Draft:European Convention Center Luxembourg

The European Convention Center Luxembourg (ECCL) is a convention center complex based in the European District of Kirchberg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The site comprises of a former seat and offices of the European Parliament; respsecitvely, the Hemicycle and Alcide de Gasperi buildings. Today, amongst other events, the renovated ECCL hosts sessions of the Council of the European Union during the months of April, June and October. The Hemicycle building also acts as a seat for the Court of the European Free Trade Asssociation, whenever it is in session. .

Alcide de Gasperi buidling
Due to a lack of agreement on a single site for a new capital, Luxembourg became the provisional seat of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) upon its foundation in 1952. Even the Common Assembly's secretariat chose Luxembourg City as its basis. This was despite having Strasbourg as its meeting place, due to it being the only location of a non-national legislature buidling: the Maison de l'Europe of the Council of Europe (a seperate international organisation).

Initially, a variety of former buildings were made available to the ECSC institutions across the City — though these were not always suitable to their needs. In 1957, as discussions began on finding a seat for the instiutions of the yet to be established 1958 European Economic Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), Luxembourg officials realised the need to construct dedicated buildings in order to retain and further attract personel. Designs were drawn up for a 22-storey office tower on the Velorenkost Plateau to the East of the city. However, this geographical location left little room for future needed expansion. Luxembourg legislators instead opted to use the largely undeveloped agricultural land of Kirchberg. The abandonment of the Velorenkost site was made conditional for their support of the appropriation of the Kirchberg into the city limits as a dedicated district for the Communities institutions.

The "Tower building" was the first structure for the European Communities to be built on the Kirchberg, located just to the East of the historical Fort Thüngen, and South of the planned route to connect the isolated plateau via the Grand Duchess Charlotte Birdge to the rest of the elevated City. Designed by Michel Mousel and Gaston Witry the building's plans were approved in 1961, with construction begining the following year. It was completed in 1965, though its interior had to be modified following the decision taken that year to merge the governing institutions of the three communinities. The buidling would house office space for the European Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, and play host for 3 months (April, June and October) of the year to sessions of the member states government's in the Communities' Council. Upon its opening in 1966, the building became the tallest habitable structure in Luxembourg — a title it would hold until 2009.

However, the instiutions would soon outgrow the office space afforded to them by the Tower Building. The European Commission would decamp the majority of its Luxembourg-based operations to the Jean Monnet building in 1973. That same year, the European Parliament acquired the Robert Schuman building, buit immediately West of the Tower complex. In 1998, the Tower building was renamed the "Alcide de Gasperi building" to honour the former Italian prime minister, considered one of the founding fathers of European integration. However, with a need to update the buidling and remove asbestos material, a decision was taken to embark on an over one decade long rennovation. It was decided to repurpose its upper floors as general office space, with its lower floors flowing seamlessly into a newly constructured atrium housing a convention centre.