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2mo ago

EU Commission Cuts Cooling for Lower Floors of Berlaymont During Heatwave

The shutoff signals how the heatwave can overwhelm building systems, concentrating comfort in senior offices.

Das Berlaymont-Gebäude in Brüssel beheimatet die Zentrale der Europäischen Kommission
In der EU-Kommission fällt die Klimaanlage aus, nur die Chefetage bleibt kühl.

Overview

  • Staff received an urgent SMS on Friday saying the air‑cooling system for Berlaymont floors 1–7 would be shut down for the rest of the day because of extreme weather.
  • Air conditioning continued to run on floors 8 and above, where President Ursula von der Leyen and most commissioners have their offices.
  • Lower‑floor employees, including staff in DG AGRI, responded with anger and called the decision “like feudalism” and a “shame.”
  • The Commission had issued heat‑safety guidance to staff earlier in the week advising hydration, avoiding the hottest hours and earlier start times.
  • The episode is part of wider heat‑related strain on EU infrastructure this month, with the European Parliament reporting power outages as cooling demand rose.