Last year, when he was just plain old prime minister of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy spent his summer holiday touring Australia in a camper van. This year the new president of the European council opted for another location rarely frequented by political leaders: the Belgian coast. Everything about Van Rompuy is low key. Known as the “grey mouse” of Belgian politics, he is a slight, professorial figure with a penchant for religious philosophy and haiku. But, eight months into his job, there is a growing consensus that his style is working.

Much of Van Rompuy’s time is taken up trying to mediate between fractious officials in Paris and Berlin—now known in Brussels as “marriage guidance.” But both sides seem to be still speaking to Van Rompuy, while neither are that friendly with Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission. And Van Rompuy has an unusual asset in EU