Technopolis building in Cloche d'Or, Luxembourg-Gasperich; Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

Chronicle.lu has compiled a new series of articles dedicated to European institutions, bodies and agencies with a presence in Luxembourg.

Standing alongside Brussels in Belgium and Strasbourg in France, Luxembourg City is one of the European Union's three official seats. A founding member of the European Union (EU), Luxembourg is known internationally as a business and financial hub and hosts several major EU institutions and other bodies.

Based mainly in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, these institutions shape European law, finance and democratic processes and employ around 15,000 international professionals.

Throughout this series, Chronicle.lu will introduce the main European institutions, bodies and agencies in Luxembourg and explain how they work. This article focuses on the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT), which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Established in 1994, the main mission of this EU agency is to provide translation and related language services to other decentralised EU agencies. It may also assist EU institutions and bodies that have their own translation services during workload peaks or for specific projects. Its secondary mission is to participate in interinstitutional cooperation at EU level, helping to rationalise working methods and achieve economies of scale.

The CdT operates with a current annual budget of around €50 million, providing services in all 24 official languages of the EU. In total, it works for around 70 clients and currently employs around 200 staff members, including officials, temporary agents and contract staff. As of January 2026, Mauro Bubnic serves as Acting Director of the centre.

Beyond translation, the CdT offers terminology management, editing and linguistic revision services, contributing to the consistency and quality of EU documentation. It also makes use of digital tools and language technologies to support its work.

According to the CdT’s official website, the centre has translated more than 14 million pages and nearly 22 million EU trademarks and Community designs since 1995.

The Translation Centre is governed by a Management Board composed of representatives from each EU Member State, the European Commission and the institutions, bodies, agencies and offices that make up the centre’s clients. Christos Ellinides, Director-General of the Commission's Directorate-General for Translation (DG Translation), has served as Chairman of the Management Board since March 2022.

Based at the Technopolis building in Luxembourg City’s Cloche d'Or district, the CdT is self-financed, with its budget funded from fees paid by its clients.

JCA/EO