Whose land does the European Commission building in Westminster belong to? Does it belong to 'Europe'?

Question

Does it act in the same way as foreign embassies, whereby (for example) the land on which the Spanish embassy sits is actually a little bit of Spain within the U.K? Or does it not act like an embassy at all and it's just a building where certain work is carried out? And if so, does such a thing exist where an E.U. building does act like an embassy, where the land belongs to 'Europe'? Thanks.

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

It is a common misconception that the place where a foreign embassy sits is somehow that country's 'soil."  That is not true.  All embassies and consulates are simply protected by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, article 31, or the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, article 21.

The physical EC building might belong to the Spanish government or the EC if one of them bought it, or to a British landlord; the building and the site it sits on are British.  And unless the EC building is a diplomatic mission, which seems unlikely, it is simply a business office.