You can tell the Belgians don't have to worry about the niceties of a referendum to rubber stamp the Nice Treaty on EU enlargement and the creation of a rapid reaction force. If they were struggling to persuade an apathetic electorate to back such a treaty in opposition to committed activists, ministers would surely have been more sensitive in the timing of their call for an EU tax to be levied directly on citizens from Brussels.

To be fair, the announcement by Belgian Finance Minister and president of the euro-zone group Mr Didier Reynders at the Brussels Economic Forum reflects comments the Belgians have been making for months. The difference now is that Nice awaits ratification, elections are pending in several EU states, including sceptical Britain, and the Belgians will assume the EU presidency in July and, with it, the power to set the bloc's agenda.

It is not that Mr Reynders's idea is wrong in itself. Indeed, there is a lot to be said for funding the EU by direct taxation and so engaging people more directly in what goes on there and how their money is spent. The problem is that there is a time for everything and, right now, the mood among EU member-states is to control the amount of power ceded to Brussels, not to enhance it.

dcoyle@irish-times.ie