EU
Commission HQ forced to shut down air-conditioning amid heatwave
Yes, the
European Commission’s headquarters, the Berlaymont building in Brussels, was
forced to partially shut down its air-conditioning system on Friday, June 26,
2026, due to an intense heatwave.
Staff
members received an urgent midday text message stating that extreme weather
conditions required a forced shutdown of the air cooling system on floors 1
through 7 for the rest of the day. The 13-story building houses around 3,000
staff members along with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her 26
commissioners.
Internal
Backlash and "Feudalism" Controversy
The partial
shutdown sparked immediate anger among rank-and-file employees because cooling
was maintained on the upper levels.
- The Divide: Staff working on the lower
floors (levels 1 to 7) lost all air conditioning. Management and elite
official spaces, located on floor 8 and above—including Von der Leyen's
13th-floor office—kept their cooling systems active.
- Staff Reactions: Disgruntled lower-level
officials speaking to POLITICO slammed the decision, with one branding the
hierarchy as "like feudalism" and another calling the situation
"a disgrace".
- Upper Floor Realities: Even on the upper levels where
the systems remained online, the extreme heat overwhelmed the machinery,
pushing internal office temperatures up to 25.7°C (78.3°F).
Context
of the Heatwave
The incident
occurred as a severe heat dome trapped record-breaking temperatures across
Western Europe, pushing temperatures past 40°C (104°F) in parts of the
continent.
The
overwhelming demand on cooling systems across Brussels caused wider
infrastructure strain, leading to power outages at the European Parliament
earlier that week. Prior to the shutdown, the Commission had issued widely
criticized memos advising staff to cope by avoiding the outdoors, drinking
water, and starting their workdays earlier to escape the peak heat
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