Betting on the next president
It is now evens that Jacques Santer of Luxembourg will get a second term as commission president, after Europe's conservative party leaders reckoned that because Jacques Delors had two terms, so should their own Christian Democrat. That agreement may be Hemlut Kohl's last contribution to Europe. The odds on Santer improved after his cabinet leaked the word that while he was not going to campaign openly, he would not turn the job down. But Mannekin Pis still favours a flutter on Nato's secretary-general, Javier Solana. A moderate social democrat from Spain (which wants its turn at the top EU post), Solana has begun an almost open campaign for the job. His latest draft of Nato's new strategic doctrine calls for "a Euro-Atlantic community" based on a single currency Europe, and hails the EU as "an ever-stronger foundation of stability." Their coming contest must make for interesting conversations at those secret breakfasts Santer and Solana have each month. Since the EU's neutrals are not keen on the Union getting too close to Nato, Santer's staff list these regular events in his diary as "8am-Monsieur S."
Insufferable French
Sad to report that Euro-joy was somewhat restrained when one of our teams won the World Cup. On the aircraft back from their monthly session in Strasbourg, trade commissioner Leon Brittan was sitting next to foreign affairs commissioner Hans van den Broek. They are not normally the greatest of chums. But they agreed that the French victory foretold a disastrous season for European politics. "They are always impossible, but now the French will be even worse," grumbled the elegant Netherlander, who has himself become pretty impossible since his daughter married into the Dutch royal family this summer. "I agree. They already say that anything I propose is a declaration of war against Europe," grumbled Sir Leon. The two Euro-elders went on to agree how hard it had been to decide which team they disliked more in the Croatia-Germany match. On balance, since somebody had to win, they thought Germany's 3-0 defeat was about the best a good European could have hoped for.
Who's next on the Enarque blacklist?
By reporting this airborne t?te-? -t?te betwen Sir Leon and van den Broek, Mannekin Pis risks swelling what used to be the Gang of Quatre into the Sinister Six. The French pooh-pooh the very notion, but there is a long-standing rumour that they keep a blacklist of "hostile" commissioners whose maneouvres must be blocked, their cabinets infiltrated, their mistresses seduced and their souffl?s collapsed. The Gang of Four is said to contain Brittan, the German industry commissioner Martin Bangemann, Italy's single market commisioner Mario Monti and the Belgian Karel Van Miert, who commits the cardinal offence of taking EU competition law seriously. Then Spain's Manuel Marin annoyed the "Enarques" by his conversion to free trade, if only with the Latin Americans. Both French commisioners told him this was not at all "aimable," and finance commissioner Yves-Thibault de Silguy gave a briefing against it. But Marin did not get the message, so he joined the enemies list. Now van den Broek is living dangerously.
Flying to Austria
The Austrian presidency got off to a bad start. Forty Brussels-based hacks were invited to Vienna on a freebie, to be wined and dined and treated to that old Austrian seduction which leaves visitors bamboozled into thinking that Hitler was a German and Beethoven an Austrian. But something went wrong at the airport: Austrian Airlines had overbooked; only ten journalists made the flight.
Ask for Hague
That Conservative party political broadcast which portrayed William Hague as one of the commanding new leaders of European politics has an interesting prologue. It showed Germany's Helmut Kohl turning up in Cardiff for the pre-summit meeting of Europe's centre-right party leaders, and heading straight for Hague to shake him warmly by the hand. This was arranged by thoughtful Tories in Central Office, who knew that Kohl hadn't the slightest idea what Hague looked like and probably could not pick him out from a bunch of bananas. So they faxed a photo to the Bonn Chancellery with a reminder to look out for the bald one.
Who pays for China?
These Chinese chappies are starting to get a bit above themselves. Their new foreign trade minister came to town expecting the usual tribute from the round-eyed barbarians, and was appalled to find that they had sent only a modest car to greet him. He made his displeasure plain, instantly hiring a top-of-the-line Mercedes instead. After he left, he sent the bill to the commission. To their credit, they have not paid it.
