Mandy comes to town
Peter Mandelson's well-trailed appearance for his Prospect lecture before an indulgent and Europhile audience on Europe was a predictable success. But they are still gossiping about the way he suddenly departed from the dinner table of the British ambassador to the EU, Stephen Wall, at the stroke of 10pm (Brussels time). Some uncomfortable conversation ensued for 25 minutes in the absence of the guest of honour. Then he returned, to announce: "Still no peace in Northern Ireland, but at least I made the Nine O'clock News." "Are all the Blair team such egomaniacs?" quietly enquired the French ambassador, Pierre de Boissieu, who is about to join Javier Solana as number two in running the EU's vaunted new common foreign policy. The Frog was in classic form at the dinner, denouncing the nationalistic opportunism of all EU politicians. De Boissieu also excelled himself at the lunch for Prodi given by COREPER, the committee of permanent representatives (the 15 ambassadors) who really run Brussels. They interrogated him on his plans; the former Italian prime minister gave splendidly vague and florid answers. But Prodi did want to stress his determination that the national governments send him lots of women commissioners, preferably more than the five (out of 20) in the Santer team. "If you absolutely insist, Monsieur le President, I am sure we can persuade Paris to renominate Madame Edith Cresson," said De Boissieu.
Prodi's reluctant staff
Prodi's new deputy chef de cabinet, Fabio Colasanti, is complaining to all in hearing distance that he never wanted this dreadful job, which threatens to ruin his perfectly planned career. He only got it because Rome had insisted on an Italian as number two-Prodi had installed the Irishman David O'Sullivan as chef. The Prodi commission is heading for trouble, grumbles the man who is supposed to take care of the nuts and bolts of the Prodi premiership, as the team call it among themselves. Expectations are far too high, he sighs; the parliament is looking for a fight and the member states are already cross with Prodi because of his insistence on women.
Black-leathered Dane
Talking of women, the outgoing Danish environment commissioner, Ritt Bjerregard, was spotted at a Brussels Bruce Springsteen concert dressed in black leather with the motto "Tougher Than the Rest" across her back.
Trouble ahead for Javier
Poor old Javier Solana has also been warned to expect trouble with women in his new job. The EU's new foreign policy supremo may think he has a real job. But Finnish foreign minister Tarja Halonen, who will be chairing the General Affairs Council during Finland's presidency, told a Brussels lunch party that she and her fellow foreign ministers see Solana as their secretary-general, running the office and the staff while they do the fun stuff-like policy. Funny, the heads of government at Cologne assumed Solana would be "the voice and mind" of EU diplomacy.
It also looks as if Solana will have to do without his right-hand man, Nato's media superstar Jamie Shea, who has not been asked to follow him into the new job. This could prove tricky for Solana. As well as explaining why Nato's bombers were better at hitting tractors than tanks, Shea also covered up for Solana's famous inability to sum up a meeting. He'd always promise Nato ambassadors a written summary the next day, which Shea would draft overnight. On the bright side, imagine what fun the waspish de Boissieu will have drafting the minutes.
Schr?der's favours don't last
It's all change for the Germans now that Gerhard Schr?der has got through a gruelling presidency. Veteran ambassador Dietrich von Kyaw, known behind his back as the Kaiser, is retiring, and so is the ambassador to Nato, Joachim Bitterlich, after barely a year. Kohl asked Schr?der, as a personal favour, to find his former top national security adviser a good job, but Schr?der's favours have a short shelf-life. So, just as Gebhardt von Moltke was settling into an agreeable social life as ambassador in London, he is being hauled back to Brussels and Nato, to put up with stale old jokes about his ancestors who led the German attacks on France in 1871 and 1914.
Publishing pains
What on earth is going on at Europe's the Parliament magazine, run by the people who publish Westminster's parish magazine, The House? First, they drop the celebrated "Whispers" gossip column which made the weekly into required reading around Brussels. Then they are sued in London's county court for late payments to contributors (with one aggrieved creditor paying an extra tenner to have the writ delivered by bailiffs). Then they mislay the inestimable services of editor Chris White, the former Daily Mail hack, who was a legendary spokesman for Tory MEPs and a notable gossip. At least one issue has failed to appear, the print run is down below 2,000, and with more and more "advertorials" filling its thin pages, there is now a move to block its free distribution to MEPs. Meanwhile a big US publishing group is talking with White about a replacement, to be called The Parliamentarian.
