Eurocrat Fur Flies in Brussels Airport Row

Eurocrat Fur Flies in Brussels Airport Row  
Expatica, Netherlands
 
12 February 2004

BRUSSELS – Plans to re-route some night flights from
Zaventem airport just outside Brussels have sparked a
furious internal row among European Commission
officials.

Last month Belgian Transport minister Bert Anciaux
suggested increasing the number of routes planes take
when flying out of Zaventem at night. The basic idea
was to reduce noise nuisance for Brussels residents
who lived under the airport's existing flight paths.

But the suggestion has been met with anger by certain
eurocrats who live in Brussels wealthy eastern
suburbs. They complain plans to route some night
flights over their expensive houses will lead property
values to drop and cause a severe nuisance.

One of the European Commission's smaller staff unions,
the TAO-AFI, has taken up their cause and recently
wrote to both Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
and Foreign Minister Louis Michel to complain about
Ancieux's plans.

"If you are ever planning to work in the European
institutions, you may well end up meeting some very
hostile employees," the union warned the two men.

But many other European officials are furious with
what they see as the TAO-AFI's arrogant 'not in my
back yard' attitude.

Several of these angry employees have even published
an article in the Commission's internal newspaper
vehemently criticising the TAO-AFI outburst.

"Doesn't the TAO-AFI realise that EU officials do not
always have a very good reputation in the eyes of the
Belgian population? Do they think this letter will
help dispel this misunderstanding?" they asked
angrily.

The article went on to say that TAO-AFI should
apologise to Verhofstadt and Michel.

 

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