looked (and felt) as institutional as it is now since the European Union actually came into being – and settled in Brussels – mostly by chance.
A temporary solution
In 1956, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, along with a task force of ministers from the six member states, and stated that the presidency would rotate among ministers in alphabetical order. Given Belgium’s alphabetical advantage, Belgian foreign minister Victor Larock became the first president of the Council of Ministers and hosted their first meeting in 1958.
Larock and the Belgian government were also responsible for finding office space for the European Economic Community to commence their work – since the ministers hadn’t yet agreed on a location for permanent headquarters. It just so happened that that same year, an office building in construction near the Cinquantenaire Park was almost finished. And so the Belgian government rented the space and the first staff of the European Economic Community moved in.
Slowly but surely, other buildings were put to use for this early European Union. Brussels, however, was only supposed to be a temporary headquarters, and so the government built the Berlaymont building believing it would eventually be used as a Belgian ministry once the EU community moved elsewhere.
Perhaps more insightful than the government, private companies also began erecting buildings in the same area in the hopes of renting them out to EU institutions. The once upper-class residential neighbourhood formerly known as the Leopold Quarter quickly became a governmental and business landscape, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the European Council formally decided that Brussels would host the EU’s regular meetings. It was then that the Belgian capital started to be called the capital of the European Union.
This, however, came at the expense of the European Quarter's culture and society. Anecdotally, when Brussels was elected as the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2000, the European Quarter did not leave a lasting impression. The Brussels-Capital Region and the three municipalities now intend to put an end to the district’s identity crisis.
A collective effort
The rebranding’s goal is to replace – in visit.brussels’ own words – the “monofunctional office district” with a mixed neighbourhood with a wider range of housing, cultural activities, better mobility and enjoyable public spaces; all this while championing the assets it already has, paying particular attention to sustainable development and emphasising the values of inclusion and accessibility.
"The European district is an office district. That makes sense: it houses the institutions that are very important for Europe and Brussels. But there is more,” Brussels minister Sven Gatz, responsible for the image of Brussels, said in a statement. “The green Leopold and Cinquantenaire Parks, the many restaurants and cafés, the meetings between people. We want to make it more visible.”
Minister Gatz added that the rebranding was a collective effort, with residents, employees and various organisations from the City of Brussels, Etterbeek and Ixelles working together to develop a shared vision for the future of this neighbourhood.
In terms of practical changes, “the Brussels Region is also investing in the neighbourhood by creating housing, renovating public spaces and especially making these public areas and new businesses greener,” Prime Minister Vervoort explained. “The Brussels government is therefore making active efforts to improve the neighbourhood and ensure that the people of Brussels and visitors can live, work, shop and engage in leisure activities."
Persoons also mentioned transforming offices into housing, as well as making more space for pedestrians and cyclists. It would seem that the broader goal of the rebranding is to set an example for a healthier work-life balance. Though not officially part of the ‘Good Living’ urban planning policy approved in 2022 and coming into force in 2024, the plan to rebrand the European Quarter does seem in line with its attempt to improve the quality of life for Brussels residents and centring the development around the human experience of a space.
After all, the plan is not at all to start from scratch, but to rely on the strengths that already exist within the community.
“We want to highlight these assets with the new brand,” Persoons explained. “And in doing so, we appeal to those who already bring life to the European Quarter: the shopkeepers, residents and entrepreneurs. They will be the ambassadors and the face of the European Quarter."
