Brussels and the European Union

The Place Jean Rey (Dutch: Jean Reyplein) is a square in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated in 2001 and is named after Jean Rey (1902–1983), the second President of the European Commission. The headquarters of some of the major EU institutions are located on or close to this square, including those of the Council and the Parliament.

The House of European History (HEH) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium focusing on the history of Europe. The permanent exhibition begins with the myth of the goddess Europa, delving into Europe's ancient roots and the continent's heritage of shared traditions and achievements, before continuing through Europe's dramatic journey towards modernity in the 19th century and the rebuilding process following World War II. The final section challenges visitors to critically assess European history, its potential and its future. By interpreting history from a European perspective, it connects and compares shared experiences and their diverse interpretations. It aims to initiate learning on transnational perspectives across Europe. The museum is an initiative by the European Parliament, and was proposed by then-president Hans-Gert Pöttering in 2007; it opened on 6 May 2017. As a cultural institution and exhibition centre, the House of European History intends to promote the understanding of European history and European integration, through a permanent exhibition and temporary and travelling exhibitions. The museum houses a collection of objects and documents representative of European history, educational programs, cultural events and publications, as well as a wide range of online content. It is located in the Eastman Building in Leopold Park, close to the European institutions.

Leopold Park (French: Parc Léopold, Dutch: Leopoldspark) is a public park of 6.43 ha (15.9 acres) located within the Leopold Quarter (European Quarter) of Brussels, Belgium. It is adjacent to the Paul-Henri Spaak building, the seat of the European Parliament. It is served by the metro stations Maalbeek/Maelbeek and Schuman on lines 1 and 5 of the Brussels metro. The outstanding feature of the park is its pond, fed by the Maelbeek stream. Many rare trees (remnants of a botanic garden) and animals such as mallards, moorhens, coots, and even Egyptian geese and rose-ringed parakeets thrive in this urban environment.

The Justus Lipsius building, located in Brussels, Belgium, was the headquarters of the Council of the European Union from 1995, and the de facto home of the European Council from 2002 (de jure as of 2004), until their relocation to the adjacent newly constructed Europa building at the beginning of 2017. The building, which has a gross surface area of 227,278 m2, still provides for additional meeting rooms, office space and press facilities for both institutions. It consists of 17 conference rooms with at least 10 interpretation booths each, 5 other meeting rooms and 2 rooms for official meals. It also provides 40,048 m2 of offices for both institutions' shared General Secretariat. An onsite press centre is also featured, which can be extended during summits with up to 600 seats in the atrium. It is linked, via means of two skyways and a service tunnel, to the Europa building.

The Euro summit (also referred to as the eurozone summit or euro area summit) is the meeting of the heads of state or government of the member states of the eurozone (those EU states which have adopted the euro). It is distinct from the EU summit held regularly by the European Council, the meeting of all EU leaders.

The Chapel of the Resurrection (French: Chapelle de la Résurrection, Dutch: Verrijzeniskapel) or Chapel for Europe is a Roman Catholic church with an ecumenical vocation located in the heart of the Brussels' European Quarter (City of Brussels municipality), next to the former Convent Van Maerlant. A precursor of this church, which dated back to the 15th century, was situated in the city centre, but demolished in the course of urban development in 1907. Instead, a replica, externally true to the original, was built at its present location. In 2001, after substantial renovation, the church received its present name and took on its present ecumenical character.

The Maelbeek or Maalbeek (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmaːlbeːk]) is a stream that runs through several municipalities in Brussels, including Etterbeek, Ixelles, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Schaerbeek. It is a tributary of the Zenne, which it joins up in Schaerbeek, from its source located to the south near the Abbey of La Cambre. The name Maalbeek, (meaning mill brook), comes from the Dutch words beek (meaning brook) and maal (meaning to mill). Molenbeek has a similar derivation. It was vaulted in 1872, at which time there were 58 ponds along the stream. Nowadays, only six are left: the ponds of the Abbey of La Cambre; of Ixelles (two); of Leopold Park; of Marie-Louise Square; and of Josaphat Park. The Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station is located in the central area of this Maalbeek valley. There is another stream in the vicinity named Maalbeek, also a tributary to the Zenne, in Grimbergen and two other streams named Molenbeek, found in Beersel and in Laeken. The Woluwe river also has a tributary named Kleine (little) Maalbeek, in Kraainem.

The Convent Van Maerlant is a former convent which consists of a church and the Chapel of the Resurrection on Rue Van Maerlant/Van Maerlantstraat in Brussels, Belgium. Jacob van Maerlant was a famous medieval Flemish poet. The original chapel was built in 1435 in the authority of a Papal Bull, and was renovated in the 1780s. The convent of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration itself was converted from a Ducal town house in the early 1850s. In 1905, a compulsory purchase order for land for Brussels Central Station was made on Rue des Sols/Stuiversstraat, and this included the convent. As a result, a virtually identical chapel was built, which survived for another 45 years, only finally being demolished in 1955. Falling vocations meant the convent was closed in the early 1980s, and after standing derelict for nearly 20 years, it was acquired to become the central library of the European Commission. This is the only pre-WW2 building to be left standing in the area after the entry of European institutions.

The Statue of Europe (also referred to as Unity in Peace) is a sculpture symbolising peace through European integration, while at the same time aiming to demonstrate the motto of the European Union (EU), "United in Diversity". It is located in the garden of Convent Van Maerlant (the library of the European Commission) in the crossroads of the street Van Maerlant and "chaussée d'Etterbeek", in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. Made out of resin, the statue measures more than 5 meters and weighs nearly 800 kg. It was inaugurated on 9 December 2003 by Neil Kinnock and Viviane Reding, who respectively were Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Culture at the time. 2003 was the European Year of People with Disabilities, and the Eastern enlargement of the EU was awaited. The statue was manufactured, modelled, polished, and painted by visually impaired children under the supervision of by French artist Bernard Romain, who wanted to demonstrate that disability was not a disqualifying factor. Tightly entwined, the differently coloured arms symbolise the culturally diverse peoples of Europe, collectively lifting a sphere reminiscent of the EU flag, surmounted by the dove of peace.

The Jacques Delors building, at 99-101 rue Belliard in the European Quarter of Brussels, houses the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It sits between the Rue Belliard (Belliardstraat) and Leopold Park and was formerly called the Belliard building. It housed the Brussels activities of the European Parliament until the 1990s, when these functions were moved to the new Espace Léopold. In the 2000s, the building was renovated for use by the two Committees. In 2006, it was renamed "Jacques Delors" (abbreviated 'JDE'), after Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, who was the most prominent founder of the Committee of the Regions.

The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union. It is one of three legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve or veto the proposals of the European Commission, which holds legislative initiative.The Council of the European Union and the European Council are the only EU institutions that are explicitly intergovernmental, that is, forums whose attendees express and represent the position of their member state's executive, be they ambassadors, ministers or heads of state/government. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers (one per state). The precise membership of these configurations varies according to the topic under consideration; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 27 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioners contributing but not voting).

The Europa building is the seat of the European Council and Council of the European Union, located on the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. Its defining feature is the multi-storey "lantern-shaped" construct holding the main meeting rooms; a representation of which has been adopted by both the European Council and Council of the EU as their official emblems.The Europa building is situated on the former site of the partially demolished and renovated Bloc A of the Résidence Palace, a complex of luxurious apartment blocks. Its exterior combines the listed Art Deco facade of the original 1920s building with the contemporary design of the architect Philippe Samyn. The building is linked via two skyways and a service tunnel to the adjacent Justus Lipsius building, which provides for additional office space, meeting rooms and press facilities.