Security at the European Parliament was under the spotlight tonight after a post office heist saw thieves take some €8,000 from the Brussels headquarters.
Two years ago a man brandishing a pistol stole about €60,000 from a branch of the ING bank inside the parliament building. And last May there was a robbery in the parliament's main canteen.
The post office is also on the premises and the raid occurred this afternoon with few MEPs about — and just as 27 EU leaders were meeting for a summit in another building a few hundred yards away.
Belgian police said they believed two men were involved, one of them armed.
They took the Post office safe after holding up two female staff.
UK Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall, who arrived at the post office to buy stamps soon after the raid, commented: "For an armed robbery to happen — again - inside the European parliament means that the security system here is a complete farce.
"Something is wrong at the heart of the security system".
Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope said: "The European Parliament has been subjected to three significant robberies, potentially involving guns, in two years.
"This is an absolutely disgraceful situation, not least on a day when there is a good possibility that EU heads of state and governments could be in the building.
"Every time there is an incident, we hear some hollow words about how procedures have been tightened up but it seems they slacken very soon after."
PA