The Brussels-Capital Region and the international institutes that today call it home enjoy a synergy that benefits both. But building the relationship between the institutional heavyweights and the city has been a concerted effort to bring together the local and super-national.
The Belgian capital was well situated to become the "capital of the European Union" – a symbolic space between France and Germany, whose reconciliation was so central to the EU vision. But beyond serving as a middle ground, integrating the institutions with the fabric of the city itself has been a decades-long project, explains Brussels Commissioner for Europe Alain Hutchinson.
"It took about 20 years for Brussels to realise that it had this important role as the European capital," he told The Brussels Times. He speaks of a reluctance among the city's residents to embrace their city's international function. There were fears that people from abroad were supplanting locals, taking jobs and pushing up house prices.
In the early days, the Interministerial Committee for Headquarters Policy (CIPS) was responsible for implementing Belgium's international host policy. But the institutions felt that their questions about how to optimise their place in Brussels were ignored, feeding a perception that Belgium lacked interest in the "EU bubble".
It wasn't until 2014 that a new Regional counterpart to the Federal CIPS was launched: the Office of the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (commissioner.brussels), led by Hutchinson. Its task was to build and improve relations between Belgium's public authorities and the EU institutions and international organisations that settled here.
Bringing two worlds together
It is now ten years that commissioner.brussels has served its role as the link between Brussels city and the institutions. One aspect of this task is helping EU institutions conform to Brussels' administrations, for instance on issues such as applying for building and environmental permits.
Any concerns from within the institutions are passed on to the relevant city administrations. Cooperation was encouraged by a meeting, which brings together members of the Brussels government and representatives of the international community such as the Vice President of the European Parliament.
Any problems or sources of concern are discussed to receive a clear government decision. "I then get in touch with all the other regional administrations to ensure it is carried out," Hutchinson explains.
commissioner.brussels helps all international organisations but much of its work centres around the EU institutions. Credit: Belga / Siska Gremmelprez
The mutual understanding between both parties has been central to projects such as the (controversial) Schuman roundabout and more recently the renovation of the Paul-Henri Spaak building in Brussels, where the European Parliament's plenary sessions are held.
Hutchinson stressed his political function: "I am not a civil servant, I have a political mandate that is given to me by the government which in turn allows me to drive change and improvements."
There is also a "human" side to commissioner.brussels, managed by the Expat Welcome Desk. This provides assistance to the thousands of people who work in and around these international organisations. Brussels is second only to Dubai as the most cosmopolitan city in the world: more than one in three of the region's residents has a foreign nationality, many of whom first came here for the international institutions and organisations.
"It's important to welcome the institutions but it is equally as important to welcome all those people."
Changing mentalities
Hutchinson stressed that these accomplishments required a mentality change, both among staff and administrations in Brussels. He highlights the challenges of convincing people of the advantages of hosting international organisations.
A recent analysis by the office showed that the international presence accounts for up to 23.2% of employment in Brussels; a quarter of the regional economic turnover is linked to these international activities.
"Brussels doesn't exist without this international community. We must work to keep them here and keep developing these links to ensure that these people, organisations and businesses stay here," Hutchinson affirms.
On the other hand, the team also had to convince the "outsiders" to integrate and embrace their position in Brussels. "They're not on an island – they are in the centre of Brussels. This means they need to develop a sense of solidarity in the public space and a kinship with Brussels residents."
Persuading both actors on the Belgian side of the table to work together was an ongoing process. After nine years of discussions, the team only last year secured a platform between commissioner.brussels and the Federal Government. "The chief of staff of the Prime Minister and I now meet every three months to discuss problems and possible solutions."
"I see this as recognition by the Federal Government of our work and their role in this. It ensures we can give international players in Brussels a coherent response to all matters on every government level," he said. Through this coordination, the Belgian authorities can better align their hosting policies towards the EU institutions and other international organisations.
Making Brussels a no-brainer
Hutchinson will step down at the end of this legislature. Looking back on his ten-year tenure, he feels a sense of accomplishment: "I'm a modest man, but I think we have done well. We are still confronted with problems and challenges in linking these two aspects of Brussels every day, but we also find solutions every day."
Compared to 30 years ago, he stresses that the EU institutions and inter-governmental organisations like NATO feel listened to by the city, which responds to their questions and concerns. At the same time, Belgian authorities and citizens are appreciating the international community.
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For Hutchinson, it's a continual process: "There is still a lot of work to do." He says that commissioner.brussels should work to attract even more international organisations to Brussels. "I think our goal as Brussels region is not only to keep the actual institutions and international organisations but also to make it a friendly international city so that others want to move here."
He points to the need to build stronger bonds between new arrivals and the Brussels communes: "Some communes, like the City of Brussels, Schaerbeek and Etterbeek, are putting in a lot of effort to meet new residents halfway, for example by speaking English. But others, for instance Molenbeek, have forbidden their civil servants to speak English. This stems from a French-Dutch conflict but just makes it more difficult for expats."
Hutchinson sees this as just one of the barriers to ensuring that Brussels is truly international. But looking back on the progress made already, he is confident that the Belgian capital will keep its cosmopolitan shine.
