The voice of Europe has changed. Out goes uptight but efficient Klaus van der Pas, to run the enlargement task force that will haggle for years to come with Poles, Czechs and others about joining the club. In comes Luxembourgeoise Martine Reicherts, straight from the cabinet of commission president Jacques Santer, and already inspiring a fashion watch after her first day in an extraordinary 101 Dalmatians jacket.
She impressed the hacks at her first press conference and was instantly dubbed "Third Reicherts" for her brusque manner. Stefan Rating, new spokesman for competition commissioner Karel van Miert, soon discovered why. He had a dinner engagement and saw no need to be available to give an evening briefing on Van Miert's latest battle with the French over World Cup tickets. Third Reicherts intervened. At what time will the commissioner's talks be completed? Sometime after 7pm, sulked Stefan. So you shall have a press conference at 7:30pm.
Then she turned on the Brits, or at least on that refugee from the Blair brat pack Nigel Gardner, who is now the voice of Leon Brittan on earth. Leon had a new China policy about to go through the commission on the same day as it approved the 11 nations in the first wave of the euro. Ever aware of the primary needs of his own publicity, Leon decided to leak his paper in advance and told Nigel to have a few hacks round for coffee a day early.
Third Reicherts was furious, calling in poor Nigel to threaten him with the sack if he ever broke her embargo again. Nigel, who learned a thing or two about internal politics at the BBC and at Millbank, trotted off to inform Sir Leon, who had learned a thing or two about bullying at Margaret Thatcher's knee. Any more threats to my Nigel, he told the new Euro-spokeswoman, and I will demand your resignation. All this in her first week.
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everything is coming up Felipe. The former Spanish premier was picked to run the first Kosovo mission by the OSCE. Then Robin Cook made him EU special envoy to Kosovo. And now the Spaniards reckon that-provided Kosovo does not go badly wrong-Felipe is a shoo-in to be the next Se?or Europe after Santer steps down.
The rumour is that a deal has been done to promise Felipe the job, in return for the Spaniards giving up their place on the board of the new European central bank. There are six places. Germany wants one, and France must have one. Helmut Kohl promised Tony Blair that he would keep a seat warm for the Brits. Dutchman Wim Duisenberg has a seat as chairman. The small countries must have a place, and even macho Europeans understand the need for at least one woman on the board. That can only mean Finland's central banker Sirkka H?m?l?inen, which leaves one seat for the Italians and Spaniards to squabble over; if the Spaniards can be compensated through Felipe, then it all fits into place.
One impeccable source for this is French, who goes on to point out that if their candidate Jean-Claude Trichet of the Banque de France were given the chairmanship, then all unpleasantness could be avoided and both Spain and Italy accommodated. That would mean dropping either Duisenberg or the Finn-or giving up Kohl's rash promise to save a place for a country which isn't even in the club. That's the thing about French lobbying in Brussels: they never give up.
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surrealism fans who are coming to Brussels for the Magritte exhibition at the Mus?e Royale des Beaux Arts should hang on until June. The exhibition closes on 28th June, but by the first week in June the Magritte house at 135 Rue Esseghem should be open. The stolidly bourgeois Magritte, who painted wearing a collar and tie, lived on the ground floor until the 1950s. If the opening is delayed, have a beer in La Fleur en Papier Dor?, south of the Grande Place, where Magritte would bring his canvasses and ask the other drinkers to dream up titles. Mort Subite would be a good beer to choose. It means Sudden Death.
