By Baron Henri Estramant.
Thursday, 2 July 2015: The joint venue for the representations to the EU of the Alsace region (France) and the Saarland (Germany’s smallest Bundesland) were ceremoniously opened at Rue de Luxembourg 15, 1000 Brussels, by the President of the Regional Council of Alsace, M Philippe Richert and the Saarlandic Minister-President Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. The venue houses already the representations of Alsace, the Saarland and the Bureau Alsace Europe, albeit it is expected that a representation for the French region Lorraine-Champagne Ardenne shall also move in soon.
Amongst the numerous personalities attending the event were the Permanent Representative of France to the EU, HE Ambassador Pierre Sellal, French ambassador to Belgium, HE M Bernard Valero, Jean-Pierre Masseret, President of the Lorraine Region, Roland Daverdon, Vice-President of the Regional Council of Champagne-Ardenne or Herr Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
The edifice on Rue du Luxembourg 15 has a surface of a bit more than 750 m² distributed in four floors, and twelve working areas. It was purchased to a cost of 1,6 M€ by the Alsace region which may let out some facilities. Back in 1990 when the Bureau Alsace Europe opened it was the very first representation of a French region in Brussels, by now, all French regions possess a representative office either individually or in groups. Their main mission is to lobby the interests of their respective regions vis-à-vis EU institutions.
The Alsatian representation is headed by Director Cédric Virciglio, whereas the Saarlandic one by Herr Stefan Feiler. In the Benelux countries the German ambassador to The Netherlands, HE Herr Franz Josef Kremp, hails from the Saarland (Neunkirchen).
For more information:
Representation of the Saarland to the EU: www.saarland.de/1896.htm
Office of Alsace to the EU: www.bureau-alsace.eu/en/home_en/
Permanent Represenation of France to the EU: www.rpfrance.eu/
