Philippe Van Parijs and Jonathan Van Parys have recently published a study on whether "Brussels as the capital of Europe is a sustainable choice?" and asked which other city meets this criterion best. In order to answer these questions, the article defines four centres of gravity – ‘diplomatic’, ‘demographic’, ‘metropolitan’ and ‘civic.

Philippe Van Parijs and Jonathan Van Parys have recently published a study on whether "Brussels as the capital of Europe is a sustainable choice?" and asked which other city meets this criterion best. In order to answer these questions, the article defines four centres of gravity – ‘diplomatic’, ‘demographic’, ‘metropolitan’ and ‘civic.

Within the framework of the EU-27, Prague comes first from a ‘diplomatic’ point of view, Frankfurt from a ‘demographic’ point of view, Luxembourg from a ‘metropolitan’ point of view and Brussels from a ‘civic’(index represents the sum of the distances between each city and all of the other cities weighted by the number of representations of international governmental and nongovernmental organisations) point of view.

The study concludes that: "...Brussels will continue to strengthen its position as the 'civic centre of gravity' of the European Union. This is not enough to guarantee that it is the optimal capital of the European Union from an ecological point of view. But due to the lasting
advantage it has established for itself as the civic centre of gravity, combined with its proximity to the demographic and metropolitan centres of gravity, there is no doubt that as regards its location, Brussels constitutes an ecologically defensible capital of the European Union. The fact that this advantage is historically contingent and pathdependent does not make it unstable for all that. This assurance cannot, however, be interpreted as an invitation to complacency and passivity. It must, on the contrary, motivate the inhabitants of Brussels and Europeans alike to make their city and their capital a better place to live in, and a better capital for all of the citizens of the unprecedented political entity of which Brussels is the heart."

Now what do you think? And what city is in your opinion the most suited to carry the title " Capital of Europe"?