Seat of the European Central Bank Seat of the European Central Bank The seat of the European Central Bank (ECB) is in Ostend (East End), Frankfurt. The premises include the former Wholesale Market Hall ("Großmarkthalle"), a new 185/165 m twin-skyscraper and a new low-rise building to connect the two. East of the city centre, it houses the new headquarters for the European Central Bank (ECB). It was completed in 2014 and was officially opened on 18 March 2015. The ECB is required by the Treaties of the European Union to have its seat within the city limits of Frankfurt, the largest financial centre in the Eurozone.
Treaties of the European Union – accountable to national parliaments. Article 11 establishes government transparency, declares that broad consultations must be made and introduces provision for a petition where at least 1 million citizens may petition the Commission to legislate on a matter. Article 12 gives national parliaments limited involvement in the legislative process. Article 13 establishes the institutions in the following order and under the following names: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the Court of Auditors. It obliges co-operation between these and limits their competencies