The State's property manager Régie des Bâtiments has started fitting out office spaces for the Ministry of Justice at the front of Brussels-Midi railway station. The project will cost more than €15 million.
The Federal Government pays millions of euros a year to rent hundreds of buildings for its services and staff. While most of the rented space is used, some of it sits empty. The most obvious example is the Eurostation building near Brussels-Midi station. Data from 2023 showed only half of the 77,000 m2 for which the government pays nearly €1.4 million each month are used. So the rest of the building, leased since 2005 with a contract until 2035, stands empty.
However, in January 2025, the Régie des Bâtiments began fitting out office spaces in the Instruction wing of this largely unused building at the front of the station. The office spaces will be used by the Justice Ministry to centralise its services.
The administrative services in Brussels are currently housed in several places across Brussels. They will be regrouped in this wing.
"In the long term, housing the administrative services of the Ministry of Justice in one building reflects our ambition to modernise and optimise our empty spaces, and to rationalise the use of the Belgian State's real estate portfolio," said outgoing State Secretary of the Buildings Agency, Mathieu Michel (MR).
He added that by doing so, the State will not only realise gains in terms of costs but also in terms of sustainability. "Reducing CO2 emissions by 32% contributes to achieving the NEKP [National Energy and Climate Plan] targets," he noted.
More than an office
Moving to this building will also benefit staff members' commute, as Brussels-Midi station and metro is located nearby.
The offices are being laid out according to the principles of the 'New Ways of Working'. These new working methods and workspaces are based on the activities of the building's users to optimise the space.
The building will house offices but also feature meeting rooms. Some of these will be equipped with interpreting booths, coffee corners, reception areas, a 300-space car park, a 100 m² bicycle shed and a secure area for charging bicycle batteries.
The works to create the offices will be completed before the summer of 2026. The project will cost around €15.2 million, including VAT.
