Fun and frolics for members of the European Union Appreciation Society

Date: 23/05/1996

Dear valued member of the European Union Appreciation Society,

Yes, it really is time once again for another quarterly newsletter and yes you are right, time does fly!

Without further ado, let me say straight away that it has been another busy spell for the society and very much a case of all hands on deck!

You will be pleased to hear that membership is steady, not least because of our recruitment drive at Easter, when, I hardly need remind you, our Euro-Bingo night event attracted a lot of interest. How ironic that Mrs O'Flaherty won the contest with a call of two fat ladies, eighty-eight! We all wondered what, in these socially enlightened times, Commissioner Flynn would have said if he had been there!

Joking apart, some members feel we must adapt to changing times, a point made in particular by two of our fat lady members, and we will be discussing this issue at our next coffee morning on 12 June. Time to make a note in the diary!

Meanwhile, thanks once again to those of you who helped organise the occasion. Speaking for myself, I still have a hangover and yes, Mrs Mutter of Tervuren, we are still trying to trace your lost cardigan! I must say, you Germans know how to have a good time!

Much fun was had by all in fact and there is talk of a repeat performance next year, when once again our social secretary Michelle de la Guerre will be in charge of organisation. She's already on the look out for willing helpers, so watch out!

No, seriously, every little bit helps, so do muck in if you have the time. Thanks in advance!

Another big hit was our “Guess-the-Treaty-Article” night, hosted with great aplomb by Sfen and Bergitta Hailstromm at their delightful home in Vossem in March. Everybody entered well and truly into the spirit of things and an excellent time was had by all.

The questions were tough, but not as tough as Madge Jones' bread and butter pudding! Just kidding, Madge, it was wonderful. It went down a treat, but that's gravity for you!

Thanks to Yannis and Sylvy for arranging the questions and, more importantly, providing the answers! There were certainly some surprises in there, especially concerning Articles 95 and 113! Congratulations to Heidi and Hans for coming out on top, as it were, with a praiseworthy 26 points. Who's been burning the midnight oil over third pillar provisions then? Well done! Thanks too to Sfen and Bergitta for the use of the front room. Hope you've got all the dropped nibbles out of the shag pile!

It really is fun occasions like this which help with recruitment and, talking of recruitment, a word or two about our membership situation.

As you know, we now boast no fewer than 15 members, and as we've only been going since the late 1950s, that's not bad!

However, the time has come to increase subscription rates, I'm afraid, not least because of the rising cost of stationery, although the readiness of some of you to provide your own copies of the treaties has been a big help. Thanks! We certainly hope that this increase will not deter future would-be members, and we are certain that we still give value-for-money, as this newsletter's collection of social events testifies!

And talking of events, the big event of the quarter was, of course, the long-waited outing to visit the European institutions! Thanks are largely due to founder member Rita de Kicker for arranging that this year not just the Commission, but also the Parliament and the Council, should hold an open day. There was a full turn-out, requiring a minibus to ferry us into town on the Big Day!

It was naturally a case of three-point seatbelts all around, and I for one was delighted with the way the event had been arranged as, indeed, I am sure we all were. Our guided tour around the Parliament for starters was instructive and entertaining! I think we were all amazed by the building work and, as the English say when in Spain, I'm sure it will look quite nice when it is finished!

The Council of Ministers was nothing like I had imagined and I am sure I speak for us all when I say there were some raised eyebrows at the colour scheme. But as the nice man told us, it is the votes which count and in some member states, yellow seating is quite the thing!

I know we came away with a sense of awe and wonderment after a few minutes in the EU's engine room, as it were, and we all wish Pierre well after the broken ankle incident in the revolving door. Everyone agrees there should be a sign saying “you mustn't push it because it self-activates”, and members will be pleased to hear that I have sent a stiff letter to the Council secretariat to that effect.

The highlight of the trip was, of course, the visit to the headquarters of the European Commission. I must say it all looked much more impressive than I had expected. The foyer was particularly welcoming and I think it was Mrs Forbes who remarked that she had never seen such an enormous rubber plant! It is only to be noted with regret that we were greeted by a larger-than-life-sized photograph of the Commissioners instead of the real things in the flesh, as it were!

Some of our women members would certainly have liked five minutes with the debonair Mr de Silguy, while the menfolk (no names, no pack-drill!!) wanted to ask Mrs Bjerregaard if she ever let her hair down! Still, we did enjoy our visit to the inner sanctum, even if it was just a large wooden table and chairs. The talk given to us by Mr Williamson was particularly interesting and it turned out later that he is the big cheese! Retrospective excitement all round, and a black mark to Jan and Deidre for insisting he look after their coats!

I am now writing to each institution offering our congratulations on a job well done and promising we will be there again next year! I am mentioning your complaints about the lack of rides for the children and suggesting the introduction of a cake stall which would bring in much-needed revenue to help create EU budget headroom, as well as fending off the hunger pangs!

Finally, last month's coffee morning was enjoyed by all who attended although nobody could answer the quiz tie-breaker!

The answer was, of course, João Soares, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Otto Bardong, Richard Balfe and Sérgio Ribeiro. Yes, I'm still kicking myself too! The Lucky Tea Ticket will therefore be carried over to next month's draw, so a real bonanza awaits one unsuspecting member!

See you all at Pete and Maria's Bar-B-Q on the 29th (non-British beef only, I am assured!).