Brussels enjoys a brief reprieve from its EU capital role

By the time most of the citizens of Brussels returned to bleary-eyed consciousness yesterday morning, a great downpour had washed away much of the confetti, spent fireworks and champagne corks that littered the streets as the new year began. And as its people savoured the last day of the holiday season, the city prepared to return to its everyday role as the capital of Europe.

For almost two weeks, the streets around the European institutions have been deserted and the dozens of restaurants that depend entirely on EU officials and their hangers-on have shut their doors. Even the numerous Irish pubs around the hollowed-out Berlaymont building, still under construction after its asbestos was removed, have been dark since Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, the city centre has been reclaimed by the Belgians, hundreds of whom have been gathering in the Grand Place each evening to amuse themselves on a temporary ice rink installed there for the holiday season. At a smart restaurant near the Sablon on New Year's Eve, every single diner apart from a Dutch friend and myself was Belgian, something that is simply unimaginable at any other time of year.

A reticent, somewhat mysterious people, the Belgians seldom complain about the tens of thousands of foreigners who dominate their capital. After all, without the EU officials, diplomats, journalists and a growing army of international lobbyists, many of the taxi drivers, restauranteurs and hoteliers of Brussels would be on the dole.

But it is hard to avoid the impression that it comes as a relief to the Bruxellois to have the city to themselves for a few weeks each year and that few are mourning the fact that the Commission will not properly return to work until the start of next week. Indeed, the news that most EU summits will be held in Brussels in future, hailed by the Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, as an important boost to the city's status, has met with a tepid reaction among local people.

In the final hours of last month's Nice summit, the exhausted EU leaders agreed to give Belgium what they saw as a consolation prize for the country's failure to retain the same voting strength as its northern neighbour, the Netherlands.

From 2002, at least one summit each year will be held in Brussels and once the EU has 18 members - probably around 2005 - all summits will take place here.

Few politicians and officials will lament the passing of the endless round of European cities which has come to resemble a medieval court settling in a different town every few months. Journalists, who have a more diverting time during such meetings, will miss the chance to visit unfamiliar places - particularly when a Mediterranean member-state holds the EU Presidency.

But most of those involved in the complex process of European decision-making agree that it makes sense to concentrate summits in a single place.

Although the Commission occupies more than 50 buildings in the city, Brussels does not have a permanent facility to cater for the 2,000 delegates and 3,000 journalists who attend most summits. So the municipal authorities have been considering possible venues that could become a permanent EU conference centre.

Among the most talked-about options is the Heysel Stadium, which will host a summit in December, when Belgium occupies the EU Presidency.

The stadium achieved notoriety in 1985 when 39 people were crushed to death during a football riot between Liverpool and Juventus fans. Poor stadium design was blamed for the tragedy, which was caused by a brick wall that blocked the escape of spectators fleeing the violence.

The stadium, which has been redesigned since then and renamed after the late King Baudouin, hosted a number of matches during last year's Euro 2000 championship.

The summits, which are held every three months, would undoubtedly bring extra revenue to Brussels but there is a downside to hosting such events. The cost and inconvenience of providing security for so many heads of government are immense. And the rise of new anti-capitalist protest movements, many of which believe that the EU favours big business over individuals, has added to the policing burden at summits.

A source close to the Taoiseach complained after Nice that too many decisions were being passed upwards for the heads of government to resolve. Many other EU leaders agree and there are signs that, as the EU rethinks its policy-making structures, the age of the quarterly mega-meeting may be drawing to a close.

This will be bad news for parts of the Brussels economy but most of the city's residents will probably issue a quiet sigh of relief.