Espace Léopold

Espace Léopold is the complex of parliament buildings inBrussels (Belgium) housing the European Parliament, a legislative chamber of the European Union. It consists of a number of buildings, primarily the oldest, the Paul-Henri Spaak, which houses the debating chamber and the President's offices, and the Altiero Spinelli building which is the largest. The buildings are located in the European quarter in the east of Brussels, with building starting in 1989. The complex is not the official seat of Parliament, which is the Immeuble Louise Weiss in Strasbourg, France, but as most of the otherinstitutions of the European Union are in Brussels, Parliament built the Brussels complex in order to be closer to their activities. A majority of the Parliament's work is now geared to its Brussels site, but it is legally bound to keep Strasbourg as its official home.