Brussels Secretary of State Pascal Smet : “Many of the EU staff use drugs” | Abroad

On 23 January, a meeting with the European Commission’s Office for Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels (OIB) discussed the possible relocation of EU agencies to the north of Brussels, a low-income neighborhood that has been neglected for decades. However, the city of Brussels is now aiming for a redevelopment of the district. Trade unions representing EU staff are concerned about this move because the Noordwijk is known for its high crime and drug rates.

According to Pascal Smet, that argument does not hold water. He suggested that EU workers are not fit to judge others as they use drugs themselves. “Many people who work for the European institutions use drugs,” said Pascal Smet during the meeting with the OIB. According to him, cocaine is a popular drug among the Eurocrats. “In Schuman they also deal drugs… and probably not the same drugs [als in de Noordwijk]but slightly whiter.”

Smet received a lot of criticism after his statements. These were denounced in a letter sent by the Eurocrat unions to Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn. The letter writers call Smet’s words “unacceptable” and want him to withdraw his statements immediately.

But Smet says in a response to HLN that he meant nothing more than that drugs are also being dealt and used in other districts in Brussels, including the European district. “I answered that laconically after the comment that drugs are being dealt on every corner of the street in the Noordwijk. It happened after a long meeting with employees and trade unions about a possible move of a number of EU agencies to the Noordwijk, for which the EU itself is asking. It was meant as a joke.”

Smet does admit that crime is a problem in the Noorderwijk and said he sympathizes with the Eurocrats who are concerned about the possible move, but that by moving to the area they can play a role in its recovery: “We are will explain the developments of the Noordwijk in this regard. The Noordwijk is in full expansion and the EU wants to be part of that change. The people of the European Commission can be agents of change. By coming here they will improve the nature of the neighborhood. ”

It has already become clear that the Brussels North District is not always very popular with companies. In 2021, the bank BNP Paribas Fortis had its staff in the Noordwijk escorted by bodyguards. According to the bank, this was necessary because of the unsafe situation around North Station.