Where to start? Maybe start with the end goal, which is to squeeze in all Luxembourg Commission staff in 2 buildings: part of the new Jean Monnet building (JMO2) and the new Mercier-Post (MERP) building and save money at all costs even to the detriment of staff wellbeing.
While the construction of the JMO2 is still ongoing and several delays have been announced[*], the move to the MERP building has already been completed, since the building already existed (including furniture) and did not need to be constructed for the Commission first. What a surprise that staff satisfaction with their physical working environment as shown by the last staff surveys before and after the move dropped dramatically for one of the two MERP residents, the Publication Office (OP)!

MERP flatmates

OP colleagues were not only moved from shared Offices to hot-desking in open spaces (all while insisting that it was not, in fact, hot desking in open spaces), but they were also informed that they cannot use the entire MERP building as originally planned (hence the last-minute change from having an assigned desk in open space to hot-desking in open space). This was due to shoe-horning DG CNECT into the MERP (DG CNECT colleagues’ self-reported happiness has also dropped in the same space of time).  DG CNECT was moved out of Euroforum (EUFO) to make space there for colleagues from DGT who had to leave the Laccolith (LACC) building.

MERP concentration challenge

Back to MERP: while it is, in principle, a nice building which offers an impressive view to the visitor with its huge atrium instead of larger office floors that could almost provide sufficient room for more convenient accommodation of staff. Workstations are loud, the open spaces is mostly too cold and you better stay at home for work that requires concentration (language editors, we hear you!) or for online meetings, alternatively you might find yourself having to wear noise-cancelling headphones all day. What does OIL say? The building is as it is, colleagues will slowly get used to it and will stop complaining. Really? 

JMO2 flatmates

Back to JMO2, the recent news about another delay in construction may have induced some happy thoughts in basically all colleagues who have not yet been forced into hot-desking in open spaces and should at one point be moved into this new building. Even hot-officing would appear to be a more hospitable option. And why do we have to move to hot-desking instead of using the available circa 40 % of individual offices? You remember, the JMO2 consists of two parts: a flat building and a tower. Both were originally meant to host the Commission. Then the pandemic hit and with it came the home office. A good escape for the Commission to “repurpose” the tower and rent it out to the EIB.

Construction delays and expiring leases: the big physical migration across the city

Then the next bad news: the lease for the Ariane (ARIA) building has been terminated and it has to be emptied by mid-2026. Some 500 colleagues working for DGT, OIL and DG HR must find new workstations. So, the big migration begins, moving around an even higher number of colleagues like figures on a chess board. DG HR moves (also out of the Fisher (FISR) building) to the Drosbach (DRB) building, and OIL moves to FISR. DGT moves to BECH and T2, while moves between BECH and T2 are also possible.  Eurostat is also ‘asked'[**] to be part of the change and once again give up office space. Oh, the good old times when Eurostat occupied almost the whole BECH building! They are long gone.

Double standards across the institutions?

In the meantime, the third tower of the Court of Justice that could not be built before demolishing the old Jean Monnet building has been completed and the European Parliament has got its new Konrad Adenauer building.  

And the Commission? Has it at all considered to find another building to host those 500+ colleagues, who must leave ARIA? Or is it just convenient to squeeze them into existing buildings to the detriment of all concerned staff for the sake of savings? 

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[*] The delays with the construction means that end dates for leases on existing have to be renegotiated, and often that is not possible. The  Commission own fewer and fewer of its buildings, and we can see the repercussions of that.

[**] We understand that the OP was similarly ‘asked’ (voluntold(?)) to participate in reducing its own available space to accommodate DG CNECT.