The EFTA Secretariat, the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) and the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) signed today an agreement with the Belgian Real Estate developer Cofinimmo which will allow the three organisations to move jointly into a new building in the European quarter in Brussels in autumn 2020. The signing today will allow for additional synergies and improved quality of services of the three organisations that have until now occupied different buildings in Brussels.
'This important milestone in the rich history of our organisations is a truly welcome development which coincides with a special anniversary year as we celebrate a quarter of a century of the EEA. In the past decades EFTA, ESA and the FMO have become an integral part of the European institutions and organisations in Brussels and the new building will further underscore the importance of the EEA and our Member States,' said EFTA Secretary-General Henri Gétaz, ESA President Bente Angell-Hansen and FMO Director Henning Stirø during the signing.
This new building is currently being constructed by its owner Cofinimmo at the site of Avenue des Arts 19H, right next to the premises of the EFTA Secretariat on Rue Joseph II, which the Secretariat has occupied since 2004.
The three organisations have major responsibilities with regards to the EEA Agreement, enabling the three EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to participate in the EU Internal Market. Moving into one single building with a combined staff of around 230 persons will allow for further synergies when it comes to the functioning and the promotion of the EEA Agreement to the benefit of the Member States. The new building was fully designed using Building Information Modelling (BIM). It will comply not only with the 2015 energy regulations, but also with additional high demands in terms of quality and sustainability, and be purposefully fitted to create a modern working space enabling maximum efficiency.
The new building (currently in construction) seen from the corner of Avenue des Arts and Rue Joseph II.
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EFTA - European Free Trade Association published this content on 20 February 2019 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 20 February 2019 17:43:00 UTC
