The European air conditioning saga continues…
From POLITICO:
The European Commission's headquarters was forced to shut down its air-conditioning system on Friday due to the heat wave.
Staff working at the Berlaymont building received a text at midday, reading: 'BERL — URGENT — Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shut down of air cooling system from floor 1 to 7 for the rest of the day.'
Yes, very commendable of you, commission leaders.
There's just one little catch…
The 13-story building is home to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, her 26 commissioners, and about 3,000 staff. Von der Leyen works on the 13th floor, and most of her commissioners' offices are housed on floors eight or above.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
Yes, we're firmly in "rules for thee, but not for me" territory here. Or "air conditioning for me, but not for thee," as it were.
Suffice to say, the decree didn't go over so well with the (literally) lower-level employees.
The Commission issued guidance for its staff earlier this week, which included avoiding going outside at the hottest times of day, drinking water regularly, and starting work earlier.
But the advice angered some Commission staff who work in buildings without air-conditioning, including DG AGRI, according to internal communications seen by POLITICO's Brussels Playbook.
'It's like feudalism,' a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a 'disgrace.'
I'll blast my own AC on high today in honor of those poor souls. 🫡
Watch our latest video 👇
