Strasbourg, a city in the center of European Union

Since the beginning of the European Union, Strasbourg is one of the place which made it. Nowadays you can see several EU institution buildings, and Strasbourg is a bit dependent on the European worker (congressmen, agent, ambassadors,...).

View of the European district of Strasbourg (pict from the web)
1- Europen parliament, 2- Parliament administration, 3- Council of Europe,
4- European court of the human rights, 5- Arte head office

Strasbourg is one of three capitals of the European Union. It is the legislative and democratic capital, while Luxembourg is the judiciary and financial capital, and Brussels the executive and administrative capital.
Strasbourg is:
- since 1949 the seat of the Concil of Europe with its European Court of Human Rights, Commissioner for Human Rights,European Pharmacopoeia, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Congress of the Council of Europe.
- since 1979 the seat of the European Parliament of the European Union and the only place where the whole parliament regularly meets.
Strasbourg also houses the Eurocorps headquarters, and the head office of the germano-french TV channel Arte.

(Thanks Wikipedia)

The council of Europe (pict from the web)

The entry of the European parliament (pict from the web)

The European parliament

The bridge between the COE and the European Parliament

Strange view in a winter's morning

I think it runs strangely... During the most part of the time, the congressmen (& women) and their office workers stay in Brussels. But once per month all the office move to Strasbourg for the council. So they pack every folder, put them in trucks to Strasbourg, have a one week council, and pack everything again to Brussels... I don't know really why, but they can't choose between both cities. Maybe because there is a new huge parliament building in Strasbourg... And it's a 10 min walk far from my student home!

Of course when you walk across the city, you can see people from each country of Europe. And it's funny to hear all the different languages!!!