mr president i must say that it is very encouraging to hear so many members from all sides of the house praising the belgian presidency and rightly so
i feared the opposite
i think one of the reasons the belgian presidency is a success is because they took the realities of the lisbon treaty into account
nowadays there must be a seamless transfer from one presidency to another
it is like a relay race the more effective the transfer is and the more low-profile it is the better probably
the belgians did that exceptionally well and have given an example to other countries of how to do so in future
i would particularly like to thank them for their work in relation to the budget and the banking authorities and other authorities established
if they are as successful as we hope they will be then the belgian presidency will actually grow in stature in the years ahead as we look back on these very important decisions
