The Berlaymont building is an office building in Brussels, Belgium, which houses the headquarters of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The structure is located on the Robert Schuman Roundabout at 200, rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, in what is known as the "European Quarter". The unique form of the Berlaymont's architecture is used in the European Commission's official emblem. The building is named after the Convent of the Ladies of Berlaymont.
The Berlaymont building in Brussels, seen from the Robert Schuman Roundabout
The Berlaymont convent and boarding school (Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat), c. 1900
The Berlaymont in 1975. President François-Xavier Ortoli seen in the centre.
The Berlaymont area in 2020
The European Commission (EC) is part of the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission headed by a President. It includes an administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants. The commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs) that can be likened to departments or ministries each headed by a Director-General who is responsible to a Commissioner.
The Berlaymont building, seat of the European Commission
Walter Hallstein, the first President of the Commission
Incumbent President von der Leyen
Floor 13 of the Berlaymont, Commission's meeting room