The Telegraph article fairly sums up the Laeken Summit's mixed outcome... A devout Catholic like you would likely agree with my depicting the EU conventions as the technocratic equivalent of the Vatican Councils: all the bishops gather together with the Pope, release new, updated guidelines for the Church's flock --while most Catholics couldn't care less about it, anyway...
I for one have dubbed the EU summits "European Kermesses" because the main beneficiaries are businesses and petty shopkeepers belonging to the host country/city. Indeed, in the case of the Belgian presidency, Brussels' five-star hotels (Conrad, Hilton,...), car leasing outfits (D'Ieteren), luxury boutiques (Delvaux), and gourmet cooks (Mr Pierre Wynants) have made a bundle out of the Laeken Kermesse --they were all granted the catering of EU VIPs. The Laeken dinner alone necessitated 70 tons of meat, thousands of hectoliters of wine and beer, over 15,000 silver forks, spoons and knives, etc., etc.
Besides, our local GESTAPO attempted a pathetic Cointelpro trick during the "anarchist" demonstration on Saturday 15th: they trapped the (mostly white/European) demonstrators close to an inner-city ghetto (inhabitated by North African immigrants) but failed to stir up any mayhem...
As regards the picking of former Prez Giscard d'Estaing, well, the guy is a former head of state and since the big issue in the overhaul of the EU fabric will be "sovereignty", it was probably decided that only a former elected statesman could have the legitimacy to work out the future European institutions....
Gus |
