By Martin Banks - 4th July 2011
This is all about people showing a bit of respect
Delphine Bourgeois
An awareness-raising campaign has been launched to tackle ‘irresponsible’ parliamentary officials who ‘disfigure’ a popular square overlooking the assembly.
The move is part of an action plan which has been drawn up to deal with the "unacceptable mess" said to be left by revellers in the city´s Place Luxembourg.
The square, crammed with cafes, bars and restaurants, has become a hugely popular meeting place for people working for the EU institutions, particularly from the parliament, and other related bodies.
But the local authorities say the "unsightly mess" they often leave behind has become "totally unacceptable."
Delphine Bourgeois, deputy mayor of Ixelles, which covers Place Luxembourg, has now drafted plans designed to tackle the problem.
She condemned people who “disfigure” the square with a “mountain” of rubbish, which, she says, has to be cleared up the following morning.
Under the plans, new bins will be installed in and around the square and local cafes and restaurants will be encouraged to use only re-useable cups in order to reduce waste.
An official will be appointed to coordinate clean-up operations and an awareness campaign launched directly aimed at people working in parliament.
Bourgeois said parliamentary staff will be “made aware of their civic responsibilities” in helping to keep Place Luxembourg free from rubbish.
"This is all about people showing a bit of respect," she said.
The plans have been endorsed by Emir Kir, a Brussels Regional minister, who said,"Place Luxembourg is one of the ´showcase´ squares of Brussels and we cannot allow it to descend into such an unsightly mess."
One cafe owner told this website, "We do our best but some of the people drinking and eating here do not seem to care what mess they make.It is a right mess every morning and that does not look good."
Meanwhile, Charles Picque, minister president of the Brussels Region, has praised the role played by the Brussels Europe liaison office in bridging the gap between the EU institutions and people living in Brussels.
One of the aims of the office is to help raise the profile of Brussels among the thousands of civil servants working in the institutions.
Speaking at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the office, based in Place Royal, the Socialist said, “Europe has become part and parcel of the Brussels identity.
“It is now becoming difficult to imagine Brussels. The image of the Region’s European dimension has vastly improved in 20 years.”
