Kiss the European Parliament’s Mickey Mouse bar goodbye … for now
POLITICO - Tuesday, March 11, 2025Enjoy all the coffee from the European Parliament’s Mickey Mouse bar while you can.
The Paul-Henri Spaak building in the Parliament, which hosts the hemicycle and the (in)famous Mickey Mouse bar — a favorite scheming spot for lawmakers, lobbyists and journalists — will close for €440 million renovation, according to the 2026 draft budget seen by POLITICO.
The five-year refurbishment is set to begin in 2027. It is meant to bring the infrastructure up to modern safety and green standards after the partial collapse of the plenary chamber ceiling, according to the Parliament’s administration.
The building hosts the offices of Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the secretary-general, and groups’ staff offices such as the European Conservatives and Reformists, Renew Europe, and the Greens, as well as the press center.
While a lucky few will be moved to the adjacent Altiero Spinelli building, some others will be jettisoned to a “buffer building” near the Parliament.
Some lawmakers floated the idea of keeping the hemicycle, where the Parliament hosts some plenary sessions, open during that time but that would have cost at least €20 million more.
Others have suggested holding sessions in Strasbourg’s fancy plenary room.
In the end, the Belgians, who feared the French would take over all the sessions in Strasbourg, fought tooth and nail to keep them in Brussels.
And in true Belgian bureaucratic fashion, the administration will divide lawmakers into two groups, making them sit in different rooms and stay connected via videoconference, according to an internal note circulated by the secretary-general.
The problem with that, however, is that some lawmakers will be in the main room with Metsola while others will be relegated to a second-tier venue. Plus, holding votes while MEPs are split up will be complicated since they often vote via a show of hands.