EU Boss Von der Leyen Exempts Herself From Air-Con Shutoff
European Commission staff in Brussels were outraged after air conditioning was shut down on lower floors during a heatwave while President von der Leyen and top officials on upper floors remained cool.
According to GB News, the Berlaymont building—a 13-storey structure housing von der Leyen, her 26 commissioners, and approximately 3,000 staff members—experienced a forced shutdown of its cooling system yesterday as Europe faced record-breaking temperatures.
Employees working in the building received an urgent text message at midday announcing the shutdown. The message stated that extreme weather conditions had forced the closure of the air cooling system from floors one to seven for the remainder of the day, as GB News reports.
The selective nature of the shutdown sparked immediate fury among lower-level workers. Ursula von der Leyen’s office sits on the 13th floor, while most commissioners occupy floors eight and above—all of which retained their functioning air conditioning systems.
One Commission official working on a lower floor characterized the situation as like feudalism, while a colleague described it as a disgrace, according to statements reported by GB News.
The disparity meant that while junior staff sweltered without cooling, senior officials and commissioners continued working in comfort. Even with air conditioning running on the eighth floor, one staffer noted that temperatures inside still reached 25.7 degrees Celsius.
The Commission had previously issued guidance to staff earlier in the week advising them to avoid outdoor exposure during the hottest parts of the day, underscoring the severity of the heatwave affecting the Belgian capital.
The incident highlights growing concerns about the European Union’s internal priorities and treatment of rank-and-file employees versus senior political appointees during crisis situations.
With information from GB News
