But a major project will raise even more questions: the construction (still in progress…) of a House of Parliamentarians, adjoining the current building. The principle of this building, where Commission rooms and the offices of all parliamentarians will be grouped together, was voted on in 2010. Three years later, an initial assessment was made: it will cost 15 million euros. When the contract is awarded, in March 2019, the sum rises to 17,152,293 euros. And when the precise accounts were gathered this fall because the craziest rumors are circulating, the total bill will make Parliament tremble: 46,112,336 euros. Three times the original estimate.
As for the tunnel between the car park and the parliament, the five parliamentarians of the Bureau hardly identified the additional costs, some of which were however mentioned in accounting documents. And although they deplore today that the clerk, who followed the construction site for them, did not give the alert, they will have to assume the final responsibility for the explosion of the budgets. Moreover, the Parliament, to pay off this bill, might well leave all its savings there, emptying a reserve fund which is nevertheless essential to deal with possible accidents or unforeseen events.
At this stage of the procedure, Frédéric Janssens must resume these functions in March 2023. On the parliamentary side, more and more of them consider his return as… not desirable.