THE 11-hour Brussels lunch last month spent arguing about who would get the job as head of the European Central Bank was disastrous for the Euro image. Consequently, Eurocrats ardently hope that the final setpiece of the British presidency - the Cardiff summit on Monday and Tuesday - will be better prepared.
It has been a dull six months and they will be happy enough if Cardiff turns out as expected: dull. Britain's half-in, half-out status has stunted progress, initiatives and enthusiasm. The Austrians, despite internal difficulties particularly on immigration, are expected to be steadier.
Employment is the major issue on the table next week and is likely to be uncontentious. Much of the work has been done by our Pee Flynn, but commissioners have no role at summits when the presidents and the Council of Ministers take over. Our team, as usual, will be the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern; Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Andrews, who will be promoting his nuclear disarmament campaign, and Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy.
The main items are expected to include a talk from Tony Blair as the British presidency draws to a close, on the need to make the EU more people-friendly. The German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, has indicated that while he is prepared to shoulder the political cost of introducing the euro in Germany, he will sound off at the commission and institutions to indicate, in advance of his September election battle, that he is no euro fanatic. There will also, no doubt, be much talk about who will replace Jacques Santer as president of the commission next June. Former Spanish prime minister, Felipe Gonzales, is the current favourite.