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We are currently about half-way through the twelfth Belgian presidency of the European Union. A good moment, perhaps, to draw up an interim report on the progress made so far? Or perhaps not? The fact is that, during the presidency, you have very little time to reflect on such matters. There is simply too much to do. Practical problems need to be overcome, deadlines must be met. Conferences, workshops, events and receptions follow each other in double-quick time.
If I had been standing next to myself and had seen how I did it, I would have given myself a pat on the shoulder. Not necessarily from admiration. More a question of sympathy, really. The sort of sympathy you feel for people caught up in TV ‘reality’ programmes – after you have had a good laugh at them first. I know how they feel. I can remember my ‘first time’ as if it were yesterday.
‘Crisis’ looks like being the most frequently used word in 2009. It was a year in which nothing went right and everything went wrong – and things still don’t seem to be getting any better. ‘Cuts, cuts and more cuts’ are the order of the day. The crisis not only influences the past and the present. It will also influence the future. But does this mean that we also need to make ‘cuts’ in our ambitions?
