The European Parliament’s canteen in Brussels is slated to be expanded into a food court that could feed over 1,000 people, according to a confidential note seen by Euractiv.

Roberta Metsola, the EU assembly’s president, led a discussion in the Parliament’s Bureau about the renovation of the canteen – widely unpopular among MEPs and staffers – at a meeting in Strasbourg last night.

The note states there are recurring problems with the Parliament’s kitchens, including “leaks, corrosion, water infiltration and electrical malfunction”. The kitchens were built in 1995 and cost the EU taxpayer €500,000 in maintenance per year.

There are “greater hygiene and safety risks,” said the note, penned by Alessandro Chiocchetti, the Parliament’s secretary general.

A ‘food court’ model would allow the number of seats to increase from 800 to over 1000, and to tailor the menu more closely to the Parliament’s fluctuating political calendar.

A contract with the Compass Group Belgium, which provides the food at the moment, will expire on 31 July 2027. The Parliament is looking into a “new contractual approach” with smaller providers catering ‘food corners’ under the aegis of a single centralised contract.

This would ensure “cost control” while being more flexible than the current system, the note states

Pietro Guastamacchia contributed reporting