When Chris Patten walks into his office in the European Commission's Charlemagne building, he is confronted by two scorching Irish volcanoes. The paintings are by Carmel Mooney, an artist whose work Mr Patten started collecting when he was governor of Hong Kong.
When the EU's External Relations Commissioner visits Dublin this week, he will open an exhibition of Ms Mooney's work and will probably keep an eye open for other contemporary Irish artists to add to his collection.
Mr Patten's enduring interest in Ireland has earned him the status of an honorary Irish commissioner in Brussels, and the impression is reinforced by the presence of a number of Irish men and women among his leading advisers. Although he plays down the recent budget row between Dublin and Brussels, Mr Patten warns that Ireland should not forget the benefits it has reaped from EU membership.
"I've got no doubt at all that membership of the EU has contributed significantly to the peace process in Northern Ireland. Just the fact of Northern Irish politicians meeting politicians from the Republic, and London politicians meeting Dublin politicians in Brussels. Bringing people together regularly has been an enormously influential element in helping to heal the wounds that have torn apart our shared archipelago for so long," he said.
If Brussels gossips are to be believed, there is a distinct lack of togetherness between Mr Patten and Javier Solana, the EU's High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy. Mr Solana stole most of the headlines last year as the EU's new rapid reaction force was being launched. But insiders point out that, while Mr Solana's job is more glamorous, the Commissioner has something more important, access to the EU's financial resources.
If the rivalry between the two men is real, Mr Patten shows no sign of it and dismisses critics who claim that Mr Solana is bent on thoroughly militarising the EU.
"If it is a slippery slope, it is an extremely long one. It's a long way to go from peacekeeping in the Balkans to threatening China," he said.
Mr Patten's first meeting with the new US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, was cordial, and he is relaxed about the future of the EU's relationship with the US under President Bush. Many in the Commission were quietly pleased that Mr Bush won the election and see Washington's new, modest approach to foreign affairs as an opportunity for the EU to assert itself.
Mr Patten is cautious about the prospect of an enhanced EU role in the Middle East and stresses that Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy should not be mistaken for a single European foreign policy.
"I don't think there'll be a single European foreign policy for the foreseeable future," he said.
In terms of Europe's relations with the rest of the world, the most significant event in recent months was in trade rather than foreign policy. With effect from this week the world's poorest 48 countries will be allowed to export all goods except arms to the EU free of tariffs. There are exceptions for bananas, sugar and rice, which will see their tariffs phased out later.
This "Everything But Arms" measure, which was pushed through by the EU Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, should allow the poorest countries to increase their exports by between 15 and 20 per cent. Some critics fear that the extra trade may come at the expense of other poor countries that do not fall into the bottom 48. But the measure is undoubtedly a coup for Mr Lamy and boosts the EU's image as a responsible player in world trade affairs.
Mr Patten maintains that, just as EU member-states enhance their influence by negotiating jointly on trade issues, a common foreign policy will help Europe to gain a stronger voice. And to those in Ireland who are eager to slow the pace of European integration, he counsels that they are advocating a future of isolation and irrelevance.
"Don't be an England," he warns.
