The week kicked off with gloom in some quarters about low participation rates in the European Parliament elections and the success in several countries of Eurosceptic and populist parties of the right.
The League of Polish Families ("a very Eurosceptic formation of the ultra-Catholic right" according to Le Monde) came in second in the national poll with 16 per cent of the vote.
Its leader, Roman Giertych, saw this as very much a rehearsal for the next general election, the Polish press reported, the League's aim being to form a "conservative-national" government which would dump the policies which have been in place in the country since 1989.
But perhaps Mr Giertych should not yet get too excited about the prospect of power. The League won 16 per cent of the valid poll, that is 16 per cent of 22.2 per cent.
Even the Poles, who were keen to ditch communism but have proven less keen on actually voting in democratic elections, will surely do better than that appalling figure next time out. And if they do, it will be a surprise if they plump in huge numbers for the ultra-Catholic right.
In the Guardian, Peter Preston thought the results meant precisely nothing. "Maybe the voter is always right, but the voters we have right across Europe have lost rectitude's plot.
"In Poland, they vote to join up for the EU one month, then vote in ridiculous numbers to pull out the next. Who doesn't want the EU we have?
"Jean-Marie Le Pen and the Spanish communist party, Slovakian nationalists and Maltese socialists. There is no rhyme or reason here, and it is a growing disservice to common sense to believe that any such rationality exists. Our incoherence is endemic now. It overturns prophecy and anoints José Luis Zapatero in Madrid. It wrecks poor Raffarin. It drives Tony Blair from pillar-to-post. It is the European norm, political global warming."
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Euro-excitement of a different sort continued all week in Portugal, with England going down to a shock last-minute defeat to France on Sunday, but recovering later in the week to beat Switzerland.
Having discovered a new hero, the young Everton striker Wayne Rooney, the English press itself experienced a return to form, with just one little niggling worry.
Sir Trevor Brooking warned the Daily Telegraph of the danger of Rooney's "ultra-competitive edge that can slide into excess".
And what's more, Croatia, whom England meet tonight, "are a side who do go in for inflaming situations". So watch out Wayne, don't get inflamed.
Rooney, stocky and fierce, certainly makes a more plausible national hero for the red-blooded English male than the gender-bending Beckham.
There's just one problem: with that plug-ugly mug, sudden flashes of genius and hair-trigger temper, he just has to be Irish.
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As Tony Blair arrived in Brussels on Thursday all fired up to negotiate the European constitution he seemed to have just two words on his mind - Zinédine Zidane.
At any rate he was determined to do a better job in defending his famous "red lines" than David James did of defending the English goal in Lisbon on June 13th.
"Over dinner on Thursday night," wrote the Financial Times, "new power blocs were forming over the wild Irish salmon and Wicklow lamb.
"As the Chateau McCarthy red wine flowed, tempers frayed, humiliations were endured."
Mr Ahern and his presidency team soothed, flattered, nursed and cajoled, but the atmosphere was foul. "People were showing no respect to each other," said one EU diplomat. The beautiful game was growing ugly.
On Friday, the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, as British diplomats helpfully pointed out, against formidable odds a deal was delivered, on the constitution if not the presidency.
"Europe's leaders may not love each other," wrote the FT, "but in the final analysis they still seemed prepared to step back from the brink."
But would the constitution restore to Europe its lost dynamism, asked Le Monde.
Nothing was less certain, for a number of reasons, not least of which was that the final text, under the influence in particular of les Britanniques, had watered down the much more communitarian vision of the original blueprint.
The press consensus on both sides of the Channel was that the British had crossed to Belgium and won the new Waterloo on a comfortable points decision - and this time without the help of the Prussians. What price a re-match in sunny Lisbon on July 4th?