No triumphalism, no gloating but relief as Labour win seen as good for Europe

THE word had clearly gone out. There was to be no triumphalism or gloating. A dignified welcome was the order of the day, no matter how anyone was feeling privately.

The President of the Commission's customary telegram to the victor, was pored over by hacks. "Never more than now has the European Union needed strong British commitment with its unique combination of pragmatism and efficiency," was about as enthusiastic as Mr Jacques Santer got, apart from a reference to an "outstanding victory".

Would his spokesman elaborate? No.

Did Mr Santer even have a wry smile as he came into the office? "Mr Santer always has a smile for everyone, his most diplomatic spokesman, Mr Klaus van der Pas said. "Wry? No."

Would the statement have been the same if the result had been different? "We don't deal in hypothetical," said a laughing Mr van der Pas.

The Irish Commissioner, Mr Padraig Flynn, in a statement issued from Bilbao, said that he was "very pleased that we will soon return to the position where all member states subscribe the promotion of a social Europe".

And a spokeswoman for the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Neil Kinnock, said the Commissioner simply thought that "this has got to be good for Europe."

There is, however, in truth, enormous relief here. The looming challenges of the treaty changing Amsterdam summit in June and the single currency are now mere foothills in the landscape rather than insuperable obstacles. Even the day to day conduct of routine business with Britain had become mired in the internal politics of the Tory party to the point, as the BSE crisis showed, where nothing was easy.

The feeling here is that Labour is a party that can be dealt with. Although the party has indicated a willingness to curb veto voting selectively, Mr Blair made clear during the last few days that "there are no major steps of integration that we intend to agree to. We are not going to yield up the veto on defence, or foreign policy."

But there is also a conviction that a deal at Amsterdam is now feasible and that, as the new Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, said yesterday Labour is ready to "hit the ground running" in the negotiations.

Labour's attitude to the single currency is still the great imponderable - with such a substantial majority the ambiguity of the wait and see policy and the hints that Labour will leave joining until the next election, may now be jettisoned, the optimists here say. Other, probably more realistic, observers ask why a Labour government would even contemplate a bitterly divisive referendum campaign at a time when the Tories are likely to tear themselves apart.

The first test of Labour's European credentials will come on Monday when Mr Cook's new personal representative to the InterGovernmental Conference will take the place at the table of Britain's current representative, its ambassador to the EU, Sir Stephen Wall, who is also believed likely to be moved elsewhere. Speculation here is that the IGC role will go to the likely European Affairs Minister at the Foreign office, either Ms Joyce Quinn or Mr Peter Mandelson.

Mr Blair will face his fellow European heads of government first at Noordwijk on May 23rd for an informal get to know you summit.

Meanwhile, more than one British Brussels resident will have been retiring early last night after the election TV marathon of the night before - many joined the sedate party at the Conrad organised by the British Chamber of Commerce. More still, the Labour supporters, watched the landslide somewhat more noisily in the Wild Geese pub at a fundraising party organised by the Brussels branch of the Irish Labour Party for its own election coffers.